Why I Build Stories — and What Page & Pause Is Becoming
When you’ve made enough books, something shifts.
At first you’re proving you can create. Then you’re proving you can do it again. By the third post by the third chapter you’re no longer introducing yourself. You’re beginning to understand your own purpose.
Page & Pause Studios started as a creative idea. It is now becoming a creative ecosystem.
I don’t see children’s books as isolated objects I see them as seeds. Every story can grow into something larger: characters that live beyond the page, worlds that expand across cultures, and ideas that travel farther than I ever could on my own.
Many of my stories are inspired by Japan not as a trend, but as a relationship. The aesthetics, humor, quietness, and emotional depth of Japanese storytelling continue to shape how I write and imagine. I’m drawn to that balance of playfulness and wisdom, of simplicity that carries deep meaning.
At Page & Pause, I care about:
Clean, thoughtful illustration
Emotional storytelling that still feels joyful
Cultural respect and curiosity
Visual clarity over visual clutter
Books that parents enjoy reading aloud
And stories that kids remember long after bedtime
I’m also thinking beyond books.
I imagine Page & Pause as more than publishing a studio that could one day include apps, educational tools, collaborations with artists around the world, and original characters that live across media. Not rushed. Not forced. Just grown carefully, like a well-tended garden.
Looking Forward: Korea and China
As Page & Pause continues to grow, one of our clear long-term goals is to thoughtfully enter both the Korean and Chinese children’s book markets.
Rather than simply translating existing books, the vision is to create stories specifically for these audiences shaped by their aesthetics, values, humor, and visual traditions, while still carrying the heart of Page & Pause storytelling.
This future will likely involve collaborating with local illustrators, writers, and educators in Korea and China, learning from their perspectives, and allowing those cultures to influence new original stories. The goal is not to “export” books, but to build true creative bridges across Japan, Korea, China, and the English-speaking world.
In time, Page & Pause aims to become a multi-Asian, cross-cultural studio where stories move fluidly across borders, languages, and classrooms.
If you’ve been following along, this is where the journey gets interesting.
If you’re just discovering this now welcome to the middle of something that’s still being built.
And if you’re wondering why I keep going:
Because stories matter.
Because imagination matters.
Because children deserve beauty, humor, and heart.
This is only the beginning of what Page & Pause will become.
