19th June 2020

A PLACE TO WONDER

BY NELSON NG

The first time I laid eyes on the sea, everything changed. 

I realised how enormous the world really was, and more importantly, how small my world had been up to that point. I realised this was the real world, and not the one that we read about on our phones and computers all the time. This world—the real world—was indeed magical, and I felt a strong connection with it. It was as if I was looking deep inside myself, and I felt the power of the universe flow within me. As my eyes followed the rolling waves, my thoughts ran wild. My thoughts flowed and twisted freely like the motion of the sea, unrestrained and unafraid to test the limits of my imagination. There was so much I wanted to explore, as my mind was flooded with ideas and possibilities. It was a feeling I would never forget.

That experience, as some of you might know, eventually led me to start a travel magazine called LOST. And as the years went by, every time I found myself in need of inspiration or a place to dive deep into my thoughts, I would end up going back to the sea. There I would find the courage and freedom to let my thoughts roam free, once again reconnected and empowered by the energies of the ocean. The sea had, somehow, become a place for me to wonder.

Many years later, Venco, a friend of mine who is a designer, asked if I would be interested to work together on a magazine about the sea. As a child, Venco grew up in the inlands, and so when he first saw the sea, it symbolised a bigger and unknown world out there. This curiosity of the unknown pushed and motivated him to explore and grow at every stage of his life, which, once again, was a testament to the inspirational powers of the sea. Like myself, he found the sea incredibly alluring and wanted to create a publication about it.

And thus, Drawn was born.

For thousands of years, human beings have been drawn to the sea. From Greek mythology to Hemingway, to William Turner and Hokusai, the sea has always been a great source of inspiration for artists, poets and thinkers. There is some kind of energy there that has been stirring the hearts and minds of people for generations, drawing people to the sea time and again. I believe we need a platform to collect these stories to find out the how the sea affects the human psyche.

And that’s exactly what Drawn is.

Drawn is a magazine about the sea as a source of inspiration. Featuring stories of creativity and lifestyles inspired by the sea, it believes that the sea can trigger the human imagination, and take us to places we never knew. It believes that the mind has infinite power, just like the boundless sea.

The magazine is divided into three sections: ‘Living’, ‘Making’, ‘Thinking’. ‘Living’ collects stories of rituals and lifestyles inspired by the sea. How does the sea affect our bodies? What is life like by the sea and why is it inspiring? ‘Making’ collects stories of how the sea affects our creativity. From art to writing to music and even food, how does the sea inspire these works and what can we learn from them? ‘Thinking’ collects stories of thoughts inspired by the sea. How does the sea affect our minds? What are the thoughts triggered by the power of the ocean and how does the sea affect them internally? Through these three different categories, we hope to uncover a wide range of perspectives on how people are inspired by the sea, and the transformations that result from the process.

If you’ve ever found yourself staring at the sea, or being pulled by the lapping waves of the ocean, then perhaps this magazine is for you. We hope the stories shared in each issue will help you see the true value of the sea, and how it opens your mind to unlock its full potential. This magazine is as much about the sea as it is about the capacity of the human imagination.

Join us together on this journey to find out why humanity is forever drawn to the sea.

11th June 2020

一個暢想的地方

BY NELSON NG

當我第一次看見大海後,世界就不再一樣了。
我意識到這個世界究竟有多麼遼闊,而當時的我所涉獵的範圍有多麼小。我終於體驗到真實的世界了,而不是透過手機和電腦螢幕看見。這個世界——真實的世界——是如此的神奇,讓人感到與之緊緊相連。好像能看見自己內心深處,我感到宇宙的力量在體內流動。當視線隨著滾滾海浪四處流動,我的思緒也開始自由流竄,如同大海一樣不受拘束自由地流動,毫無畏懼的挑戰與推動著想像力的邊際。我的腦海中充滿了各種想法和可能性,想探索的東西太多太多了。這樣的感覺令人難忘。

一部分的人可能知道,那次的經歷啟發了我創辦《LOST》這本旅遊雜誌。而在往後的多年之間,每當我想尋找靈感或是一個能靜心思考的地方,我都會回到大海面前。在那我總能找到勇氣和自由,任自己的思緒漫遊,再一次經由與海連結找到內在力量。不知不覺中,這片大海面已成為了我會前往去暢想的地方。
多年後,我的一位設計師朋友 Venco 問我是否有興趣合作一本關於大海的雜誌。Venco 從小在內陸長大,當他第一次見到大海時,如同象徵了遠大未知的世界。對未知的好奇心,驅動他在人生每個階段去探索並成長,也再次印證了海洋啟發人心的力量。像我一樣,他深深著迷於大海,並希望能創作一個關於海的刊物。
因此,《DRAWN》雜誌便誕生了。
幾千年來,人類總是被大海所吸引。從希臘神話到文豪海明威,以及畫家威廉·特納和浮世繪名匠葛飾北齋,大海一直是藝術家、詩人和思想家的靈感源泉。大海所蘊含的能量,不論在哪個時代都不停的激盪人心,並一次又一次地吸引人們到大海面前。這值得我們創建一個平臺來收集這些故事,探尋大海對人心的影響。
這正是《DRAWN》雜誌的心之所向。
《DRAWN》是一本关于海作为灵感来源的杂志。以受海启发的创意和生活方式故事为专题,它相信海能激发想象力,带我们去未知之地;它相信人的思想有无限的力量,就像无边的海洋一样。
這本雜誌分為三個章節:「生活」、「制造」、「思想」。「生活」的章節收集的故事,是受到海洋啟發而來的儀式和生活方式。海洋如何影響我們的身體?在海邊的生活是什麼模樣?為什麼如此振奮人心?「制造」則是關於海洋如何影響創造力的故事。從藝術到寫作,再到音樂甚至飲食,大海是如何激發這些作品的靈感,而我們從中又能學到什麼?「思想」聚焦了受到大海啟發而來的思維與文字。大海如何能觸動我們的思想?海的力量能引發什麼想法?這些想法又如何影響我們的內在?通過三個不同章節,我們希望能從多元角度一窺人們是如何從海中獲得靈感,以及這過程中的轉變。

如果你發現自己曾凝視大海,或者被海浪拍打聲所吸引,那麼這本雜誌也許正適合你。我們希望每期刊物中的故事,能讓你看見大海深刻的價值,開拓你的思想並釋放潛能。這本雜誌是關於海洋,但也同樣是關於人類的想像力。

和我們一起一探究竟,為什麼人類總是不斷被大海所吸引。