announcing my book: 'the sea, the sky, the sun'
a visual memoir // available for purchase now 🌅
** SELECTED FOR NOC’S FIRST NOC.TURNAL FEATURE
** “A stunning reflection on travel, purpose, and the search for self. Kora’s story reminds us that the most important journey is always inward.” — Wong How Man“The world is large, but in us it is deep as the sea.”
So begins this journey by Kora Kwok, as he sets off across five continents in search of meaning, purpose, and connection.
At twenty-five, Kora had everything he thought he wanted: a beautiful life in Hawaii, a 6-figure salary, a promising career. But beneath everything, he felt an ache—the burning realization that achievement and fulfillment aren’t the same thing. So he packed a backpack and left it all behind, setting off with no plan but to explore the question of his true path.
In this soul-stirring, unflinchingly honest memoir, Kora chronicles his one-year journey across five continents—capturing the people, places, and moments that changed him along the way. Through heartbreak, hedonism, solitude and connection, Kora grapples with the existential search for meaning in your twenties, the gentle fragility of human connection, and the beautiful mess of growing up.
Told through lyrical prose, photography, and journal fragments, the sea, the sky, the sun invites readers to look inward, question the paths they’ve inherited, and follow the dreams that make them feel most alive.
Two years ago, I left Hawaii to follow a dream.
My friends thought I was crazy for leaving everything I had behind: a slow-paced life surrounded by people I loved, a prestigious career with a six-figure salary, a home in one of the most gorgeous places on earth. But the truth was, I felt deeply unfulfilled with where my life was at the time, stuck on a path that no longer spoke to me. Leaving was the only way I knew to answer the questions of who I was, and who I was meant to become.
I spent the following year backpacking across five continents, trying to make sense of myself and the world around me. This book chronicles the beautiful chaos of that time, capturing the people, places, and moments that changed me along the way. It grapples with themes that I think many of us have faced: the existential search for meaning in your twenties, the gentle fragility of human connection, the beautiful mess of growing up.
the sea, the sky, the sun is a physical record of that transformative year — a visual memoir weaving together photography, handwritten journal pages, and stories from the road. It is unflinchingly honest, occasionally hilarious, and painfully vulnerable at times. It will make you pause, linger on the small moments, and maybe see your own story in unexpected ways.
I designed the sea, the sky, the sun as an art object, not only to be read, but to be seen and felt. It is a clothbound hardcover printed on premium art paper, with 60+ pages of full-color photography and over 200 pages of prose and handwritten journal fragments. Every design detail was chosen with intention, and I can’t wait for you to hold it in your hands.
👉 Order your copy here: book.korakwok.com
Why I wrote this book
On paper, traveling the world was a dream come true. But the journey was also filled with moments of overwhelming doubt, long stretches of uncertainty about who I was to become.
Talking with friends, I realized I wasn’t the only one wrestling with questions around purpose, identity, and direction. Many of us in our 20s and 30s were experiencing the same anxieties around our futures, questioning the kind of life we wanted to live.
the sea, the sky, the sun is a book for dreamers and travelers. But it is also for anyone navigating a time of transition or questioning the life they’ve built — especially those in their 20s and 30s seeking clarity, meaning, and a deeper sense of self. I wrote it for anyone doing the hard, hard work of looking inwards and listening to what their life has to say — about who they are, what they want, and the kind of future that calls to them.
There are plenty of memoirs written decades later, watered down with hindsight. I wanted to do something different: to share my story as I lived it, with all the raw uncertainty and exhilaration of the here and now.
🇭🇰 Hong Kong book launch on November 27 🎉
Hong Kong friends: I’ll be hosting a book launch event @ NOC Sheung Wan on Thursday November 27! Social starts at 6pm, followed by reading + q&a at 7pm. Feel free to drop by, say hello, and pick up a copy of the book!
Many of you have watched this book grow from a loose idea into something real. From the bottom of my heart: thank you for walking this road with me. It means the world to me that you’re here, and I’m unbelievably excited to share this book with you.
Love always,
Kora
👋 If you’d like to support my book journey, feel free to…
1. Like, share, and restack this post. Any engagement really does help :)
2. Order the sea, the sky, the sun here ❤️
3. Share my Instagram announcement post (~engage the algorithm~) ↓
I am so proud of you! I can’t wait to read and experience this ❤️
Congrats man! What a milestone, it looks visually striking esp with the full page photos. Just ordered