Early last summer at the very beginning of hue, I commissioned 15 teacups from my good friend Brooke. Now that I had cups ordered, I suddenly had to get the tables, cushions and tea brewing equipment. So in a huge way those cups were the spark that sprung hue into reality.
The cups (pictured above) were used by over 300 guests in our first 6 weeks and in general I think our drinkware is really special. I believe, in a way, our energy and journey is infused in the cups each time we drink from them. So those first teacups especially carried a lot of emotional weight for me.
In October of last year I went to Malaysia and China for my (almost) annual trip. I studied and worked in Asia for four years during and after college, and planned a couple hue popups with my friends there. For some reason, I brought ALL our teacups, and when I transited in Seoul my checked bag was about 8kg (17lbs) overweight… After going back and forth with the flight attendants I had no choice but to get rid of all the teacups and extra tea I had brought as gifts.
I remember this older Chinese lady curiously watching me unpack it all in the seating area and I suddenly had the great idea to give away the cups instead of throwing them away. I asked her “你要一个茶杯吗？是免费的呀!” (would you like a teacup? Its free!). I think she was more shocked that I was speaking Chinese but in the end she said yes. In my simple Chinese and with tears in my eyes I told her all about hue and how special these cups were to me. I gave most of the tea and the remainder of the cups to the booking agents who also were similarly surprised, though I think it’s because they probably don’t receive gifts all that often lol.
In the end I only managed to save 3 cups, but as I stood in the security line and called Brooke to break the news, I realized how beautifully sad this was. Sad that we were without teacups, but beautiful, because now, a catalyst piece of hue, filled with all of our stories and energy, was now in the hands of complete strangers halfway around the world. As I look back, this memory makes me smile, as I realized then, that this is what hue is about. It’s the celebration of our differences, of home and sending out pieces of ourself and our dreams into the world.
Now, almost one year later, we have just received new teacups from our friend LJ of Mendo Mud and I have to say, there’s something so special about handcrafted pottery. Just like our first cups, they are ready and waiting to carry a piece of you to all the following versions of hue. Come and try them out sometime yeah?
hue (Sam)
