“While shaping the clay, I learned how to comfort myself.”

Instead of striving for the perfection defined by the world,
I decided to live in the shape that feels most "true to myself."
A record of the most honest and resilient self-discovery by ceramic artist Lee kyunghwan,
embracing even my anxiety and wounds as an integral part of who I am.

We live every day pretending to be okay. The obsession with living in the "normal person’s mold" that the world has set for us, without a single flaw, slowly wears us down. We feel that only perfection will make us worthy of love, and that if we fall apart, it’ll be irreversible. So, we keep pushing forward, always looking ahead. But at some point, we suddenly realize: When did I become so distant from myself?

Shaping Time is a record of life written by Lee kyeonghwan, a ceramic artist, model, and influencer who actively engaged with the world. In this work, he confronts clay, a medium that doesn’t lie. If handled in haste, it twists easily, and anxious hands leave marks. The more he strived for perfection, the more it crumbled. But when he stopped, calmed his mind, and allowed himself to breathe, the clay slowly found its own form.

Through pottery, he discovered truths about life: that clay hardens not because it avoids fire, but because it faces it; and that in moments of anxiety and trials we, too, find our own unique texture. This book is a record of his realization. Though the phrase "It's okay to not be perfect" may sound cliche, within his words, it transforms from mere comfort to lived experience. Just as he gazes at a dented cup and says, "This shape is better," here is a way of living where even flaws become part of the process. Like the surface of pottery, it might not shine, but each time you hold it, there’s warmth that touches the heart.

Reading this book will not be about peeking into someone else's success story. Instead, it will be a time to quietly examine the anxieties within you. It will be an opportunity to step out of the molds set by society and practice breathing at your own pace. Just as he comforted himself by shaping clay, you, too, will find yourself quietly saying, “Ah, I get it now,” as you follow his words.

"What shape are you living in right now? Have you become too rigid, with no space for your heart to breathe? Just like clay needs water to come to life, you too can soften again. Enter the time of shaping yourself, just as you would shape clay. Your anxious days will slowly warm up, and you will eventually be shaped firmly into your true self."