Yo! I’m Paul Jun.
You might know me from my work at CreativeMorings, as a coach for Seth Godin’s The altMBA, or things I worked on at the brand agency COLLINS. I also co-created The Observers, a publication about photobooks. Maybe I took your portrait. Or perhaps you’re one of the OGs from 2010 who read Motivated Mastery (RIP), my book Connect the Dots, or my essays on Adobe’s 99u. Either way, what up.
I’m a writer and designer. I do photography for fun. I love building brands, products, stories, and communities.
WTF is Kimchi & Gabagool?
I’m a Korean American born and raised in (North) New Jersey. Recently, I’ve learned to appreciate my upbringing and be more curious about the lives of other Asian Americans and children of immigrants.
We have similar experiences: feeling ashamed, out of place, bullied, held to insane standards of excellence, and relying on hip-hop, sports, or video games to fit in.
The one difference uniquely tailored to me: I remember eating gabagool and fresh mutz at friends’ houses—marinara is Sunday gravy—and, by night, sitting on the floor cross-legged eating rice, kimchi, and Spam with my old-school Korean parents. I played football, got into many fights, almost became a pro gamer, and failed through high school and college. I had many friends just ten minutes away who grew up in the hood.
I’ve learned to feel fortunate for how I grew up and all the realities I saw—the families that let me into their lives and how this would shape my life. I saw extreme wealth and heartbreaking poverty. I clawed my way out of Jersey, building a career as a writer and designer, and, through incredible luck, made it this far.
Why, I thought, don’t I allow this to show up in my writing? My past blogs were records of my own learning. I wrote about the books I read. I wrote essays that helped me think and, hopefully, see clearly.
So, to name this new endeavor, I asked myself: What two foods represent me?
Alas… Kimchi & Gabagool 🤌
The amazing illustration of kimchi being wrapped with a slice of gabagool is done by Naomi Otsu. other essays:
Creativity is about practice.
Self-delusion is vital in leading a creative life.
Before Ryan Holiday revived stoicism (he also recommended Meditations to me back in the day, thanks to Ryan), I wrote about how philosophy bolsters creativity.
All great artists write.
Don’t grow your garden in someone else’s yard.
I got candid about burnout and post-burnout clarity.
What brands can learn from philosophy?
I believe self-education is the only path worth taking to design the life you want to lead.
