Steve Jobs left but is still right

(Welcome to Wolf's Weekly — a quick dive into my latest projects, lovely encounters, and silly mistakes. Handcrafted with keyboard taps and a dose of humor.)

Learn To Give Back To Humanity

Steve believed that we, as individuals, exist because of the efforts of generations before us. Everything we depend on—tools, ideas, systems, comforts—was made by someone else. Every day, we stand on the work of others.

So how do we give back to humanity, to the people who created our life?
By making something wonderful—and put it out there for others to benefit from it.

When I heard his driving motivation behind his work, something clicked. It made everything feel clearer. I began to rethink my own creative cycle. Maybe it’s not just about making, but also about showing—putting the work out there. Letting others interact with it, even if it’s just a messy prototype. That interaction adds something beautiful.

The work will stop being just mine. It shall become ours. A shared story.
A ripple in the sea of consciousness…

So…how do I show?

Let’s assume I do make something wonderful (being delusional is half of the process). Then what? How do I get it in front of the people who care?

What if—I thought—I just curate the show myself? Feature artists I admire, and force myself to build something too. That’s a win-win: I get to share my stuff, uplift other artists, and meet more art-loving humans.

So I started digging around and looking for a space. Galleries? Beautiful but expensive. And then a wildly charming and risky idea popped into my head:

What if I turn my house into a gallery?

I live with three friendly housemates, and we’ve got a shockingly underused common area. The moment I thought about it, I jumped up from my seat.

Of course, I’ve never organized an art show. I don’t know what kind of setup I need. I have no idea how to sell art legally. My brain flooded with questions. But one thing is clear: I want to show my art more. I want to build real artist friendships in the city. I want to make something happen instead of waiting for someone to hand me the mic.

So I moved out most of the furniture, gave the space a good look—and it’s big. Like, surprisingly BIG. Something exciting could actually happen here…and just thinking about it makes my heart eace.

For now, I’m brewing a group show in this space. Things are still subject to change and I’m still letting the idea simmer a bit longer, but you’ll hear more about it soon. Stay tuned—something’s cooking.

Alec Soth — Advice for Young Artists

I was deeply moved by Alec Soth’s photography show Advice for Young Artists at Fraenkel Gallery.

At first, I thought it was going to be a panel talk—Alec Soth himself sharing words of wisdom to lost souls like me. But no, no, no. It was something much more poetic.

The “advice“ was the show itself: a collection of photographs and installations documenting his journey through U.S. art schools. Often disguised as a student, Alec wandered through different art studios, quietly observing, snapping photos along the way. It felt like his own search to reconnect with youth—less about giving advice, and more about receiving it.

One photograph especially stayed with me: an auditorium filled with young students, all waiting for a talk to begin. Some chatted with friends, some fidgeted with their seats, and some took a photo the same time Alec triggered the shutter. Each person radiating with hope and energy—so full of life.

It felt honest, unplanned, raw. Like the photographer couldn’t resist lifting his camera at the exact moment before the room went quiet. Such immediacy and spontaneity hit me hard. So I wanted to share it with you, too.

First Time Painting Easter Eggs

I know, I know. Egg prices in California are wild right now thanks to the bird flu. But we decided to ignore that reality for a bit and painted Easter eggs in celebration of Jesus’s rebirth (I promise I will eat them all so no eggs will be wasted).

I was feeling pretty down before we started, but by the time I finished painting, the eggs really did crack me up.

Big thanks to Lei and Gleb for showing up with a dozen of hard boiled egg, edible dyes, and wax stick! I’ll forever cherish this moment of pure playfulness.

My week was lovely thanks to these beautiful souls:

Allan Wang, Gleb Ossipov, Lei, Emmanuel, Tong Wu, Joshua, Vivian Li, Mom and dad, Stephanie Xu, Chuck, Jasper, Ethan, Mason, Alec Soth, Hugo, Alex, Goshi, Chris L, Peter Wei, Mengxi, Jiayue, Rae, Jared, Connie, Melissa, Jacob, Kevin, and everyone who I missed to place down, you know who you are.

Book I fall in love with:

Every day for the past week, I couldn’t wait to get back to this book—even when my eyes were half-closed, reading from my bed. It follows Riley, a gender-fluid high schooler, navigating the complexities of identity, relationships, and simply surviving adolescence.

Not sure what gender-fluid means? Honestly, I didn’t have a clear understanding either—until I read this. Riley experiences shifts in gender identity from day to day—sometimes leaning more masculine, other days more feminine—guided by an inner compass that quietly points to who he/she feels like being.

Through that lens, the story unfolds into a rollercoaster of self-doubt, friendship, trauma, family tension, romance, and most importantly—self-discovery.

Every detail—the subtle expressions, the clever jokes, the unspoken emotions behind each action—left me in awe of the writing. It all felt so real and raw. (I still can’t believe it was Jeff’s first novel. I’m SO jealous!)

I laughed. I cried. I rolled my eyes. I squeezed my blanket in suspense. Riley’s world completely pulled me in.

If you’re curious about what it’s like to live as a gender-fluid person, or you just want a beautifully told story of growth, confusion, and becoming yourself, this book is absolutely worth the read.

I’m already on my second round of reading. That says it all.

(P.S. Thank you, Suki, for gifting me this. It was such a fitting gift. I can’t tell you how much I appreciated it.)

Now is time for…. 👇👇👇