[A DIY Study Abroad Starting with Just a Pen] Ep.2 Heart Rate 100

[Pen Artist Ha-jung Lee Series - A DIY Study Abroad Starting with Just a Pen] Ep.2 Heart Rate 100 - Florence

Before I set off on my journey, my title was planner and UI designer.

I placed buttons on screens and guided users' eyes. Cognitive science articles stating "blue buttons get higher click-through rates," or Apple's guidelines suggesting "cancel buttons should be on the left."

At some point, those rigid rules started to feel like a massive cage trapping me.

'Ten years from now, will I still be sitting here carving out square buttons on a screen?'

With AI becoming the talk of the town, what the world really wanted was fast and efficient UI designers. Being an illustrator or artist felt like a dying profession in this era.

My mind was a mess.

"What kind of designer do I want to be?"

"What do I want to do with design?"

The primary goal of this DIY study abroad wasn't to produce some grand masterpiece. It was simply to 'find my own style.' With that single question in my backpack, I boarded the plane.

Florence, Heart Rate 100

It was a month into my world travels. I was walking through the alleys of Florence, Italy.

I randomly walked into a vintage postcard shop.

Among the countless drawings, there was one small postcard that caught my eye. A scenery of Italy drawn delicately with a thin, firm pen.

The moment I stared quietly at that 'pen drawing,' a short vibration buzzed on my wrist. I looked down. The Apple Watch screen was screaming at me in red letters.

Heart rate 100.

It wasn't something calculated in my head, nor a rational judgment. My heart was simply pounding like crazy.

0.05 Millimeters

Afraid of losing this feeling, I immediately searched for a nearby art supply store. I spent two straight hours in the shop I walked into. I lost all track of time.

One 100g drawing notebook. A thin 0.05mm pen. And a pencil and eraser.

As soon as I paid, I ran to a nearby cafe. I sat by the window and uncapped the pen I had just bought. I started sketching the scenery of Florence right in front of me onto the blank paper.

Truth be told, I had never formally learned how to draw. Unlike the casual doodles I had done before, this kind of intricate 'pen drawing' was a first in my life. I was simply driven by the fierce urge to recreate the thin lines I had just seen at the postcard shop with my own hands.

The countless questions that had plagued my mind disappeared. All that remained was the scratchy sound of the 0.05mm pen tip touching the paper. Just like that, my first pen drawing—and the true style that would carry through the rest of my travels—began.

At that moment, I knew.

This trembling. The sensation of my heart racing for no reason. This was the very 'signal' I had been searching for.

'Found it. Finally.'

(Fin.)