Reading & Writing
Everyday Observations
First-person observations, creative experiments and questions I am still working through.
Articles
19 articles
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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