New Founders of Seoul Series

In the “New Founders of Seoul” series I interview people I know in Seoul, who have started their own businesses. I was curious to hear about their motivation, their challenges and what kept them going. Whether you are looking for inspiration to start your own business or want to know how it is to start one in Korea, your questions will be answered in this series.

Roya of Standby

It was around this time last year, December 2023, when a friend, whom I had met at the opening party of Hechyeomoyeo’s third group exhibition, told me that she knew someone who was looking for people for a writing project. Roya (they/them) had just come from Canada to Korea for their Working Holiday and was looking to exchange with other writers. I reached out to them on Instagram and we got to talk a little about ourselves. Although we had not yet met in person, I instantly felt a strong connection to them, as if I had known them for a long time. They is so full of understanding and love, with a bubbly, positive attitude and endless, powerful creativity. With that energy they attracted some more writers who were interested in the project.

We got together for the first meeting in the basement of East Atelier Gallery, where the Hechyeomoyeo was located at that time. Conan, Roya, Tanya, Yeji and I started off by introducing ourselves, sharing our work and exchanging about our goals. We connected through the wish to write and then perform something together. Although there was not yet a clear vision of how this was going to turn out, we were driven forward in the same direction by that motivation. During the next meetings we brainstormed about a topic we wanted to center our works around. After some back and forth we decided to write about “The Wall”, a construct that was broad enough for an individual interpretation and still a solid concept. The following meetings were about writing, sharing and weaving together our works. As our project began to take on shape, we decided that we were going to have our first performance and that we wanted to present ourselves as a group. So, Standby was officially created and made its debut at the Hechyeomoyeo’s Open Mic Night on 23rd of February 2024. Due to personal reasons I did not participate in the performance, but was happy to announce them and proud to watch them perform.

With new energy from our first successful performance we started a new project, the “You & Your Page”. Once a month we wanted to invite creative writers to share their work at a get-together. It was important to us that it was a safe space, where everyone was welcomed, was able to share their innermost thoughts and could be vulnerable together. It still is held at Eulji Space, a cozy and inspirational setting. In addition to the people who had been there from the start, new people started to join the team. It was wonderful to see the number of participants grow with each event and wonderful memories being made. Roya reminisces:

“Everyone was being so vulnerable. We didn’t know each other that well and sometimes new people would come but everyone always had something so positive to say about what other people were sharing and that was so beautiful.”

When asked about their favorite memory or most memorable experience, Roya says:

“Moments when we were all together and I would step back and become a spectator of the situation, and I’d be like “wow”. Those moments of reality hitting me, where I’m like “I met these people 1-2 months ago and now we are so interconnected and we are working on something together and being so vulnerable”. And it was those moments where things were going right. Especially the first [project], where we were starting to write something and we were getting closer to the day of the performance, or even when You & Your Page started. I thought “this is so cool, this is the community I have always been wanting”. And that feeling of community was one of my favorite things because life in Seoul can be quite lonely for people who are not from there, so finding a community amongst people you don’t know very well just because of this shared interest is my favorite thing.” 

Admittedly, my review is a very simplified summary of Standby’s first steps. Looking back at it more closely, there were also some challenges we had to face. Roya remembers:

“It was a huge process of learning for all of us for how to navigate different people’s ways of wanting to be involved and cooperation and teamwork […] There were times of conflict, where each one of us were a bit upset by each other or just a bit frustrated […].”

Roya can tell that during the process, some people were hurt by conflict and left the group. They reacted the way they could, listening to and supporting those people but they wish they could prevent conflict and hurt. They know it’s inevitable so they hope there was a learning curve for everyone involved. This is what Roya learned through the process:

“Definitely a lot of patience and understanding– and just navigating different people coming together to form a community. I learned that since we were all coming together to form this community, that alone was enough to hold on to. And I think that is what kept us going through these [challenging] times and that’s what kept us showing up again and again […]. I think all of us were like “okay, we are all here together spending time to make this happen so let’s keep trying.” ”

After returning to Canada, Roya is missing that particular sense of community. When asked about their next steps as a writer, they admit that upon starting their Master’s and a teaching assistant job, they lack the time to write and connect with other writers. They started working on a Chapbook inspired by their time in Korea and is trying to keep up with submission deadlines to get their work out there. They say that there are a lot of interesting opportunities in their city and when they get adjusted to their new schedule, they want to show up for the writing community there.

Looking at the future of Standby, Roya was worried that it would collapse after their return to Canada. Because of the distance and since they is busy, they cannot contribute to it anymore. They know that members will come and go, because some people are in Korea only temporarily, but still they hope that it is able to be maintained in one form or another. They is happy to see the current members working hard on keeping Standby running and coming up with new ideas. 

I hope that I can reunite with Roya and the other members and be part of Standby again one day. Until then we will support and cheer them on. If you are looking to share your work, exchange with other artists and have a wonderful community, from my heart I recommend you Standby. Are you hooked? Check out our official account, which you can find here, and become part of the family.