TRANSLATION | Eugenia Yang

「出生那一年，父親恰好打撈到一枝珊瑚，所以我的『珊』是來自於此。」掩不住眼底的閃爍光芒，蔡依珊掛著幸福知足的笑顏娓娓道來。伴隨人生階段性的磨練，嘗盡自信與懷疑，如今的她愈發從容自適，經歲月洗鍊後滌盪塵懷，一切依心而行。

“In the year I was born, my father happened to have caught a coral during his sails, which is where my name came from.” Unable to hide the sparkles in her eyes, Patty Tsai shares with us the origin of her name with a grateful smile on her face. Along with the challenges of life, she has undergone confidence and doubts. Now, after years of experience, she is content as she learns to follow her heart. 

蛻變知性美

自小被視為掌上明珠的蔡依珊，父母所賦予的細膩關愛造就了她開朗大方的性格，「當時父親花了很多費用租潛水艇撈珊瑚，由於台灣海域非常艱難，當時他們剛好撈到一枝珊瑚，之後母親花了一點心思設計，做成了兩副耳環與搭配黑瑪瑙、碎鑽的項鍊。」笑說這是家中最得來不意的珍藏單品，裡頭蘊含了父母親對她的真摯情感，也是她人生的一大依靠。從纖塵不染的優雅公主，而今轉變為大方氣魄的品牌創辦人，唯一不變的是她依舊可人的赤子之心。

活用逆思維

即將邁向第五週年的「炆久之芯」，歷經嚴峻疫情洗禮，如今走得愈加穩固紮實。憶起三年前的猝不及防，身兼創辦人與創意總監的蔡依珊，惋惜表示當時延宕了海外計畫，隨即將重心放於內部訓練，笑說陸續打樣了至少三、四十個產品，種種堅持體現一路以來所秉持的品牌精神，「我的用意是希望幫助大家把生活過得更簡單，可是不隨便。」談起創業的她，眼底盡是藏不住的慧黠明亮。

而身為一名領導者，「人」往往是最棘手的難題，對於管理人事的柔性心法，蔡依珊進而透露以七分的掌控，細膩感受公司不同的文化氛圍，乃是團隊凝聚力的關鍵。當面臨感性襲來，她認為無需壓抑，適當地宣洩情緒方為健康上策，如同運動中的吸吐哲學，懂得調度為自己按下重整鍵，方得擁有身心平衡的自由心靈。

平日熱愛汲取新知的她，前陣子更於社群分享近期所讀的「逆思維」：必須回歸科學家精神行事，以問題引領自身前進，並根據新數據更新觀點。如此思考模式，也使她活用於創業日常，相比過往容易自我懷疑的不確定因子，如今卻參透出別番領悟，「你要懂得變通，保持對的價值觀。」將弱點化為最大優勢，待心中迷霧散去，那條無人走訪卻異常清晰的道路便是最佳指引。

品時髦人生 

自若倩影的背後，無疑來自一個女人對於自我的高度理解。談及私底下的穿衣風格，蔡依珊表示會依當天心情與場合妝點自己，笑說本身很喜歡變化，有時典雅大方、有時俐落帥氣，「我覺得打扮的時候心情真的會比較好。」即使拍攝當天穿得隨性自在，也不忘為整體注入吸睛亮點，將典雅鞋履與休閒上身相結合，獨樹一幟的衝突時髦感表露無遺。回溯人生首次大肆購物的經驗，她憶起於魁北克讀大學的美好片段，「那邊的女孩子腿好漂亮，我那時拚命買牛仔褲跟緊身及膝靴，甚至去改褲管讓小腿看起來更細，那時候才開始愛漂亮的。」

階段責任感

以「如何找到人生的依靠」站上 TED 講台與大眾分享生命歷程，蔡依珊不僅鼓勵聽者尋找最真實的自我，也對「依靠」一詞有著獨特見解，「我覺得你可以有別人，不管是自己或別人，只要是對的依靠就好了。」身處人生不同階段，所依靠的對象隨之嬗變，其中如何拿捏自我與另一方的尊重界線，她則表示相當關鍵。伴韶光荏苒與聰慧積累，對於現階段賦予自己的「責任感」，蔡依珊說眼前有三件事情最為首要「自我照顧好、家庭經營好、公司管理好。」常以三為計算單位，是繁忙生活中凝聚注意力的一大竅門，更舉例近期令她感到開心的 The three E 為 Eating、Exercise 與 Entertainment，透過簡易的三大生活原則，不僅提點了人生順序的輕重緩急，也能有效地將珍貴時光留給摯愛之人。

關於未來，蔡依珊雀躍地分享「炆久之芯」的新品計畫，進駐實體通路之餘，線下也將同步試辦講座活動，更著手規劃拍攝生活實驗室的烹飪影片，周旋於滿檔行程，雙眸卻是那般欣喜躍動，現階段的「蔡依珊」是如此享受當下，盡顯真切動人。

Metamorphosis of Intellectual Beauty

Treated as a precious gem of the family, Tsai attributes her cheerful and generous personality to the delicate care provided by her parents. “Back then, my father spent a lot of time collecting corals. Since the waters of Taiwan are very hard to navigate, he was lucky to have caught a coral at that time. Later on, with special design, my mother turned the coral into earrings and a necklace with black onyx and melee diamonds.” Chuckling, she says it is the most treasured accessory because it embodies her parents’ love and support. From a princess who was often protected to the founder of a brand, the only thing that remains unchanged is the purity of her loveable heart. 

Utilizing Reverse Thinking 

Arriving at its fifth anniversary, Wunjo has survived the challenges of the pandemic and become more stable and solid. Recalling when COVID first appeared three years ago, Tsai, the founder and creative director of the brand, had to postpone all of the overseas projects and immediately diverted her focus towards in-house training. Laughing, she says she had prototyped at least thirty to forty products, nonstop. “I wanted to help make everyone’s life easier, but not carelessly.” Her eyes shine with bright wisdom as she talks about her own business, embodying the brand spirit she believes. After becoming a leader, dealing with the people you work with is often the most difficult problem. When it comes to the flexible approach to managing personnel, Tsai believes that she has managed about seventy percent of it. In order to establish great teamwork, you have to learn to observe the different cultural atmospheres in a company. Meanwhile, in the face of emotional distress, she says there is no need to suppress it. The best way to stay mentally healthy is to find a proper outlet for your emotions. Similar to the breathing exercise in sports, only by learning to press the reset button when needed can we achieve a balanced and free-spirited mindset. A keen learner of new knowledge, Tsai recently shared what she read about “reverse thinking” on social media—think like a scientist, allow the questions to guide the way and update your perspective according to new data. The same mindset is applied to her daily life as an entrepreneur. “You have to learn to adjust, while maintaining the right values.” Turning weakness into strength, once the doubts in the heart clears, the road ahead becomes exceptionally clear. 

A Life of Fashionable Taste 

Behind each confident self-image lies a woman’s thorough understanding of selfhood. As someone who likes change, Tsai chooses her outfit according to her mood and the occasion of the day, sometimes elegantly, other times sleek and handsome. “I’m in a better mood when I’m dressed up.” Despite her casual attire on the day of our cover shoot, she didn’t forget to add a few eye-catching details. Styling elegant footwear with relaxed clothing, her look was elevated with a touch of distinctive chic. Thinking back on the first shopping spree in her life, Tsai recalls her college days when she studied in Quebec. “The girls there had such pretty legs so I bought pairs and pairs of jeans and knee-high boots. I even had my pants tailored to make my legs look skinnier. That was when I started wanting to look nice.”

On Duties and Responsibility 

In her TED talk on “Finding Life’s Dependence,” Tsai not only encouraged her audience to find their true selves, but she also shared a unique interpretation towards the definition of dependence. “I think it’s okay to have a special someone to rely on, whether it’s yourself or someone close to you, as long as it’s the right person.” At different stages in life, the person we rely on also changes. What’s more important is to draw a line that respects both parties. Through the passage of time and the accumulation of wisdom, Tsai defines her responsibility at the moment as three different things—taking good care of herself, her family and her company. Calculating things in units of three has been a useful trick for her to stay focused during busy days. Happily offering an example, Tsai shares with us the three Es—eating, exercise and entertainment. These three simple principles point out the priorities in life, while effectively delegate precious time to the people we love. In terms of future plans, she excitedly announces Wunjo’s upcoming projects. Besides having physical store locations, the brand will also hold seminars and even shoot cooking videos at lifestyle labs. Despite having a busy schedule, it is safe to say that the Patty Tsai we see now is enjoying the moment, as her eyes gleam with joy and excitement towards what’s coming next.