Diary 1: The Spark Behind My Gemstone Journey

Sometimes, the timing just felt right—you could sense something wonderful was coming, and all you wanted was to chase it. No thinking, just doing.

Life Is a Mess

If you’ve never thought about starting a business, you probably won’t get me. Six years ago, out of nowhere, I decided I wanted to do business. No reason, no big event — just a thought that landed in my head and refused to leave. But here’s the twist: I only really started… now.

Why? Because humans — me included — are lazy, lonely, and terrified of failure.

I’m like most people. I want to create something of my own, but I’m afraid: afraid of failure, afraid of wasting time, afraid of the giant pile of “things to do.” So I distract myself — meeting friends, scrolling, chasing short bursts of happiness. But those moments don’t last.

Do you know the feeling? You know you’re talented at something. You dream of building a business, of earning money while you sleep, of having that chilled, free life. You make a plan, but then you lose faith in it or simply run out of energy. I’ve been there — talking to entrepreneurs but never taking the next step; building a printable painting store but stopping right after the website went live; reading business books that didn’t magically give me a business.

Month after month, I worked, lived, got restless, got bored. I knew I needed to act. I knew doing is more important than thinking. I knew my unhappiness meant something inside me wanted out. The ordinary life was slowly eating away my passion for beautiful things. And I was 100% sure: I needed to do something real.

Endless Hobbies

I’ve always known I can paint — and not just paint — but draw exact 1:1 copies. I love creating from scratch. But after long workdays — and let’s be real, work can drain the colour out of life — I started losing my love for it. Painting no longer made me happy, and I hated seeing myself like that.

So I wandered. Designing fake nails. Experimenting with clothing. Playing piano. Kayaking. Adopting a bunny. I just couldn’t stop — if I wasn’t creating something, I felt like I was disappearing. Maybe it’s the invisible shackles of being an Asian kid told to “be practical.”

But after dipping my hands into so many things, I discovered something else: I learn fast. I have a good eye. And I love creating. Slowly, my dream got clearer — I wanted to make things so beautiful people would want to own them. I’m not in full bloom yet, but the seed is alive. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll join me in seeing it grow.

F1: The Movie

For years, I’ve been stuck wondering: What should I do? What’s profitable? What’s worth betting my life on? I know many people feel the same — because failing is scary. People love to label you with #Loser if you try and fall flat.

But honestly, I’ve stopped caring. I don’t care how rich my friends are or how many times they say, “It’s not a good time to start a business.” I still believe I should do it — even if I take tiny steps.

One day, my friend sent me a post saying Brad Pitt was looking old but still charming in the new F1 movie. She invited me to watch it. I’m not a cinema person, but I went to make her happy. And I have to say — the movie was electric. The shots, the music, the raw passion. I could feel Sonny’s pain from racing, but more than that, I felt his want. That I want it no matter what feeling. My own passion stirred awake.

And then… there was Joshua Pearce’s outfit. The jewellery. Those vivid stones against his skin — like they were born there. I didn’t realise until much later how deep that image had sunk into me.

Call of Duty Feeling

The movie glow lasted two or three days before reality pulled me back. I don’t hate my job — I actually enjoy running my boss’s online store. But I hate not having enough time for my own magic. I hate when great ideas die because no one cooperates. I need something that’s mine, where I control the pace, the vision, the future.

The movie faded, but the image of those colourful stones didn’t. Then one afternoon, while shopping, I wandered into Swarovski — and there it was. A bracelet so close to the one from the film, sparkling under the lights like it was waiting for me. Price tag: 2,890 RMB.

Beautiful? Yes. Worth it? No. Swarovski doesn’t hold value, and my practical side screamed, “Don’t waste your money.”
But then my creative side smiled: Make it yourself.

Just like I’ve done with clothes. With nails. With everything else I couldn’t find the perfect version of. And in that moment, I knew — this wasn’t just another hobby wave. Something felt different. Sharper. Louder. Like the click of a starting gun.

Maybe this time, I wasn’t just making jewellery.
Maybe this time, I was setting the first stone in a new life.

To be continued…

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