The Story
"Show up messy and see what happens."
— Friends Learn Together Motto
The Why
At the start of 2026, I had a surprisingly urgent thought: I needed my mom to teach me how to make her kimchi-jjigae. It wasn't so much about learning a recipe—it was about realizing there were so many things I'd always meant to learn someday. I always found a reason to wait. I blamed time, money, or being "too busy," but those were only excuses. Underneath them was something much more honest: the concern of looking foolish, the discomfort of being a beginner, and the fear of failure. This year, I've decided that it's now or never. Thankfully, I'm surrounded by wonderful and awe-inspiring people that could teach me a thing or two. This personal project was then created to have my favorite people share a piece of themselves, while I do my best to do them justice, and make myself proud in the process.
The How
Every lesson follows a consistent format. I'll begin by introducing my instructor and the skill we're exploring together. I'll share how we know each other (or how we connected) and why they're uniquely qualified to teach that particular lesson.
The fun—and admittedly anxiety-inducing part is that I'll be documenting each lesson through photos, videos, and audio. You'll see the expert demonstrate the skill, along with my very real experience as a beginner.
Every instructor will review and approve their lesson and any accompanying media before it's published, and everyone featured has given their consent to participate.
The Goal
This project isn't about mastery or perfection—for me or for my instructors. It's about the hope that I'll look back before my 40th birthday and see how far I've come, with the guidance of people who mean so much to me.
Time to jump into what will be awkward and uncomfortable, but likely, worth it in the end.