Behind the Autumn Body Oil Artist Label
Q&A with Designer + Artist Gaeun Song
What's your name, where are you based, and what do you do?
My name is Gaeun Song. I was born and raised in the beautiful and wild city of Busan, Korea. I feel deeply connected to where I am from because so many of my thoughts and life choices are shaped by how I grew up there. Now, I live in peaceful, green Portland, OR. I am a designer who loves to collaborate and create. I also love drawing and making things, exploring different ways here and there.
What helps you get into your rhythm and flow?
Walking always grounds me. Simply standing and moving on two feet, noticing things I might otherwise pass by, and listening to the sounds around me brings me presence. Especially when walking slowly with my dog Maji. His pauses while sniffing give me time to observe the small things like tiny flowers or the way leaves move with the wind.
Yoga is another rhythm I have kept the longest, almost like doodling. It has been continuous in my life. Every practice, whether in the middle or at the end, gives me fresh energy and rhythm.
Cooking also connects me back to where I am from and has become a form of self-care. It is my personal book of rest. Finding colorful seasonal ingredients, chopping, and cooking restores me with peace and joy.
What inspired you to get into your field of work or service?
My dad is a painter and my mom has always been his biggest supporter. His art has filled our home since the very beginning, and visiting his studio always stirred my curiosity about art.
My mom loves traveling. She took me to different cities and countries as I was growing up, which showed me other sides of worlds, languages, and people living in their own ways. It amazed me and taught me that there is never just one way to live.
As a child, I admired chocolate boxes my mom brought back from her trips. I collected fruit cans, candy wrappers, and pretty packaging, and I would draw on delivery boxes to make faces. At bookstores, I didn’t get interested in the content of the books but fell in love with covers. That is how I eventually discovered my path for graphic design.
A career in design opened my perspective. But finding balance between design and art took time. Art was always in my heart, yet it also felt intimidating. I needed time to understand my fear and get it out of the way. Over time, through reading and listening to artists’ stories, I finally allowed myself to simply make something and be myself. That practice feels as grounding as yoga.
How does Nature inspire your creative process?
Nature is one of my biggest sources of inspiration. Whatever surrounds me in the moment impacts me deeply. Often, it is the sounds more than the visuals. I listen to waves hitting the shore, trees shaking, and squirrels dropping acorns in the park. Listening to nature shifts my perspective and fuels my creativity.
How does art & creativity inspire wellness in your life?
The creative process makes me think deeply, and it aligns with how I want to live by choosing my own way rather than following what others expect.
“For me, wellness is about living with curiosity, diving into what interests me, and learning from others who are doing the same.”
One of the most healing experiences was restoring a 100-year-old house on a small countryside island in Korea. It had been abandoned for decades, and I used my savings to repair it. Friends and cousins questioned my decision, saying I should invest in a city studio instead. Their words made me hesitate, but my partner Ryan and my parents supported me fully. Looking back, it was one of the most creatively restorative times in my life.
“Art and creativity give me guidance in how I want to live. They give me choice, voice, and freedom to leave behind what does not serve me and to pursue what excites me, no matter the outcome.”
Do you have any wellness or creativity rituals you practice, if so what are they?
Lately, one of my favorite rituals is choosing a tea, holding a textured mug, and brewing it.
Sitting with the tea, taking a sip, looking out the window, petting Maji has become a small but grounding creative practice.
Tell me about the art you created for the label? Why this approach? What was your process + concept?
When I first smelled the Fall Edition oil from Analog Nature, it carried the spark of a bonfire. It instantly brought me warmth and rest. For me, Fall naturally evokes trees and falling leaves.
This year, I found myself pushing too hard, holding too much uncertainty, and not allowing rest.
“In meditation and yoga, the words that kept returning to me were letting go. That phrase restored me, helping me regain balance and calm. Falling leaves felt symbolic of that release, letting go of worries and heavy thoughts, while holding onto who we truly are.”
“For the artwork, I created a wavy base shape to represent myself, holding emotions and thoughts. From there, blooms and forms emerged, representing growth. The falling leaves, textured by time and experience, symbolized worries and negative thoughts being released. Throughout this process, I practiced letting go of perfection. I allowed myself to create peacefully and with joy, focusing on the act of making rather than the outcome.”
Why screen printing + cut paper for your analog process?
Part of me loves how imperfect I am at screen printing. It will never be perfect(at least from me), and that is what makes it beautiful. Mistakes create unexpected outcomes that are unintentionally beautiful. In my design career, I am trained to find the right answer, make the right choices, and avoid mistakes. Screen printing is the opposite.
“Every step, from preparing the screen, exposing the art, washing it with water, mixing colors, and pulling prints, is tactile, hands-on, and imperfect. I found joy in mixing colors and watching them change, like the seasons shifting from spring to fall.”
Paper cutting began as play. Ripping paper felt more pleasing than using scissors both sound wise and feel on my hand wise. As I tore each leaf shape, I thought about the pressures and worries I had carried this year. The act of ripping became a release.
One of the colors did not mix properly, yellow hit unexpectedly vibrant against the green.
“Instead of a mistake, it added texture and surprise. That moment expressed life itself, where journeys often turn out in ways we never planned, yet those turns bring unexpected beauty.”
What was your overall experience with the oil? How did you use it?
“Using the oil felt calming. I applied it in the evenings after yoga or before sleep, usually on my wrist. It became a small ritual that helped me slow down and notice how my body felt.”
Wearing seasonal oil makes me feel naturally in tune with the season. It’s almost like visiting a farmers’ market and being drawn to the fruits and vegetables of that time of year.
Hinoki brings me back to quiet mountain paths in Korea and temple gardens in Japan, where the air feels woody, sacred, and grounding. Vetiver reminds me of sitting close to a fire, the earth beneath me. Naturally, I connect this oil with the season of this time.
The texture was soft and light, almost like a gentle layer of protection. It inspired me to slow down and take care, to be present with the small action of rubbing it into my skin, which felt like giving myself a quiet moment of attention.
“ The smell inspired a sense of rest, reflection, and comfort. It made me think of gathering under trees with falling leaves, being close to firelight, and allowing myself to breathe out worries I had been holding.”
How did it feel on your skin? What emotions did the oil evoke?
The oil evoked calm, warmth, and a sense of release. It encouraged me to let go of tension and to find comfort in the simple, seasonal beauty around me.”
It absorbed in a way that felt natural, leaving just enough softness to remind me it was there, like a calm presence carried with me. It gave me both grounding and lightness, like holding balance between earth and air.
What are some inspirational resources you recommend?
Books: The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin
YouTube: Series by photographer Joshua Charow, documenting artists’ stories
Tara Brach’s guided meditations, especially Finding Inner Stillness and Ease, which helped me through sleepless nights in Brooklyn.
Learn more about Gaeun & check out her art here
Check out our Autumn Oil here
PHOTOGRAPHY SHOT BY: BROOKE STEWART
