Why do people always need to go abroad to "find themselves"? You can do the same in Taiwan.

Photos and text byOubeilai Travel Observation Diary

“I don’t understand why people always feel the need to spend some time ‘finding themselves’ by going far away, to other countries. For me, you can do it right here in the city.”

S is a freelance creative artist. He rents a cheap apartment with high ceilings and a night view that overlooks the entire Bangkok. Usually, he takes on small projects to make a living while saving money to prepare for exhibitions or trips every few months. He doesn’t yearn to travel the world, nor does he expect overnight fame, but he knows what his choices are at every step.

“I’m a freelancer. I don’t earn a lot, but I can sleep in until I wake up naturally. I don’t need to be out running around every day to feel free. For me, saving up some money, riding my bike to the park, hanging out with friends occasionally, and traveling once in a while is more than enough. Some of my friends say that once they’ve made enough money, they’ll quit their current jobs to become chefs—but why wait until you’ve saved up a bunch of money to do what you want? You can start learning to cook now. If you have talent in art, why give it up? Some friends think working from home might not be great and often ask me, ‘Are you doing okay?’ But I’m fine. When I’m bored, I host travelers.”

Watching him bury himself in thankless small projects every day, I asked him curiously why he doesn’t focus on creating. Then raise his rates a bit so he doesn’t have to work so hard and won’t bury his talent.

“For me, creating isn’t difficult, but it’s personal. It’s not about communication—it’s just my own ideas. I take on projects not just to make money, but also to learn how to communicate with different people. At first, a small illustration might only earn me $5, but three months later, that same illustration could earn me $35. And through interacting with clients from different countries, my English has improved a lot too. At first, I still needed to use translation tools, but now I can reply directly. I want to gradually train myself through these projects and grow more mature—step by step. No need to rush.”

He has all kinds of tattoos, big and small, all over his body, but if you look closely, some are a bit crooked and seem rather unpolished. It turns out some were done by friends, and even some he tried to do himself but gave up halfway because it hurt too much. These somewhat clumsy and funny tattoos are often teased by his friends, but he doesn’t mind.

“When I was 15, I started getting a lot of different tattoos. Some were influenced by movies I liked, and some by bands I loved. These tattoos may not look very refined, elegant, or beautiful. A lot of people would criticize those tattoos because of how they look, but I don’t care. Because back then, at 15, I felt I was already mature. I respected the people I admired, so I had them tattooed on me. And now I respect the person I was back then, so I won’t get them removed.”

He wears the same clothes for five or six years or more. Each piece is washed out and worn, but he doesn’t care.

“You know what? I really hate those perfect photos in magazines because that’s not the real world. You have to learn to face the ugly side of the world while also learning to accept and let go.”

Don’t resist the unpleasant parts of life, and you will gain true freedom.