Hello from Hiatus
Dear friends,
It has been awhile since we have said hello.
We hope that you have been keeping safe and healthy with your loved ones.
When we went into hiatus at the end of 2019, we could never have predicted the impact that a global pandemic and social upheaval would have on all our lives, merely a few months later. In the last few months, we have received several messages from well-meaning friends and clients who have written to us to tell us how inexplicably fortunate we are to have decided to go on hiatus when we did. We couldn’t agree more, and are incredibly grateful that the timing allowed us the opportunity to properly transition into hiatus. Operating under these circumstances is no easy feat, and we have nothing but respect for all who have taken on the formidable task with courage, grit, and a good dose of creativity.
On our part, we thought we’d give you a short update as to what’s been happening with Choo Yilin behind the scenes. We started off our hiatus travelling extensively to research and develop what we envisioned for Choo Yilin v2.0. As Covid-19 happened and the global health crisis escalated, borders began shutting down, and we scrambled to shelter at home. Our artisan and lapidary communities all over the world did the same, and so for at least a few months, we have been in a lock down, apart but together in spirit.
People have asked us if the global pandemic, that has upturned so many businesses and industries, has meant that our initial plans post-hiatus have changed. Our dreams for Choo Yilin v2.0 remain the same, but the unprecedented crisis has taught us a crucial lesson in humility and equanimity -- that best laid plans could be overturned in a split second. Whilst the current climate renders it impossible for us to be certain of when the next chapter of Choo Yilin can begin, we remain committed to pursuing the projects necessary for the relaunch, and hope that that day will come sooner rather than later.
Like so many of you, we have experienced a myriad of intense emotions over the last few months -- deep sadness of the suffering around the world, trepidation about a future that now seems so uncertain, and in this space of anguish and loss, also incredible joy of seeing the amazing things that can happen when people come together for each other. In the midst of these unprecedented, trying times, I am now even more certain that the themes of love, heritage, becoming, community, inclusiveness, and resilience that we felt needed to be strengthened in our next phase of growth are even more important than ever before.
When we announced our hiatus, we invited you to join us on our journey into the future. Over the next few months, we will be creating content and publishing articles celebrating those themes, and on jade education, and jewellery care, that we hope you will find inspirational and educational. We also encourage you to join our mailing list if you have not yet already, for other updates in the upcoming months - we may have a surprise or two.
For those of you who would like to say hello or have any other query that we could help you with, please write in to hello@chooyilin.com.
LOVE,
Yilin, on behalf of the Choo Yilin team.