“A letter arrived end of May, and with it, a heavy silence. This was the third funding application I had submitted. While I already knew the second one was a long shot – this rejection hit differently. It was the one I had pinned my hopes on.
Suddenly, the vibrant world of Bloom felt gray. I found myself at a painful crossroads: do I let this project die, or do I find a way to breathe life into it using my own resources and a tiny fraction of support?
I’ll be honest – I fell into a hole. The summer of 2025 became a season of shadows and creative blocks. When the doors keep closing, it’s hard not to hear a voice whispering: ‘Is your story even worth telling?’ I spent months questioning my craft, my vision, and whether I had the strength to carry this weight on my own.”
Production Note: This was the most difficult chapter of the journey. Deciding to continue with minimal funding meant committing to immense personal effort and self-reliance. But looking at Mi, I realized her story of self-liberation was also my own. I chose to move forward – not because it was easy, but because I realized that a story’s worth isn’t defined by a committee, but by the necessity of its existence.