Stitching Paths to Dreams

WOO MI LEE
January 14, 2025

Hello, AURORA PIN Newsletter Subscribers!

I’m Woo Mi, the founder and CEO of AURORA PIN, writing to you from a cozy little town in South Korea. First off, thank you for being part of our growing community!

The Challenges of a Global Business

Running a hair accessories business for the U.S. market all the way from Korea has been an exciting adventure. One of my ongoing challenges is finding blonde models for my hair clips.

She was a beautiful professional model named Sophia from Italy. She had an effortless way of striking the perfect poses, and I was very grateful for her work, so I gave her one of our hair clips as a gift. Unfortunately, she has since moved far away.

Living in a small town here, that’s not exactly easy! Sometimes, I improvise by putting wigs on mannequins for photo shoots—which usually means lots of back-of-the-head shots.

I also use a mannequin with a wig purchased from Amazon. This is actually a business secret, but it seems the opportunity has revealed it. I have been searching for a prettier mannequin for a very long time, but I have yet to find one.

I’ve even tried hiring freelance models through U.S. platforms, but it’s hard to get the exact poses and details I envision. That led me down an unexpected but fascinating path: learning how to use AI!

While creating stunning models with AI is relatively easy, it still seems challenging to generate models wearing our hair clips in a natural and realistic manner.

Over the past year or two, I’ve seen amazing progress in what AI can do. My first attempts at creating AI-generated images were... let’s just say they were obviously AI. But with practice, the results are improving. That said, generating natural-looking photos of people wearing my hair accessories is still tricky.

AI as a Creative Companion

Even so, AI has become an indispensable tool for me. I use it for voice dubbing, translations, creating templates, and even researching the U.S. market. There’s so much more to learn, and I’m genuinely excited about the possibilities ahead!

On a personal note, I love Pomeranians and fantasy movies. One of my lifelong dreams has been to create a picture book or write essays.

I recreated the appearance of the two wizards from my favorite The Lord of the Rings movie as Pomeranians.

😅 I’ve never watched Game of Thrones, but I found the poster intriguing, so I generated an image inspired by it. When I saw the result, I couldn’t help but laugh for a while. This is how AI sparks imagination and brings joy to everyday life.

So sometimes, during my downtime, I imagine medieval Pomeranians or even a superhero-like Pomeranian exploring New York City. (A Spider-Pom, anyone?)

I also experiment with turning Pomeranians into AI-generated characters. Believe it or not, some Amazon customers buy my hair clips to style their dog’s fur!

That gave me the idea to practice creating fun designs and characters using AI—who knows, maybe one day they’ll inspire new products.

Back in my 20s, I took a few months of art classes. It would take days (and sore shoulders!) to finish a single painting. Now, with the right AI prompts, I can create beautiful visuals in no time. I’m even thinking about designing fabric patterns for scrunchies or using AI to model 3D plastic molds for future hair clip designs. The possibilities feel endless, and it’s all so inspiring!

Embracing Lifelong Learning

Recently, I heard someone say we might live to be 120 years old. One of my acquaintances is 83 and an amazing example of lifelong learning—she’s an AI expert who exhibits her work and even teaches at a university! While I don’t learn as quickly as I might have in my 20s, I believe persistence and experience are powerful tools.

Now, I’d love to hear your thoughts. I’m considering filming myself wearing my hair clips and using AI to transform the video into a beautiful, young American model.

I want the model for AURORA PIN to represent a modern, forward-thinking, confident, bright, and beautiful woman. To achieve this, I plan to work diligently on honing AI technology. I find this process truly enjoyable. 😊

Do you think it’s a good idea? Let me know in the comments or send me an email at [email protected]. I’ll pick a few responses to send a free product to as a thank-you!

Thank you for taking the time to read about my AI journey. I’m not an expert yet, but I’ve found so much joy in learning and experimenting. If you’re curious, I’d love to share more in future newsletters.

Wishing you a wonderful, peaceful week ahead.

Warm regards,

Woo Mi

Founder & CEO, AURORA PIN

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