Unfold
 |
Description
Book Introduction
- A word from MD
- Cheer for our lives to unfold againKim Kyung-joo, the granddaughter of artist Jang Wook-jin and branding director.
This book contains three years of dawn drawings and life reflections.
In a time of constant collapse, his journey of constantly struggling to find himself offers quiet encouragement to all of us who walk our own paths.
November 14, 2025. Essay PD Lee Ju-eun
“It wasn’t a grand resolution that helped me get back up when I was down,
“It was a small routine in the silence of every day at five in the morning.”
The author, the granddaughter of master artist Jang Wook-jin and a branding director, carefully selected 544 of the 1,000 drawings she made every morning for three years, along with the artist's own words. This high-density, emotional art book contains them.
"Unfold" is a healing record woven over four seasons and twelve months of a journey of "collapse - recovery - growth - expansion." It offers heartfelt comfort to those going through difficult times in life, saying, "You can rise again."
“It was a small routine in the silence of every day at five in the morning.”
The author, the granddaughter of master artist Jang Wook-jin and a branding director, carefully selected 544 of the 1,000 drawings she made every morning for three years, along with the artist's own words. This high-density, emotional art book contains them.
"Unfold" is a healing record woven over four seasons and twelve months of a journey of "collapse - recovery - growth - expansion." It offers heartfelt comfort to those going through difficult times in life, saying, "You can rise again."
- You can preview some of the book's contents.
Preview
index
_prolog
_winter
When life's unexpected adversity came in December
Don't let self-loathing and depression consume you in January.
Creating a Healing Routine That Saves Me in February
_spring
March: Letting Go of the Uncontrollable
April: Break free from the expectations and approval of others
May: Controlling My Thoughts and Emotions
_summer
June, when you're afraid of new challenges and failures
When you get impatient comparing yourself to others in July
August: Balancing Childcare, Housework, and Relationships
_autumn
Letting go of stress in your relationships in September
Don't let past wounds become permanent traumas.
Creating my own path with my own style in November
_Epilogue
_winter
When life's unexpected adversity came in December
Don't let self-loathing and depression consume you in January.
Creating a Healing Routine That Saves Me in February
_spring
March: Letting Go of the Uncontrollable
April: Break free from the expectations and approval of others
May: Controlling My Thoughts and Emotions
_summer
June, when you're afraid of new challenges and failures
When you get impatient comparing yourself to others in July
August: Balancing Childcare, Housework, and Relationships
_autumn
Letting go of stress in your relationships in September
Don't let past wounds become permanent traumas.
Creating my own path with my own style in November
_Epilogue
Detailed image
Into the book
Neither good nor bad is eternal.
What matters is that I remain grounded, even as seasons change and storms rage.
--- p.25
When I let go of what I desperately wanted, I finally got everything.
--- p.31
At 5 a.m. on January 1, 2023, I opened a new blank notebook and drew my first drawing with the most ordinary pencil.
And he wrote, 'My thoughts make me.'
That was the beginning of the dawn drawing that continues to this day, although I didn't know it then.
--- p.39
True self-love lies in the small habits of changing your pillowcase, preparing your meals neatly, and cleaning your mirror.
--- p.73
Accepting myself as I am, always keeping my gaze on myself and not on others, having the courage to be hated, and believing in and cherishing myself first.
When I start my day by expressing these thoughts in drawings, I feel a sense of security, as if I have gained the world.
--- p.107
Tears shed together, a friend's hand carelessly wrapped around you, a warm smile and sincere gestures, eyes filled with love.
Sometimes silence speaks volumes.
The language of silence is also very good.
--- p.140
It is my choice whether to use what has already happened as a stumbling block or as a stepping stone.
So instead of letting the wound fester, I decided to make friends with the scar.
Even wounds can be named.
If someone calls it 'trauma', I'll call it a 'gift'.
--- p.251
I want to live my one and only life like that, ordinary yet extraordinary, boring yet exciting.
If you deviate from the path that someone else has created, you may feel like you have lost everything, but if you are creating your own path and you are not sure, you can stop for a moment or draw a different path.
What's important is that the erased traces and crooked lines are all my path, and that the person holding the pencil is always me.
What matters is that I remain grounded, even as seasons change and storms rage.
--- p.25
When I let go of what I desperately wanted, I finally got everything.
--- p.31
At 5 a.m. on January 1, 2023, I opened a new blank notebook and drew my first drawing with the most ordinary pencil.
And he wrote, 'My thoughts make me.'
That was the beginning of the dawn drawing that continues to this day, although I didn't know it then.
--- p.39
True self-love lies in the small habits of changing your pillowcase, preparing your meals neatly, and cleaning your mirror.
--- p.73
Accepting myself as I am, always keeping my gaze on myself and not on others, having the courage to be hated, and believing in and cherishing myself first.
When I start my day by expressing these thoughts in drawings, I feel a sense of security, as if I have gained the world.
--- p.107
Tears shed together, a friend's hand carelessly wrapped around you, a warm smile and sincere gestures, eyes filled with love.
Sometimes silence speaks volumes.
The language of silence is also very good.
--- p.140
It is my choice whether to use what has already happened as a stumbling block or as a stepping stone.
So instead of letting the wound fester, I decided to make friends with the scar.
Even wounds can be named.
If someone calls it 'trauma', I'll call it a 'gift'.
--- p.251
I want to live my one and only life like that, ordinary yet extraordinary, boring yet exciting.
If you deviate from the path that someone else has created, you may feel like you have lost everything, but if you are creating your own path and you are not sure, you can stop for a moment or draw a different path.
What's important is that the erased traces and crooked lines are all my path, and that the person holding the pencil is always me.
--- p.276
Publisher's Review
The worst time of my life, what picked me up when I was broken
It wasn't a grand resolution, it was a very small routine.
"Now I have to get back up, but where do I start?"
If you are going through the waves of life, you have probably asked yourself this question at least once.
The same was true for writer Kim Kyung-joo, who thought it was normal to follow the path set by others.
At the end of the road the author believed was smooth sailing, a dark tunnel awaited her: divorce. Then, anxiety about the future and life as a single mother led to deep self-loathing and depression.
It seemed like everything was falling apart.
In that desperate moment, the writer decides to wake up at 5 a.m. every day and face himself in the quiet of the hour.
『Unfold』 is a book that contains 544 carefully selected drawings out of the 1,000 or so drawings made over the past three years.
Rather than flashy techniques or perfection, honest drawings and writings that clearly capture the fingerprints of life.
This book is a high-density emotional art book, but at the same time, it is a healing record that teaches us how to endure life.
A four-season journey to find my lost identity.
This book is not just a collection of pictures or essays.
Starting from the coldest 'winter' of life, December of loss and frustration, 'spring' of letting go of others' expectations and controlling oneself, 'summer' of finding new challenges and balance, and 'autumn' of creating one's own path, it depicts the journey of 'collapse-recovery-growth-expansion' in three dimensions according to the flow of 12 months.
In extreme loneliness, the author decides to become his own best friend, believing that "my thoughts make me."
And through daily drawings and short writings, you learn to control your thoughts and emotions.
The granddaughter of master artist Jang Wook-jin, a special narrative that carries on his artistic DNA.
Artist Kim Kyung-joo is the granddaughter of Jang Wook-jin, a master of Korean modernist art.
Although he did not major in art, he says he gained the courage to start painting from his maternal grandfather, who appeared to him in a dream during his most difficult time.
As you flip through the pages of the artist's illustrations, you'll fully sense the concise touch he inherited from his maternal grandfather, the power to convey profound stories through simple lines, and the courage to preserve only the essence without embellishment.
You can also hear the story of 'Dongyang Seorim', which was opened in Hyehwa-dong by the maternal grandmother, wife of artist Jang Wook-jin, while raising five children.
This bookstore is currently designated as a Seoul Future Heritage, and its artistic sensibility and family narrative, passed down through generations, reminds readers that each life has its own unique meaning.
UNFOLD, cheering for your life to unfold again
'UNFOLD' means 'to spread out'.
The reason I chose this word as the title is because I wanted to capture the author's earnest wish that my crumpled and shrunken heart would unfold little by little as I look into myself every morning.
This book will be honest.
In the drawings and writings that bear the fingerprints of life, you will sense a steady and sincere attitude, and you will realize that sincerity is ultimately the greatest force that sustains life.
This 320-page, hardcover book is a valuable collectible and makes a perfect holiday gift.
For those of you who have lost your way in life and are about to start standing on your own two feet, this will give you the courage to forge your own path, along with the sincere comfort that "you can get back up again."
“Collapse comes to everyone, but if you endure that time, dawn will surely come.
“I want to offer heartfelt comfort to readers who are going through a difficult time in life: ‘I can get back up again.’”
- Author Kim Kyung-joo
It wasn't a grand resolution, it was a very small routine.
"Now I have to get back up, but where do I start?"
If you are going through the waves of life, you have probably asked yourself this question at least once.
The same was true for writer Kim Kyung-joo, who thought it was normal to follow the path set by others.
At the end of the road the author believed was smooth sailing, a dark tunnel awaited her: divorce. Then, anxiety about the future and life as a single mother led to deep self-loathing and depression.
It seemed like everything was falling apart.
In that desperate moment, the writer decides to wake up at 5 a.m. every day and face himself in the quiet of the hour.
『Unfold』 is a book that contains 544 carefully selected drawings out of the 1,000 or so drawings made over the past three years.
Rather than flashy techniques or perfection, honest drawings and writings that clearly capture the fingerprints of life.
This book is a high-density emotional art book, but at the same time, it is a healing record that teaches us how to endure life.
A four-season journey to find my lost identity.
This book is not just a collection of pictures or essays.
Starting from the coldest 'winter' of life, December of loss and frustration, 'spring' of letting go of others' expectations and controlling oneself, 'summer' of finding new challenges and balance, and 'autumn' of creating one's own path, it depicts the journey of 'collapse-recovery-growth-expansion' in three dimensions according to the flow of 12 months.
In extreme loneliness, the author decides to become his own best friend, believing that "my thoughts make me."
And through daily drawings and short writings, you learn to control your thoughts and emotions.
The granddaughter of master artist Jang Wook-jin, a special narrative that carries on his artistic DNA.
Artist Kim Kyung-joo is the granddaughter of Jang Wook-jin, a master of Korean modernist art.
Although he did not major in art, he says he gained the courage to start painting from his maternal grandfather, who appeared to him in a dream during his most difficult time.
As you flip through the pages of the artist's illustrations, you'll fully sense the concise touch he inherited from his maternal grandfather, the power to convey profound stories through simple lines, and the courage to preserve only the essence without embellishment.
You can also hear the story of 'Dongyang Seorim', which was opened in Hyehwa-dong by the maternal grandmother, wife of artist Jang Wook-jin, while raising five children.
This bookstore is currently designated as a Seoul Future Heritage, and its artistic sensibility and family narrative, passed down through generations, reminds readers that each life has its own unique meaning.
UNFOLD, cheering for your life to unfold again
'UNFOLD' means 'to spread out'.
The reason I chose this word as the title is because I wanted to capture the author's earnest wish that my crumpled and shrunken heart would unfold little by little as I look into myself every morning.
This book will be honest.
In the drawings and writings that bear the fingerprints of life, you will sense a steady and sincere attitude, and you will realize that sincerity is ultimately the greatest force that sustains life.
This 320-page, hardcover book is a valuable collectible and makes a perfect holiday gift.
For those of you who have lost your way in life and are about to start standing on your own two feet, this will give you the courage to forge your own path, along with the sincere comfort that "you can get back up again."
“Collapse comes to everyone, but if you endure that time, dawn will surely come.
“I want to offer heartfelt comfort to readers who are going through a difficult time in life: ‘I can get back up again.’”
- Author Kim Kyung-joo
GOODS SPECIFICS
- Date of issue: November 11, 2025
- Format: Hardcover book binding method guide
- Page count, weight, size: 320 pages | 512g | 131*184*26mm
- ISBN13: 9791190007740
- ISBN10: 1190007746
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카테고리
korean
korean
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