I Think LALATOWN Is Growing
Hyung Joo Kim
I Think LALATOWN Is Growing on Its Own
Usually, my creative process is pretty simple.
I paint first.
Then I look at one tiny object in the painting and think,
“Hmm… that little teapot deserves its own brush.”
Five minutes later…
“Well… if the teapot gets a brush, the chair shouldn’t feel left out.”
Then the lantern joins.
Then the bakery sign.
Then the flower pot.
Then the tiny cat.
Before I know it…
I’ve made another brush set.
Apparently, this is how LALATOWN operates.
And honestly?
I’m not complaining.
A few months ago, I had no idea making Procreate brushes would become one of my favorite parts of being an illustrator.
I really thought,
“Maybe a few people will like these.”
Instead…
something much sweeter happened.
I have regular customers now.
…
Wait.
Did I really just write that?
Yes.
I have regular customers.
I’m trying very hard to act like a responsible adult…
but every time someone comes back for another brush set…
I quietly celebrate.
(Okay… not that quietly.)
Life has been complicated lately.
Some chapters are heavier than others.
Sometimes you wonder if you’re moving forward at all.
And then…
a bright little piece of news quietly appears.
Someone discovers my shop.
Someone comes back.
Someone leaves a kind review.
One person even told me that my shop immediately caught their eye.
I don’t think they realized how much that sentence meant to me.
Sometimes a single kind sentence shows up exactly when you need it.
So yes…
life can be messy.
But it also has a funny habit of leaving little gifts along the way.
Lately, I’ve been noticing those gifts more often.
Somewhere along the way, another thought started growing.
What if LALATOWN doesn’t stop with one painting?
What if one painting becomes twenty?
Then fifty.
Maybe one day…
one hundred.
Not because I planned it that way.
Just because every story seems to invite another one.
And one neighborhood somehow keeps leading to another.
Then one morning…
Bukchon quietly raised its hand.
“Excuse me…”
“My turn?”
…
Oh.
Right.
Bukchon.
The last Korean neighborhood painting I created already had people walking toward Bukchon.
Looking back…
I think I already knew where I was going.
Bukchon has always been one of my favorite places in Seoul.
Not because it’s famous.
Because it’s filled with my own memories.
My sister spent time there.
My nephew lived nearby when he was little.
We wandered those streets together.
We ate kalguksu.
Stopped for patbingsu.
Peeked into little shops full of handmade treasures.
And somehow…
I never came home with just one tiny souvenir.
It was always…
“Well… this keyring is cute.”
“Oh, and this hair clip.”
“Ooooh… look at this little ornament.”
You know how that goes.
Last year I went back to Korea.
Guess what?
I was so busy…
I never even made it to Bukchon.
So I made a decision.
If I can’t visit the Bukchon I love just yet…
I’ll paint the Bukchon that’s been living inside my memories.
Not an exact copy.
Not a travel guide.
My Bukchon.
LALATOWN Bukchon.
This time, I decided to flip my process upside down.
Usually I paint first…
and make brushes afterward.
This time…
I’m making all the tiny treasures first.
Traditional ornaments.
Beautiful earrings.
Hanbok embroidery.
Shop signs.
Lanterns.
Decorative patterns.
Little everyday objects that quietly tell stories.
Because I realized something.
Sometimes a neighborhood isn’t remembered because of the buildings.
It’s remembered because of the tiny details that make you stop and smile.
So…
welcome to LALATOWN Bukchon.
This is where tiny Korean objects become neighbors.
Where little memories quietly become illustrations.
And where one small detail somehow always inspires another.
I have a feeling this neighborhood is going to grow for a very long time.
And honestly…
I can’t wait to see who moves in next.
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Posted Jul 16, 2026
I Think LALATOWN Is Growing on Its Own Usually, my creative process is pretty simple. I paint first. Then I look at one tiny object in the painting and think...
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