Present Joys Featured Guest: Lian Fumerton-Liu
This week we welcome Lian Fumerton-Liu to share her present joys with us.
Lian Fumerton-Liu is an artist, designer, and the current Design Director of Aplós. She’s also a beloved friend to many, parent to an adorable Labrador pup named Bug (more on that below), and a beautiful reminder to slow down and savor life. We admire Lian for so many reasons, but the top one has to be that she is always truly herself and isn’t afraid to show it! That and the fact that her calendar is usually lined up with events and travels so, in her words, she “always has something to look forward to.” Read on to see what’s bringing Lian joy! 🌼
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A string of beautiful days...
I’ve begun to collect interesting and poetic calendars I come across in happenstance. These are mostly from our recent trip to Japan. They aren’t always the most ‘practical’ in terms of how we’ve been taught to ‘best’ track our time (with space for notes, meetings, trips, visitors etc), but I love them regardless. One of my favorites I’ve found is called A string of beautiful days… Designed by Mio Ueda, the numbers on this calendar are sewn with one long piece of yarn. Pulling the string undoes the sewing, deleting the calendar numbers one by one.
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Bath Time
People who know me well know I love a good bath. Baths aren’t just an activity or a practical way to clean yourself (though people will debate me on this)...they’re a way of life! I’m not ashamed to admit I’ll take up to 2 baths a day in the winter months and the ritual has carried me through some stressful and (literally) dark days. Pictured here are some recent bath-related sightings that make me smile. Bath people, unite.
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Bug Reports
This is our new puppy, Bug. Bug is a red fox lab and was 4-5 months old when Colin and I went on a few trips this summer. We enlisted some good friends to stay at our house and dogsit her, but little did we know that when graphic designers watch your pup, you may or may not get whimsical ‘reports’ as a form of daily updates. These brought us so much joy while we were away from her for the first time, including to everyone we shared them with.
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Participating
My name is Lian and I’m addicted to TikTok. I’ve tried deleting the app and it always finds a way back to the surface like a weed in the spring. It doesn’t help that it does, in fact, largely bring me joy and make me feel connected to culture/the world at large, especially when it’s so easy nowadays to feel isolated and disconnected. BUT, recently, I’ve decided that if I’m going to be spending time on the platform, I’d like to try and participate—because why not? My goal is to make one TikTok a month, whenever inspiration hits. Is this a sustainable solution that gets the root of the problem? No. Is it fun as hell to edit lil’ videos to music and not care so much? So far, yes and I recommend it.
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A Joyful Plunge
Swimming in the Seine has been illegal in Paris since 1923. When Colin and I went to Paris last month, we heard they had re-opened sections for swimming this summer and had to check it out. We biked over at 8am sharp (on Bastille day no less), stored our things in some very nicely designed wooden lockers, and waded in. Honestly, it was pretty magical—particularly because there weren’t too many people there and they seemed to be a mix of locals and people like us, who just wanted the joy of trying something new. I overheard one woman exclaim “I’ve always wanted to do this but never thought it would be possible!” Surprisingly, the water was warm and the current was strong. No wonder we all had to tie these funny yellow buoys around our waists.
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This Giant Comb
Self explanatory. I love him.
A few more joys from Michelle and Joyce…
Alma Backyard Farms We had such a lovely time at our August Present Walks–thank you to our hosts at Alma! The farms and community they’ve built in South LA are so special. The farm stand is open every first and third Sunday at their Compton location and every second Sunday at their San Pedro location. Learn more about Alma here.
Dutch Angle Discovered a fun easter egg when googling “dutch angle.”
Taron Bakery The lahmajoun from this no-frills bakery is so delicious.
Dividing the Light Enjoyed a summer evening with Van and Bruce at the James Turrell skyspace on Pomona College’s campus. It’s free and open to the public with lighting programs occurring every sunrise and sunset.
Here Here Pizza After an aperitif with friends at Dunsmoor, I rounded the corner and stumbled upon this pizza spot popping up. I had regretted not ordering the burger at Dunsmoor, so I quickly placed an order at Here Here. It was delicious—even cold the next day.
Back to School I started taking a Real Estate class which is as random feeling as it is perfect for my education-loving brain. It’s been so refreshing to learn about something I previously knew precisely zero about. It’s reminding me that everything is we want to know is within reach.
Getting Good News Sometimes the purest joy is getting some good news in a week that feels fraught otherwise.
LIAN is joy in the form of a design director! ❤️