Reading & Writing
Looking again at what I have seen
Essays about making things, living with a cat, noticing a city, and finding my way with AI. These are English translations of my own writing.
Articles
58 articles
How Do You Follow Up in a User Interview? Follow the Answer to Find the Sticking Point
How do you keep a chain of five questions going? A hypothetical conversation about relaxing before bed eventually puts even “she needs a lamp” back into question.
Marketing, sales, and growth: using one lamp to tell them apart
Helping people understand value, bringing about a specific purchase, and finding needs that remain unmet. I put three ideas from an interview into the story of a single lamp to see what happens at each step.
Who Is the Product Really For? Get Specific About People, Situations, and Problems
Moving from people who like beautiful things to a specific situation in everyday life. An eight-panel comic uses a moon lamp to practice asking questions, while leaving a question mark over needs that have not yet been validated.
For My Future Self: Sanmu’s Memoir 009
Seeing paintings of Sanmu from different periods brings back small details from those years. Writing down everyday life with a cat also records how I have lived. I want to leave a few images and words so my future self can still remember.
Planning with Two AIs Almost Took the Topic Off Course
While planning an online session with Ask Runyu and Codex, the proposal grew more detailed but drifted toward an AI video class. I restored the main thread of my knowledge base and creative workflow, and recorded the actual back-and-forth over pricing, posters, and QR codes.
The Model at Home: Sanmu’s Memoir 008
Having a cat also gave me a model at home. From a challenging silver tabby coat to Mucha-inspired portraits surrounded by flowers, Sanmu has accompanied many painting experiments and helped me begin portraits of other pets. Includes a watercolor process video of painting Sanmu.
Waiting for Sanmu to Look at the Camera | Sanmu’s Memoir 007
To photograph Sanmu, I first need a way to make him look over. After many photos, I found that the same way of attracting him produced similar expressions. This entry describes waiting for his gaze and gathers a few cat-photography tips to help you keep a clear picture.
A cat to come home to · Sanmu Memoir 006
Sometimes, when I open the door at home, I first hear a thud from the room inside. A few seconds later, Sanmu ambles over. I do my own things when I am out; when I return, I stroke the cat and say a few words, and that feels good. This essay is about the ordinary happiness of having a cat at home.
When the Plastic Bag Rustles: Sanmu’s Memoir 005
Sanmu is usually an easy cat to live with, but the sound of him chewing plastic bags is hard to ignore. I suspect he wants my attention. One moment I am telling him to stop; a little later he is beside me, and I am scratching his chin and kissing him. In life with a cat, worry and closeness often sit side by side.
One can a day · Sanmu Memoir 004
Sanmu has one can of food every day. The habit began with care after an illness and gradually became something to anticipate in the early morning. Sanmu meows a few times; I do not get up; after a while, the cat jumps onto the bed to sleep beside me again. The fourth Sanmu Memoir is about trial and error with food, and small moments of living together.
I Got a Cat So I Could Paint Cats
In 2013, I got my first cat to better understand how to paint them. I named him Sanmu, a name taken apart from the name of my creative venture, Huisenhuo.
Having a cat for the first time made me notice everything
When I first had a cat, I paid close attention to Sanmu's every movement, worrying about things being knocked over or my art supplies being scratched. No particular event changed that. We simply lived together, and without noticing when, I began to relax.
Sanmu stays beside me while I paint · Sanmu Memoir 003
As a kitten, Sanmu would reach out a paw to bat at my watercolor brush. Of course I stopped it; that really got in the way of painting. Later, Sanmu spent more time lying nearby. I painted and reached over for a stroke now and then. We did not have to set special rules for each other. We fitted together just right.
After “That’s Amazing,” What Else Can We Talk About?
After years of creating, I have come to distinguish praise, understanding, and making things together. AI helps me develop ideas, but I still hope for painting companions and conversations with people who are curious enough to try things themselves.
Does Painting the Same Subject Several Times Get Boring?
I don’t particularly enjoy copying the same painting repeatedly, but when preparing a demonstration class, I do paint and explain it again and again. When I return to a subject, am I trying to solve a problem or find a different way to express it?
Is an Hour or Two a Day Really So Little?
For nearly two months, I have hardly painted, though I have thoroughly enjoyed creating with AI. When I pick up a brush again, the rustiness is real too. Everything I enjoy takes time. Where would another hour or two a day come from?
You Can Understand a Painting and Still Not Like It
After collecting paintings for around seven or eight hundred days, I still begin with images I like. From choosing works to copy to seeing originals in Italy, I have gradually found that understanding a painting, liking it, and being able to paint it myself can be considered separately.
One Month After Upgrading Codex, I Started Making Small Things
From waiting for Plus limits to reset to spending a month on Pro20X, I have made some progress on my website, videos, and knowledge base. At first I wanted to make something big. Now I am more inclined to finish one small thing first.
I do not feel as though I am caught in the rat race
Other people say I am always pushing too hard, but it does not feel that way to me. Curiosity keeps me exploring. Seeing the same video receive different responses in different places has also made me reconsider what it means to create value.
Mom and I Both Want to Be Good to Each Other
I bought Mom a recording card; she prepared food for me. Neither of us used the gifts quite as the other hoped. Eventually, we put things where they would be more useful. The care remains, while we slowly learn to make each other comfortable.
Go Outside to See What Lies Beyond the Photograph
A photograph preserves one angle. Being there lets you see the life beyond its frame. From art study trips to sketching in Shanghai, this is a reflection on how going out changes what we notice and how we judge it.
Why I am still buying paper books in the age of AI
Over the past month or so, I have been using AI frequently and buying quite a few paper books. Making videos and working on projects have shown me more clearly what I still need to learn, and made me more determined to keep judgment in my own hands.
From Asking Runyu to Being Seen by Runyu
From asking Ask Runyu about watercolor services to making six AI story films, building Ask Tee Sang, and creating the virtual character TEVIA, Tee Sang recounts how he came to know Runyu and how these experiments opened new directions for creation and collaboration.
What Are We Looking at When We Step Back from a Painting?
When you step away from a painting, what should you look for? Starting with experiences of details stealing the focus, I discuss composition, value relationships, overall color, and visual priorities, including when to strengthen the subject and when to quieten the details.
I do not enjoy the rat race, but I want to try reaching overseas
From sharing on Sina Weibo to art study trips, painting, and an AI-created virtual character, I look back at choices led by curiosity. I now want to try sharing familiar Shanghai life, watercolor, and photography on overseas platforms. I have no experience of that yet. I am starting with curiosity.
After Half a Day with GPT 6, What I Like Most Is Being Asked Less
After two months of heavy Codex use, Tee Sang records his first half day with GPT 6: faster replies, fewer mid-task confirmations, and continued improvements to his website and older projects. This personal account also distinguishes collaboration rules and permissions from model capabilities.
Before Critiquing a Painting, I Want to Ask a Few Questions
Before offering advice on a painting, understand its purpose, the painter’s practice, and the response they need this time. Drawing on teaching experience and work on Ask Tee Sang, I consider when to offer advice and when to hold off on a conclusion.
I Want to Paint Every Park in Shanghai
Visiting Shanghai’s parks one by one, I record watercolor sketches, things encountered along the way, and how I felt at the time. The scene outside offers a starting point; the painter’s experience, emotions, and way of seeing also find their way onto the paper.
If you cannot draw without a photograph, imagination may not be the problem
Why does copying a photograph feel easy, while taking the reference away leaves you unsure what to draw? Imagination may not be the problem. The photograph has already made decisions about composition, proportion, light, and what to leave out.
Painting Does Not Mean Painting Everything
Facing a complex photograph, what should you paint and what can you leave out? Starting with a one-hour sketch in Fuxing Park, Tee Sang considers subjects and supporting elements, copying and original work, and how simplifying a picture begins before the first brushstroke.
What you really need before a watercolor outing is more than a bag of supplies
Preparing to paint outdoors takes more than a materials checklist. It means being ready to observe, frame a scene, and make choices as the wind, light, passersby, and your own state change. Drawing on my experiences at Shanghai's Paotaiwan Wetland Park, I suggest a lighter way to begin outdoor watercolor.
I Made Two Rounds of Ads with Six AI Video Models
What would six AI video models produce from the same perfume ad prompt? I then gave each a task more suited to its strengths. Two rounds showed me that model prices are only part of the bill: retries, repairs, and product accuracy also affect delivery.
After Five Billion Tokens, I Started Looking for Needs
After his cumulative Codex use reached five billion tokens, Tee Sang stopped inventing projects to use up quota. Instead, he began using AI to collect real questions from watercolor learners and add the findings to the Ask Tee Sang judgment library, changing how he looks for demand as an independent creator.
Why did AI turn customers away on my behalf?
Using old information, Doubao decided that I no longer accepted pet watercolor commissions. I began organizing my website and public information, then retesting with a GEO dashboard. Four or five days later, the metrics had shifted slightly, but discovery visibility and citations of my website remained at zero.
Make Something First, Then Wait for People on the Same Wavelength
Through building a personal website and the Ask Tee Sang mini program, an independent creator who cannot code records how AI helps ideas take shape first, while continued revisions leave room to meet people who truly share his interests.
Why is it still hard to keep painting after taking a watercolor class?
Many people can follow along and finish a painting in class, then gradually stop once the course ends. The problem may be less about discipline or talent than about losing a setting that makes it easy to begin, timely feedback, and a reason to paint that truly connects with life.
How an Independent Creator Can Help AI Really Understand Them
Fluent writing is not necessarily writing that sounds like you. Through four documents, “About Me,” “What I Am Working On,” “How I Like to Express Myself,” and “Why I Made This Edit,” Tee Sang shows how creators can leave AI less to guess while protecting facts, voice, and the boundaries of what they share.
When the Quota Is About to Reset, I Start Giving Myself More Work
As his weekly Codex quota approaches its reset, Tee Sang starts finding himself more work. He reflects on the urge to use up a generous subscription and on the difference between a concentrated building phase and routine maintenance: quota is a resource for working, not the goal of the work.
My Toolbox Is Full Enough. It Is Time to Go Where the Problem Is.
As AI tools multiply, what is missing may not be the next piece of software, but a real problem worth solving. Tee Sang turns from intensive trials of Codex, Kimi, and video tools toward real-world situations, actual needs, and work whose delivery can be checked.
Mom Has Accepted the Real Me. I Am Learning to Accept the Real Her.
Being yourself involves more than refusing to please others. It also means seeing one another as we really are. Starting with life with his mother, Tee Sang reflects on acceptance, boundaries, and the learning that happens in both directions in a close relationship.
After Seven Months with GetSeed, I Started Leaving My Recordings for AI
After seven months with GetSeed, recording became more than transcription: it began providing material from daily life to revisit, and context for AI. Starting with a recording device I bought for Mom, the article considers memory, knowledge bases, and privacy boundaries.
I Want to Light Up an Evening for Painting Again
What many people lack may not be another course, but time to sit down and paint again. Tee Sang planned a painting study room for 100 evenings beginning August 31, with the Ask Tee Sang mini program connecting evening companionship and everyday painting questions.
Nearly 800 days of posting on WeChat, and I have barely managed the account
What began as practice in expressing myself became a daily habit of spending fifteen minutes finding, looking at, and sharing paintings. Looking back on nearly 800 numbered posts, I reconsider sustained practice, unexpected growth, collaboration with AI, and how to make these shares a little more useful to readers.
I Want to Paint a Watercolor for Cats and Dogs Who Have Passed Away
A reader’s comment about a pet who had died led Tee Sang to consider using watercolor to look closely once more at lives still dearly missed. The article explains the original memorial painting plan, how to submit a request, and the boundaries around sharing it publicly.
My mom brought the new account its first 80 readers
Almost all of the new account's first eighty-odd readers came through my mom. Her unexpected efforts to spread the word helped her reconnect with friends and, after more than ten years of freelancing, made me feel for the first time that my parents were truly entering my creative world. AI had barely taught my mom any tools before it began connecting people.
After Using 440 Million Tokens, I Started Wanting to Learn Code
After more than a month with desktop agents, my confirmed Codex usage exceeded 440 million tokens, and Kimi’s shared monthly allowance ran out in five days. The real gain was realizing that ordinary users do not have to become programmers, but a little understanding of code can make collaboration with agents more precise.
Sanmu’s Memoir · vol.000 | Remembering Is a Verb, Not a Noun
Sanmu has been with Tee Sang for 14 years, witnessing his life as a freelancer. This memoir is not an attempt to manufacture a goodbye. It is a way to look again, write down, and preserve the details everyday familiarity can hide, while Sanmu is still here.
I Don’t Remember Keigo Higashino’s Face, but I Remember the People He Created
After hearing news that Keigo Higashino had died, Tee Sang realized that the author’s face might be unfamiliar, while his characters and stories were vivid. The article asks what a creator ultimately leaves behind: their own image, or works that enter other people’s lives.
You May Not Need More Clarity. You May Need to Start.
Many things become clear through action rather than before it. Starting from the “Law of Recklessness,” Tee Sang looks back on creative and AI experiments in which making a prototype came before correcting the direction.
AI's greatest danger may be making creative work look alike, rather than replacing creators
AI makes polished, complete work easier to produce, and imitation faster too. What we need to protect is more than a set of visual signatures: it is personal experience, aesthetic judgment, and the capacity to keep growing as a creator.
As AI Gets Stronger, Why Do I Want to Talk More About People?
AI has moved games, mini programs, and digital products from things “only others can make” to prototypes ordinary creators can try. But expanded abilities do not automatically bring curiosity, taste, or judgment. Growing with AI records how people continue to develop through collaboration as AI enters their lives.
What AI Really Changes Is Not Efficiency, but How People Grow
AI may do more than lower the cost of making things. It can help an ordinary person’s small idea become a prototype sooner. Once the barrier to creating falls, the more interesting change may be how curiosity, judgment, and the desire to learn grow again through collaboration.
MacBook Weekly 03: I barely painted, but nearly used up both Codex and Kimi
In the third week with my new MacBook, my cumulative Codex usage reached 220 million tokens, and my Kimi subscription allowance was also close to running out. I recorded how tools, a knowledge base, research into Shanghai sketching locations, and a one-person workflow were gradually taking shape.
The street had not changed. I had finally seen it.
After half past ten, the same street reveals another face. A nighttime walk lets me hear, smell, and see familiar Shanghai streets anew, while the everyday companionship of Sanmu emerges from the background.
Five Years on This Street, and I Had Never Really Walked It | Walking Observations 260716
After five years in the neighborhood, I knew little more than the address for food deliveries. One evening walk reconnected my body with the street and let a painter see real life again through density, open space, smells, and sounds.
MacBook Weekly 02: Week two with the new computer has not transformed me, but things do run more smoothly
A new computer did not instantly transform my life, but it smoothed out a workflow that used to get stuck. In the second week, I recorded the AI tools I installed and used, and tested what a hardware upgrade meant within the actual rhythm of my creative work.
Sanmu Never Crosses My Boundaries, So I Almost Forgot I Had Them
Sanmu comes close without taking over. After years with a cat who never crossed the line, Tee Sang almost forgot that boundaries need active care. Only when other relationships caused real discomfort did that sense of room and distance become clear again.
MacBook Weekly 01: Replacing my thirteen-year-old MacBook, and spending the first week setting up an AI workflow
A MacBook bought in 2013 stayed with me for thirteen years. What finally prompted an upgrade was not speed, but an old operating system that could no longer support the AI tools I wanted to use. In the first week, I installed Codex, reconsidered how to divide up creative work, and found a new role for the old computer.
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