About Me
Welcome to my digital home.
In a Nutshell
Artist
World-building Musinary, my artistic cinematic studio. Directing and composing the films and soundtrack of my life around the world.
Former international classical pianist. Kaufman Intl, National YoungArts, MTAC Young Artist Guild, performed Beethoven's 5th with California Youth Symphony.
Premiered 1 official film, 4 music films. "The Great China Adventure" is my proudest work yet. 2 hr 22 min, 45 compositions – about my abroad in China.
Adventurer
Long-distance runner. 50k ultra (4:45:47), marathon (3:41:29), half-marathon (1:42:40), 10k (41:29), and 5k (19:24).
20 y/o junior studying geography at UCLA. 2 abroads at Peking University (2025) and the National University of Singapore (2026).
Ventures
Marketing Lead for Distro (backed by 776 founded by Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit). Led go-to-market for Product Hunt launch, 3rd place 5.19.25.
Worked with founders such as Alex Lieberman (co-founder Morning Brew), Andrew Yeung (co-founder Fibe), Peter Yang (PM at Roblox, 140k+ newsletter)
I write often on my newsletter, "Artists." Documenting the journey.
Artist
World-building Musinary, my artistic cinematic studio. Directing and composing the films and soundtrack of my life around the world.
Former international classical pianist. Kaufman Intl, National YoungArts, MTAC Young Artist Guild, performed Beethoven's 5th with California Youth Symphony.
Premiered 1 official film, 4 music films. "The Great China Adventure" is my proudest work yet. 2 hr 22 min, 45 compositions – about my abroad in China.
Adventurer
Long-distance runner. 50k ultra (4:45:47), marathon (3:41:29), half-marathon (1:42:40), 10k (41:29), and 5k (19:24).
20 y/o junior studying geography at UCLA. 2 abroads at Peking University (2025) and the National University of Singapore (2026).
Ventures
Marketing Lead for Distro (backed by 776 founded by Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit). Led go-to-market for Product Hunt launch, 3rd place 5.19.25.
Worked with founders such as Alex Lieberman (co-founder Morning Brew), Andrew Yeung (co-founder Fibe), Peter Yang (PM at Roblox, 140k+ newsletter)
I write often on my newsletter, "Artists." Documenting the journey.
Who I Am
Values, beliefs, principles. Last updated: 12.25.25.
1a. Start
How do we live a full life? It boils down to 3 steps:
Understand deeply who you are.
Live in alignment with who you are.
Repeat.
How do you live your days? Your days, over a long enough time horizon, define your future. To live a life you're proud of, live as many days you're proud of.
Life design is my favorite puzzle to play. It's an infinite game, aka there's no end.
How can I craft a life that is so unquestionably "me?" I try to answer that everyday. It's not quantifiable. You can't be perfect. But under a set of core principles, values, and beliefs, I can get really close.
My name is Jeston Lu.
If you're here to learn more about me, you've come to the right place.
If you want to dive into my intellectual rabbit hole, click here.
How do we live a full life? It boils down to 3 steps:
Understand deeply who you are.
Live in alignment with who you are.
Repeat.
How do you live your days? Your days, over a long enough time horizon, define your future. To live a life you're proud of, live as many days you're proud of.
Life design is my favorite puzzle to play. It's an infinite game, aka there's no end.
How can I craft a life that is so unquestionably "me?" I try to answer that everyday. It's not quantifiable. You can't be perfect. But under a set of core principles, values, and beliefs, I can get really close.
My name is Jeston Lu.
If you're here to learn more about me, you've come to the right place.
If you want to dive into my intellectual rabbit hole, click here.
1b. Meaning
I believe every individual on this earth is granted a cosmic duty uniquely theirs. We're all on one or two quests:
Discovering who we are
Willing our mission into reality
People driven by a mission operate on an entirely different frequency to those who drift mindlessly in life. The difference is tangibly visceral. Meaning of life comes when you surrender to your cosmic nature, not to worldly desires.
When you live with purpose, you're not lost. You unlock true liberation.
My mission right now is to create artistic worlds people can step into. My medium of art is primarily music. But it's also through writing, storytelling, filmmaking, running, voyaging, startups, or even the way I live life itself.
Life becomes electric when you're on a mission.
I believe every individual on this earth is granted a cosmic duty uniquely theirs. We're all on one or two quests:
Discovering who we are
Willing our mission into reality
People driven by a mission operate on an entirely different frequency to those who drift mindlessly in life. The difference is tangibly visceral. Meaning of life comes when you surrender to your cosmic nature, not to worldly desires.
When you live with purpose, you're not lost. You unlock true liberation.
My mission right now is to create artistic worlds people can step into. My medium of art is primarily music. But it's also through writing, storytelling, filmmaking, running, voyaging, startups, or even the way I live life itself.
Life becomes electric when you're on a mission.
1c. Values
I define values as my code of conduct I strive to live by. They are my set of operating partners, guiding every decision, action, and interaction I have.
A non-exhaustive list of values I commit to:
○ Live courageously
○ Consistency compounds
○ Trust is the cornerstone of meaningful relationships
○ Excellence in craft, work, and life
○ Adventure as a lifestyle
○ Deep unwillingness to live a small life
○ Suffering is optional, pain is inevitable
○ Presence is the most valuable form of attention
○ Obsession breeds greatness
Fundamentally, I want to live a righteous life, driven by a strong sense of morals. Fun fact: the name, "Jeston," means "just" or "righteous."
I define values as my code of conduct I strive to live by. They are my set of operating partners, guiding every decision, action, and interaction I have.
A non-exhaustive list of values I commit to:
○ Live courageously
○ Consistency compounds
○ Trust is the cornerstone of meaningful relationships
○ Excellence in craft, work, and life
○ Adventure as a lifestyle
○ Deep unwillingness to live a small life
○ Suffering is optional, pain is inevitable
○ Presence is the most valuable form of attention
○ Obsession breeds greatness
Fundamentally, I want to live a righteous life, driven by a strong sense of morals. Fun fact: the name, "Jeston," means "just" or "righteous."
1d. Beliefs
I define beliefs as philosophical frameworks that define my worldview. Beliefs are the nuts and bullets of my intellectual identity, the way I think.
A non-exhaustive list of beliefs I hold deeply:
○ High agency is a fundamental virtue
○ The harder it is for others to describe your life, the better
○ Mimetic desire reveals human nature
○ I reject institutional constraints
○ I think resumes, job applications, and GPA are largely BS
○ Adventures only happen to the adventurous
○ Consciousness lives beyond our lifetime
○ AI can never replace the soul of an artist
○ Infinite games > zero-sum competition
○ U.S. college admissions is one giant performative act
○ Life is a magnificent odyssey to be experienced
I consider myself a romanticist in aesthetics, transcendentalist in self reliance, and Girardian in awareness.
I define beliefs as philosophical frameworks that define my worldview. Beliefs are the nuts and bullets of my intellectual identity, the way I think.
A non-exhaustive list of beliefs I hold deeply:
○ High agency is a fundamental virtue
○ The harder it is for others to describe your life, the better
○ Mimetic desire reveals human nature
○ I reject institutional constraints
○ I think resumes, job applications, and GPA are largely BS
○ Adventures only happen to the adventurous
○ Consciousness lives beyond our lifetime
○ AI can never replace the soul of an artist
○ Infinite games > zero-sum competition
○ U.S. college admissions is one giant performative act
○ Life is a magnificent odyssey to be experienced
I consider myself a romanticist in aesthetics, transcendentalist in self reliance, and Girardian in awareness.
1e. Vision
I don't believe in "10 year plans." Plans are impulsive, direction is steadier. I have a compass in my hand. All I do is follow the direction of my "North Star:"
Live a life of adventure: Become geographically free. Slow travel. Have 2-3 home bases but bounce around different cities for 3-6 months. Learn languages, cultures, and different ways of living.
Create a world of my own: Build a business (or work with exceptional people). Create art, products, and experiences that carry my signature and last a lifetime. Work as an expression of identity, not obligation.
Relationships for life: Lifelong friendships from all around the world. Human connection as the core source of meaning. Living in pursuit of "gezelligheid," the Dutch word for "warmth" and "connectivity."
A non-exhaustive list of bucket list items I want to achieve:
○ Aurora borealis in Scandinavia
○ Make $10M in net worth by 30
○ Hike from Lukla to Everest Base Camp
○ Complete an Ironman
○ Road trip across America
○ Sub 3-hour marathon (6:52 min/mi pace)
○ Run all 7 World Major marathons
○ Backpack across Europe
○ Own a penthouse in Vancouver
○ Live in either Tokyo, Hong Kong, or Singapore
I don't believe in "10 year plans." Plans are impulsive, direction is steadier. I have a compass in my hand. All I do is follow the direction of my "North Star:"
Live a life of adventure: Become geographically free. Slow travel. Have 2-3 home bases but bounce around different cities for 3-6 months. Learn languages, cultures, and different ways of living.
Create a world of my own: Build a business (or work with exceptional people). Create art, products, and experiences that carry my signature and last a lifetime. Work as an expression of identity, not obligation.
Relationships for life: Lifelong friendships from all around the world. Human connection as the core source of meaning. Living in pursuit of "gezelligheid," the Dutch word for "warmth" and "connectivity."
A non-exhaustive list of bucket list items I want to achieve:
○ Aurora borealis in Scandinavia
○ Make $10M in net worth by 30
○ Hike from Lukla to Everest Base Camp
○ Complete an Ironman
○ Road trip across America
○ Sub 3-hour marathon (6:52 min/mi pace)
○ Run all 7 World Major marathons
○ Backpack across Europe
○ Own a penthouse in Vancouver
○ Live in either Tokyo, Hong Kong, or Singapore
1f. Universe
Away from the bold vision(s), beliefs, and values, I believe every person carries with them a private universe. What is a private universe?
A constellation of memorable moments, symbols, experiences that shape who they are. A non-exhaustive list of interesting facts about me:
○ Spent 100+ hours building cities in Minecraft
○ Obsessed with weather in 5th grade (104% on exam)
○ Collected AAA maps of my hometown
○ Stitched multiple 8.5 x 11 papers to draw intricate cities
○ Won multiple 1st place awards at drawing
○ Got multiple 100%+ on science art projects in 6th grade
○ Collected mechanical pencils and started a trading biz in 3rd grade
○ Obsessed with planes, weather, and Geoguessr
○ Won my elementary school's running event 3 years in a row
And lastly… a rapid-fire section of some of my favorite things (more here):
○ City: Tokyo (runner up Hong Kong)
○ Film: "Weathering With You" (runner up "Your Name")
○ Book: "The Third Door"
○ TV Show: "Start Up"
○ Artists: Alena Aenami & Yummei
○ Time of Day: Sunset/dusk
○ Food: Anything East Asian
○ Plane: Airbus 350-1000
○ Sport: Running and biking
Away from the bold vision(s), beliefs, and values, I believe every person carries with them a private universe. What is a private universe?
A constellation of memorable moments, symbols, experiences that shape who they are. A non-exhaustive list of interesting facts about me:
○ Spent 100+ hours building cities in Minecraft
○ Obsessed with weather in 5th grade (104% on exam)
○ Collected AAA maps of my hometown
○ Stitched multiple 8.5 x 11 papers to draw intricate cities
○ Won multiple 1st place awards at drawing
○ Got multiple 100%+ on science art projects in 6th grade
○ Collected mechanical pencils and started a trading biz in 3rd grade
○ Obsessed with planes, weather, and Geoguessr
○ Won my elementary school's running event 3 years in a row
And lastly… a rapid-fire section of some of my favorite things (more here):
○ City: Tokyo (runner up Hong Kong)
○ Film: "Weathering With You" (runner up "Your Name")
○ Book: "The Third Door"
○ TV Show: "Start Up"
○ Artists: Alena Aenami & Yummei
○ Time of Day: Sunset/dusk
○ Food: Anything East Asian
○ Plane: Airbus 350-1000
○ Sport: Running and biking
2a. Piano
Everything started with the piano.
I began learning at age 5 on a tiny Yamaha U3 upright. Age 10, I began competing. First regionally, then state-level, nationally, and internationally.
Some competitions I've won I'm particularly proud of:
○ 2022: National YoungArts
○ 2022: CA Youth Symphony
○ 2022: MTAC Young Artist Guild
○ 2021: MTNA National
○ 2020: Seattle International Bach
○ 2019: Kaufman International NYC
○ 2018: SF Chopin Foundation
I studied under Professor Hans Boepple, student of Sidney Foster (traced down to Beethoven). One of the qualities I most admired about him was his philosophy on art and the importance of emotive storytelling.
My favorite memory was my solo debut performing Beethoven's 5th "Emperor" Piano Concerto with the California Youth Symphony at Berkeley.
Everything started with the piano.
I began learning at age 5 on a tiny Yamaha U3 upright. Age 10, I began competing. First regionally, then state-level, nationally, and internationally.
Some competitions I've won I'm particularly proud of:
○ 2022: National YoungArts
○ 2022: CA Youth Symphony
○ 2022: MTAC Young Artist Guild
○ 2021: MTNA National
○ 2020: Seattle International Bach
○ 2019: Kaufman International NYC
○ 2018: SF Chopin Foundation
I studied under Professor Hans Boepple, student of Sidney Foster (traced down to Beethoven). One of the qualities I most admired about him was his philosophy on art and the importance of emotive storytelling.
My favorite memory was my solo debut performing Beethoven's 5th "Emperor" Piano Concerto with the California Youth Symphony at Berkeley.
2b. Compose
I began as a pianist, I will die as a composer. I fell in love with composing the instant music came into my life. It came completely naturally to me.
While I focused on classical music till university, it was only the recent 1-2 years I was finally able to focus on creating my own music, not somebody else's.
○ 2025: Great China Adventure
○ 2025: Solstice
○ 2024: Cascadia
○ 2024: Homecoming
○ 2023: Rebirth
○ 2021: Dynasty
○ 2021: Reflections
○ 2020: Origins
Why do I compose? I want to express all that I am. I feel, I live, I experience. I capture these moments and turn them into art. Music makes me feel the most alive; it turns life from black-and-white to a multi-colored spectrum.
Every film I create is accompanied by a soundtrack. I directed 5 films, thus 5 albums. I've composed 125+ tracks and 7 hours worth of music the past 2 years.
I began as a pianist, I will die as a composer. I fell in love with composing the instant music came into my life. It came completely naturally to me.
While I focused on classical music till university, it was only the recent 1-2 years I was finally able to focus on creating my own music, not somebody else's.
○ 2025: Great China Adventure
○ 2025: Solstice
○ 2024: Cascadia
○ 2024: Homecoming
○ 2023: Rebirth
○ 2021: Dynasty
○ 2021: Reflections
○ 2020: Origins
Why do I compose? I want to express all that I am. I feel, I live, I experience. I capture these moments and turn them into art. Music makes me feel the most alive; it turns life from black-and-white to a multi-colored spectrum.
Every film I create is accompanied by a soundtrack. I directed 5 films, thus 5 albums. I've composed 125+ tracks and 7 hours worth of music the past 2 years.
2c. Films
I create music films - my main artistic identity. Unlike typical films, music takes the lead. Most films see music as a supporting role; I see it as the driver:
○ Music is the story
○ Emotional world-building
○ Story follows the music's arc
○ Music-visual harmony
○ Geographical movement
I call this "Musinary Productions," the artistic ½ of Musinary.
Here, I fuse composing, storytelling, cinematography, and geography into my personal cinematic universe. Music films are the final bastion of my art.
I've independently directed 4 music films:
"Rebirth" in Tokyo, Japan (9.7.23)
"Homecoming" in Hong Kong (6.29.24)
"Cascadia" in Vancouver, Canada (12.24.24)
"Solstice" in Toronto, Canada (9.8.25)
Most recently, I directed "The Great China Adventure," a 2 hr 22 min film about my grand voyage in China. 45 compositions, 19 cities, and 3,500+ clips edited.
I create music films - my main artistic identity. Unlike typical films, music takes the lead. Most films see music as a supporting role; I see it as the driver:
○ Music is the story
○ Emotional world-building
○ Story follows the music's arc
○ Music-visual harmony
○ Geographical movement
I call this "Musinary Productions," the artistic ½ of Musinary.
Here, I fuse composing, storytelling, cinematography, and geography into my personal cinematic universe. Music films are the final bastion of my art.
I've independently directed 4 music films:
"Rebirth" in Tokyo, Japan (9.7.23)
"Homecoming" in Hong Kong (6.29.24)
"Cascadia" in Vancouver, Canada (12.24.24)
"Solstice" in Toronto, Canada (9.8.25)
Most recently, I directed "The Great China Adventure," a 2 hr 22 min film about my grand voyage in China. 45 compositions, 19 cities, and 3,500+ clips edited.
2d. Writing
I fell in love with writing from my 11th grade AP Lang class, inspired by Thoreau's "Walden" and Emerson's "Self Reliance."
Throughout high school, I created a personal blog sharing ideas around mimetic theory, education, history, personal growth, and my travels.
While I'm not active there anymore, it helped me cultivate a habit of writing online, arguably the single greatest decision of my life. That led me to write online on Twitter, which landed me career opportunities I would've believed impossible.
In private, I'm an avid journaler. I've journaled ~950,000 words the past 3.5 years.
Now, I write a newsletter called, "Artists," publishing weekly journal entries about my journey to build a global artistic venture. Long-form essays coming soon.
I fell in love with writing from my 11th grade AP Lang class, inspired by Thoreau's "Walden" and Emerson's "Self Reliance."
Throughout high school, I created a personal blog sharing ideas around mimetic theory, education, history, personal growth, and my travels.
While I'm not active there anymore, it helped me cultivate a habit of writing online, arguably the single greatest decision of my life. That led me to write online on Twitter, which landed me career opportunities I would've believed impossible.
In private, I'm an avid journaler. I've journaled ~950,000 words the past 3.5 years.
Now, I write a newsletter called, "Artists," publishing weekly journal entries about my journey to build a global artistic venture. Long-form essays coming soon.
2e. Drawing
From ages 6-12, I was an avid artist, participating in local competitions at my hometown's weekend Chinese school.
I took art lessons at Ichen Art Academy for many years, specializing in oil pastel and color pencil. I've also dabbled in charcoal but wasn't the biggest fan.
Some of my favorite styles to draw:
○ B&W Sketching
○ Landscape with color-pencil
○ Satellite maps of imaginary cities
○ 3d maps of imaginary cities
While I rarely draw anymore, I sometimes wonder where I'd be if I went all in on drawing instead.
One of my favorite pastimes would be stitching together a dozen plus pieces of 8.5 x 11 paper and use a 0.3 mm mechanical pencil and draw imaginary cities down to the finest detail (even individual cars and trees).
From ages 6-12, I was an avid artist, participating in local competitions at my hometown's weekend Chinese school.
I took art lessons at Ichen Art Academy for many years, specializing in oil pastel and color pencil. I've also dabbled in charcoal but wasn't the biggest fan.
Some of my favorite styles to draw:
○ B&W Sketching
○ Landscape with color-pencil
○ Satellite maps of imaginary cities
○ 3d maps of imaginary cities
While I rarely draw anymore, I sometimes wonder where I'd be if I went all in on drawing instead.
One of my favorite pastimes would be stitching together a dozen plus pieces of 8.5 x 11 paper and use a 0.3 mm mechanical pencil and draw imaginary cities down to the finest detail (even individual cars and trees).
3a. Running
I credit so much of where I am in life because of running.
While I was a "fast" runner during elementary school, I tried getting back into it throughout high school, but was unable to make it a habit. However, after coming back from my trip to Asia before university, it suddenly clicked ever since.
I don't consider myself a particularly fast runner, just someone who's maniacally disciplined during training blocks.
○ 5k: 19:24 (6:14 min/mi)
○ 10k: 41:29 (6:41 min/mi)
○ Half: 1:42:50 (7:49 min/mi)
○ Full: 3:41:29 (8:28 min/mi)
○ 50k: 4:45:47 (9:12 min/mi)
I've done some crazy feats, such as running 17 half marathons 17 weeks in a row, surprising my friends running town-to-town, etc.
Not only does running make me feel alive, it's an infinite, solo-player game. I'm not competing with anyone else but myself. And that's fun.
I credit so much of where I am in life because of running.
While I was a "fast" runner during elementary school, I tried getting back into it throughout high school, but was unable to make it a habit. However, after coming back from my trip to Asia before university, it suddenly clicked ever since.
I don't consider myself a particularly fast runner, just someone who's maniacally disciplined during training blocks.
○ 5k: 19:24 (6:14 min/mi)
○ 10k: 41:29 (6:41 min/mi)
○ Half: 1:42:50 (7:49 min/mi)
○ Full: 3:41:29 (8:28 min/mi)
○ 50k: 4:45:47 (9:12 min/mi)
I've done some crazy feats, such as running 17 half marathons 17 weeks in a row, surprising my friends running town-to-town, etc.
Not only does running make me feel alive, it's an infinite, solo-player game. I'm not competing with anyone else but myself. And that's fun.
3b. Travel
For the longest time, I've always had an immensely strong wanderlust for travel.
I don't believe in vacations; instead, the best form of travel is living in a particular location for several months - absorbing its culture, language, and way of life.
As of right now, I've only extensively traveled in parts of North America and East Asia. Optimizing for depth over breadth. I aim to hit all continents and parts of the world. A quick list of some of my favorite cities I've been to:
○ Hong Kong: Home away from home
○ Tokyo: The most beautiful city I've been to
○ Vancouver: Nature-rich, forestal, serene
○ Chengdu: Favorite city in Mainland China
I document my travels here.
For the longest time, I've always had an immensely strong wanderlust for travel.
I don't believe in vacations; instead, the best form of travel is living in a particular location for several months - absorbing its culture, language, and way of life.
As of right now, I've only extensively traveled in parts of North America and East Asia. Optimizing for depth over breadth. I aim to hit all continents and parts of the world. A quick list of some of my favorite cities I've been to:
○ Hong Kong: Home away from home
○ Tokyo: The most beautiful city I've been to
○ Vancouver: Nature-rich, forestal, serene
○ Chengdu: Favorite city in Mainland China
I document my travels here.
3c. Geography
I study geography at UCLA. I chose it for 3 reasons:
It's easy, don't care about grades, and it's not for career
It's the perfect excuse for me to study abroad as much as possible
I'm obsessed with maps, cities, and Google Earth
I see the world geographically. My best art comes from liminal spaces and specific locations. This is the whole essence of music films.
A few subtopics I'm interested about in this field:
○ Geoguessr (of course)
○ Transportation networks
○ Third spaces
○ Walkable streets
○ Urban planning (esp. Dutch + Japanese)
○ Topography + maps
I study geography at UCLA. I chose it for 3 reasons:
It's easy, don't care about grades, and it's not for career
It's the perfect excuse for me to study abroad as much as possible
I'm obsessed with maps, cities, and Google Earth
I see the world geographically. My best art comes from liminal spaces and specific locations. This is the whole essence of music films.
A few subtopics I'm interested about in this field:
○ Geoguessr (of course)
○ Transportation networks
○ Third spaces
○ Walkable streets
○ Urban planning (esp. Dutch + Japanese)
○ Topography + maps
3d. Abroad
I'm planning on studying abroad 2 times during my undergraduate.
My first one was 2025, where I spent a semester at Peking University in Beijing, China. In 4.5 months, I traveled to 19 cities in 8 different provinces, while making lifelong friends along the way. I regard it as the best time of my life.
Some of the coolest experiences I've had:
○ The Great Wall night hike for 20th birthday
○ Came 100 meters from North Korea
○ Meeting lifelong friends from around the world
○ Seeing the Avatar Mountains in real life
○ First solo multi-day trip to Shanghai
○ Visiting the cyberpunk city of Chongqing
○ Worked at a startup remotely
My second one will take place 2026 at the National University of Singapore.
I'm planning on studying abroad 2 times during my undergraduate.
My first one was 2025, where I spent a semester at Peking University in Beijing, China. In 4.5 months, I traveled to 19 cities in 8 different provinces, while making lifelong friends along the way. I regard it as the best time of my life.
Some of the coolest experiences I've had:
○ The Great Wall night hike for 20th birthday
○ Came 100 meters from North Korea
○ Meeting lifelong friends from around the world
○ Seeing the Avatar Mountains in real life
○ First solo multi-day trip to Shanghai
○ Visiting the cyberpunk city of Chongqing
○ Worked at a startup remotely
My second one will take place 2026 at the National University of Singapore.
3e. Friendships
Beautiful friendships are everything to me.
One of my biggest goals in life is to make friends from all corners of the world and walks of life. Living abroad is one of the best ways to do so.
My brief philosophy on friendships:
○ Quality over quantity
○ Roots, leaves, branches. Prioritize the roots.
○ Home is where the people are
○ Real friendship is defined by unwavering presence
○ Friendship is forged through a shared journey
○ Great friends = mirrors
I love a tight-knitted community. 2 a.m convos, spontaneous adventures, collective experiences. This is where I find true home.
Beautiful friendships are everything to me.
One of my biggest goals in life is to make friends from all corners of the world and walks of life. Living abroad is one of the best ways to do so.
My brief philosophy on friendships:
○ Quality over quantity
○ Roots, leaves, branches. Prioritize the roots.
○ Home is where the people are
○ Real friendship is defined by unwavering presence
○ Friendship is forged through a shared journey
○ Great friends = mirrors
I love a tight-knitted community. 2 a.m convos, spontaneous adventures, collective experiences. This is where I find true home.
4a. Musinary
I don't see building ventures for the sake of business. I build ventures as a vehicle toward my north star, to build artistic worlds people can step into.
Building ventures is a form of art.
As of right now, Musinary is the closest venture to my "Ikigai" or "zone of genius." Currently, I'm building the "Hans Zimmer for startups," scoring the stories of the world's most tasteful brands.
Something I'm exploring is the intersection of art x ventures:
Musinary: the business side
Musinary Productions: the art side
Can I build something satisfying both my artistic and entrepreneurial cravings via one vehicle or do I have to keep them separate? That's my experiment right now.
I don't see building ventures for the sake of business. I build ventures as a vehicle toward my north star, to build artistic worlds people can step into.
Building ventures is a form of art.
As of right now, Musinary is the closest venture to my "Ikigai" or "zone of genius." Currently, I'm building the "Hans Zimmer for startups," scoring the stories of the world's most tasteful brands.
Something I'm exploring is the intersection of art x ventures:
Musinary: the business side
Musinary Productions: the art side
Can I build something satisfying both my artistic and entrepreneurial cravings via one vehicle or do I have to keep them separate? That's my experiment right now.
4b. Grand Tour 2.0
If you're reading this, you're early. Incredibly early.
While studying abroad at Peking, I came across this idea called "The Grand Tour."
In 18th century Europe, young aristocrats would travel to major cities such as Paris, Rome, etc. to learn about culture, music, language, politics, art - primarily as a way to broaden's one perspective and knowledge of the world.
I want to bring this idea back, to create a venture around it.
It's very early in the works, but as of right now… I'm calling it "The Grand Tour 2.0." You can follow along on my newsletter or Twitter.
4c. Mentors
The best way to go from 0 to 1 with any skill is to find an expert on that skill you want to learn and find a way to learn directly from them.
This was how I got to an international level for piano, and that was how I approached startups when I wanted to get my foot in the door.
Introducing permissionless apprenticeship.
Provide value without asking for permission. This can be through cold DMs, public pitches, or writing online. One of the highest ROI decisions I've made was writing online on Twitter. This allowed me to work directly with:
Peter Yang - Roblox Product Lead + runs a newsletter with 140k+ subs
Andrew Yeung - Founder and CEO of Fibe, NYC events company
Alex Lieberman - Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Morning Brew
I went from having 0 connections or skills in business to casually being friends with heroes I used to deeply admire 3-4 years ago.
The best way to go from 0 to 1 with any skill is to find an expert on that skill you want to learn and find a way to learn directly from them.
This was how I got to an international level for piano, and that was how I approached startups when I wanted to get my foot in the door.
Introducing permissionless apprenticeship.
Provide value without asking for permission. This can be through cold DMs, public pitches, or writing online. One of the highest ROI decisions I've made was writing online on Twitter. This allowed me to work directly with:
Peter Yang - Roblox Product Lead + runs a newsletter with 140k+ subs
Andrew Yeung - Founder and CEO of Fibe, NYC events company
Alex Lieberman - Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Morning Brew
I went from having 0 connections or skills in business to casually being friends with heroes I used to deeply admire 3-4 years ago.
4d. Startups
I fell in love with the idea of startups when I was a freshman in high school.
Turning ideas, conviction, and vision into reality was something that struck a chord within me, and I see this philosophy as a pure essence of creation.
2025 summer, I was the marketing lead for Distro, an AI-native content marketing startup helping companies create content from start to finish.
Some cool things I did:
○ Produced and scored the launch vid (250k+ views)
○ Led go-to-market for a 3rd place Product Hunt launch
○ Built the entire marketing system from scratch
○ Worked alongside an entrepreneur who sold his company for $75 million
○ Led events + interviews (CEO of Lindy, Beehiiv, etc.)
I love startups. They're fast-paced, high-agency, and mission-oriented. I cannot imagine working in any other setting during my 20s.
I fell in love with the idea of startups when I was a freshman in high school.
Turning ideas, conviction, and vision into reality was something that struck a chord within me, and I see this philosophy as a pure essence of creation.
2025 summer, I was the marketing lead for Distro, an AI-native content marketing startup helping companies create content from start to finish.
Some cool things I did:
○ Produced and scored the launch vid (250k+ views)
○ Led go-to-market for a 3rd place Product Hunt launch
○ Built the entire marketing system from scratch
○ Worked alongside an entrepreneur who sold his company for $75 million
○ Led events + interviews (CEO of Lindy, Beehiiv, etc.)
I love startups. They're fast-paced, high-agency, and mission-oriented. I cannot imagine working in any other setting during my 20s.
4e. Projects
Projects are experiments where I freely explore my curiosities without having to commit to something for years at a time.
Here were some cool things I did:
○ Podcast: Hosted 20 convos with cool people I met on the Internet
○ Violin: Tried it for ~3 years, but realized I was better off focusing on piano
○ Blog: Wrote 72 essays about various topics I found interesting
○ YouTube: Created piano covers, reached 2.5k subs at one point
Now, I don't initiate as many projects as before, mainly because I know my life's work. There was a time and place for exploration, but now, a maniacal focus towards a singular mission is all that I care about.
Projects are experiments where I freely explore my curiosities without having to commit to something for years at a time.
Here were some cool things I did:
○ Podcast: Hosted 20 convos with cool people I met on the Internet
○ Violin: Tried it for ~3 years, but realized I was better off focusing on piano
○ Blog: Wrote 72 essays about various topics I found interesting
○ YouTube: Created piano covers, reached 2.5k subs at one point
Now, I don't initiate as many projects as before, mainly because I know my life's work. There was a time and place for exploration, but now, a maniacal focus towards a singular mission is all that I care about.
