Noe Kuremoto Part 2: Episode #10 Hearts Still Beating Souls Departing

Join Carolyn Botelho in the second part of her interview with Noe Kuremoto. Symbolism and ancient stories from her Japanese background, Noe admits to abandoning when she was younger. Now through her experiences in life she recognizes them as real totems, or talismans to help guide us during life's difficult and challenging moments. 

Creating a life for herself and her family in London, UK. Noe has found the opportunity to build a studio in Lithuania in a national forest. Understanding her roots have mostly been surrounded by urban luxuries. The challenges piqued her interests to focus in on having more family fun, rather then the comparative ideologies floating around in the city core.

Noe shares her creative practice more succinctly to a point where she sees what is slightly askew around her. She feels the cues, translating them into writing, drawing, video, and ultimately clay. Where she communicates how the soul of the city is metaphorically wounded. She offers her sculptures as answers to what may be symbolically missing from our lives.

Transcript

(0:04 - 0:27)

Hey everyone, welcome back to the Creatively Thinking Podcast. Join Carolyn Botelho as she uncovers the inspirations behind some incredibly creative minds that are orbiting our local communities. Hello Noi, I am so pleased to have you on the show today for part two of your interview.

(0:27 - 1:14)

You are a Japanese-born artist currently specializing in sculpture. Where do you see your career taking you in the next 10 years? Do you see yourself staying in the UK or do you see yourself moving back to Japan or is there a possibility of new adventures in North America? 10 years is a long span, isn't it? But it's a really, really good question. I think most of us don't think, you know, where am I going to be in five years' time, let alone what sort of artist would I want to be in 10 years' time.

(1:14 - 1:53)

I think it's really important to ask that question, so thank you for asking and it's sometimes scary to verbalize the future. I think one, because we are terrified of failing at it and by saying it out loud, it's sort of you make a promise to yourself and to, you know, promising to somebody. By not specifying, somehow we feel safer, right? Because nobody knows that you failed at it.

(1:54 - 2:26)

Realistically, in 10 years' time, you know, decades is a long time. You can achieve so much, yet we all know that that might not happen if we don't change what we are doing today. So, 10 years' time, well, North America, well, if a right opportunity comes along, I would love to explore North America option.

(2:28 - 2:51)

I'm currently doing a little group show in New York. I'm exhibiting a shadow collection. So, you know, I'm always doing something in North America, but you mean like to move to North America? Right now, I don't see that.

(2:53 - 3:06)

Japan, oh, it's always, oh, it's always in my mind. You know, Japan is my home, my motherland, where my family is. And my parents are getting old.

(3:07 - 3:24)

That's always in my head. I don't want to miss the remaining time with my family. I had a chat with my brother sort of a few weeks ago.

(3:25 - 3:40)

My brother, one of my brother's doctors, he's very clinical. And, you know, he said, you know, sis, how often do you think you can come back to Japan? You know, he'll do mass. He said, let's do a mass.

(3:40 - 3:45)

You come back for New Year, every year. Okay. Dad is almost 80.

(3:46 - 3:51)

Do you think he's going to be dead in 10 years time? Most likely. That means 10 times. You're going to see your dad for 10 times.

(3:52 - 3:58)

If that's what you're, you know, you're lucky. Well, realistically, he might be dead by 85. That means five times.

(3:58 - 4:03)

Just so you know, you know, he's very. But that really. He's mathematical.

(4:04 - 4:17)

But really, really hit me. He doesn't, he's not trying to scare me or anything, but he always had a realistic approach. And that's actually helps me.

(4:17 - 4:29)

Oh, my gosh. If it's only five more times. Maybe next time I want to explore the option, you know, moving entire families is another thing.

(4:29 - 4:47)

But maybe staying longer, you know, spending quality time. And he also had cancer treatments this year. So again, you know, thinking, wow, when am I going to have a quality time? Time is ticking.

(4:47 - 5:02)

So Japan, this is a long winded way of answering your question. Japan is, it's definitely an option that I would consider any time. And especially my kids are under six right now.

(5:03 - 5:19)

It's easier to move them. You know, once the school starts, it's a bit different, isn't it? But for now, my art practice is based in the UK and Europe. This is where I studied.

(5:20 - 5:28)

This is where my career started. It's naturally evolved that way. But if anyone listening here from Japan.

(5:29 - 5:33)

Hey, rep me in Tokyo. I'm there. Tomorrow.

(5:34 - 6:05)

Awesome. Do you see your sculptures as having a political or social agenda? Or do you see your work as being more rooted in heritage, community or familial context? Can you expand on how you see your current work contextually? Okay. Are they public or private? Okay.

(6:05 - 6:13)

It's a lot of things packed in one question. So. Okay.

(6:13 - 6:20)

Let's see. Heritage. I mean, cultural heritage is.

(6:21 - 6:39)

It's always there. The reason it's always there is it's a part of my DNA, right? How do I go about this question? I always believed there's a two studio. Every artist has two studios.

(6:39 - 6:53)

The first studio is life. Where every artist will get a raw material, right? It's life. So that's where you live.

(6:53 - 6:57)

Your family. Who you interact with. The books you read.

(6:57 - 7:05)

The things that bothers you. The things that you're passionate about. The song is always running in your head.

(7:06 - 7:20)

I don't know what for other artists. But for me, things that usually bothers me. And that's raw material.

(7:22 - 7:36)

I make notes every time when I catch the thing that it bothers me. And that's the most important ingredient. That's where it takes it to writing and sketches.

(7:37 - 8:00)

This is before it even gets to the second studio. Most of us focus too much on a second studio where the art is created. And my raw ingredient is questioning modern life and happiness.

(8:01 - 8:10)

In a way. I can link this up with the heritage part that you're asking me. Particularly Jomon era.

(8:11 - 8:22)

Pre-historical Jomon era. The most favorite part of the history of Japan. This is the era pre-Buddhism, pre-farming.

(8:23 - 8:35)

You know, hunter and gatherer era. When Japan wasn't quite Japan. Some historians think that Japan was attached to China or top of Korea for instance.

(8:35 - 8:42)

When Japan wasn't quite island. It's that era. When people still digging and living in a hole and put the leaf on top.

(8:43 - 8:53)

They didn't have knife. They were breaking a stone and cooking and catching an animal. Yeah.

(8:58 - 9:07)

So think about those era in Japan. They're still making ceramic object. The pre-history.

(9:07 - 9:15)

Like dodo, talisman. Haniwa. All of these object was born rooted there.

(9:16 - 9:24)

And what fascinated me most. Is it was like. It was their way to protect themselves from unknown.

(9:25 - 9:29)

Especially. Think about it. They didn't know what the germs are.

(9:29 - 9:38)

Infection. It's like a scary thing. So they would cook in a immaculate flame vessel.

(9:39 - 9:47)

And they believed that food will be safe that way. Or when a woman's giving a birth. Ceramicist.

(9:47 - 9:54)

They weren't called ceramicist. And make dog lady. Which is literally.

(9:56 - 10:01)

Fertility. Goddess. Often has an enormous breast.

(10:01 - 10:05)

Big eyes. Big hip. And that was.

(10:05 - 10:08)

Meant to protect a woman. Giving a birth. Either.

(10:09 - 10:16)

Most of woman was dead or baby could be dead. These days we don't need to worry about any of these. Death situation.

(10:17 - 10:20)

Most likely. None of us think about this. When you're giving a birth.

(10:21 - 10:24)

Back in those days. It's almost. I don't know the percentage.

(10:24 - 10:29)

I would imagine. Very high risk. Of death.

(10:32 - 10:42)

And what I. What I found is fascinating is. Everything changed. You know we're shooting a rocket up in the moon.

(10:43 - 10:47)

We have internet. I'm talking to Caroline. In Canada.

(10:47 - 10:55)

You know it's. Incredible technology. And back in those days.

(10:56 - 11:02)

People still making a fire. And thinking about survival. Making it in five kids and hoping.

(11:03 - 11:10)

The one would have survived. Or two. You know people lived up to 30 40.

(11:10 - 11:14)

Years. And today we live up to 80 90. Easily right.

(11:15 - 11:19)

So it feels like everything changed. Yet. Yet.

(11:19 - 11:27)

We're still battling with. Unknown and what it means to. Live life.

(11:28 - 11:34)

Wholeheartedly. And meaningfully. Back in those days.

(11:34 - 11:41)

Because they want. Thinking about. You know we know what the infection is now.

(11:43 - 11:47)

The science told us. What the infection and how it works. Back in those days probably was.

(11:48 - 11:53)

Scary monster spirit. Bad spirit is. Coming to get them and to punish them.

(11:54 - 12:00)

So you know it was their way to decoding. The uncertainty. Today.

(12:00 - 12:07)

We have a different kind of uncertainty. And we're still battling with. Lack of.

(12:08 - 12:14)

Meaning in our life. So. Every object that I make.

(12:15 - 12:20)

It's. It's not research. It's me search.

(12:20 - 12:32)

Perhaps I'm looking for answer for myself. And this me search that come from the first studio. And second studio.

(12:34 - 12:42)

Is a place I make and I share my journey. And if anyone wants to. Join the journey with me.

(12:43 - 12:49)

That I'm that I'm grateful. For that that that turning to artwork in the collection. And then into exhibition.

(12:49 - 12:58)

I don't know if that make any sense. Did I answer your question? The abstract. Little bit of shrapnel is that.

(13:02 - 13:08)

Yeah. Yeah. And.

(13:08 - 13:11)

Yeah. And that's and that's exactly. That's just totally fine.

(13:12 - 13:21)

The answers can be however you want them to be. The answer is for you to to the questions. And that's how you see them.

(13:25 - 13:31)

In your artist statement. It says you share the traditional Japanese view. That spirits are everywhere.

(13:32 - 13:39)

Especially in nature. Is this your sort of totem or talisman. And in your sculptural work.

(13:40 - 13:49)

Are you attempting to convey this message to your audience. What you what specifically. Are these spirits insane.

(13:49 - 13:57)

Am I suspecting that you have a deep connection. With these spirits. So you wouldn't be as overwhelmed.

(13:57 - 14:00)

As I am imagining it to be. Okay. So.

(14:03 - 14:07)

So the spirit. Element. I'm not religious.

(14:08 - 14:13)

And I certainly. Was in the camp. Hating these.

(14:14 - 14:17)

Spirituality. In Japan. It's it's every.

(14:17 - 14:21)

Have you been to Japan Caroline. No. No.

(14:21 - 14:22)

And it's Caroline. Okay. Okay.

(14:22 - 14:23)

Caroline. Sorry. Sorry Caroline.

(14:27 - 14:30)

If your listener. Ever. Have been to Japan.

(14:30 - 14:37)

They would. They probably seeing a little. Spirits or spiritual house.

(14:37 - 14:42)

Like these things are everywhere. The trees. Old trees are dressed in a certain way.

(14:42 - 14:48)

Because people think that there's a spirit in it. You go to the beach. There's something.

(14:49 - 14:55)

Decorated element of the rock. Because they think that there's a. The God of the seas. You know.

(14:56 - 14:59)

Giving a birthday. It sounds kind of. Mad.

(15:00 - 15:03)

You know you might think. And when I was. Teen.

(15:04 - 15:12)

I absolutely hated it. All of it. I felt like it's so backward.

(15:13 - 15:15)

It's lots of. Ufu. Is that.

(15:15 - 15:18)

Come on guys. Wake up. Like a scientist knows.

(15:19 - 15:25)

The. The old man in the sky doesn't exist. What's the point of.

(15:27 - 15:34)

Spending our energy. In talking. Essentially talking to these spirits.

(15:35 - 15:40)

Before you go into the rice field. You're going to speak to. Your ancestors spirits.

(15:41 - 15:43)

You know. Like. Every morning.

(15:44 - 15:47)

If you're doing that 10 minutes. Oh you could have. Done something else more productive.

(15:47 - 15:53)

That was me. Came to London. To study at Central St. Martin.

(15:54 - 15:57)

And. I was. Relieved by the.

(15:57 - 16:00)

Fact that you don't need to. Bow down to these. Spirituality.

(16:01 - 16:04)

In Japan today. Even today. If you go to.

(16:05 - 16:08)

The services house. It's not. Odd whatsoever.

(16:08 - 16:11)

If you saw. A corner of a studio. Is dedicated.

(16:11 - 16:14)

For. Spirits. Maybe.

(16:14 - 16:16)

Before they fire. They might give. A sake.

(16:16 - 16:19)

Rice wine. They might share food. Or seasonal.

(16:20 - 16:24)

Flowers. As an offering. You kind of think it's mad.

(16:24 - 16:26)

Right. It's. Rituals.

(16:26 - 16:28)

Yeah. So. It's.

(16:28 - 16:32)

Me being teenager. We. I didn't need to do any of this.

(16:32 - 16:37)

If anything. If my art practice. Is related to.

(16:38 - 16:42)

That. I think it wouldn't. Wouldn't have impressed any of.

(16:42 - 16:47)

My professor. When I was younger. Perhaps I was making a work.

(16:47 - 16:49)

To impress. Professors. To.

(16:50 - 16:53)

The pressure to. Produce something. Relevant and.

(16:54 - 16:57)

Impressive. That. I thought that's what I. Supposed to do.

(16:59 - 17:06)

And as I. Got older. You know. You leave out school.

(17:06 - 17:12)

You try to. Make a living. And you are trying to become.

(17:13 - 17:15)

That is the. You. Dreamed of.

(17:16 - 17:17)

Or you. Wanted to. Be.

(17:19 - 17:21)

But. What you face. Is life.

(17:21 - 17:25)

Catastrophe. When you're young. Everyone's.

(17:25 - 17:27)

Life is sort of. Healthy and. Everyone's.

(17:28 - 17:29)

Sort of. Same. Everyone.

(17:30 - 17:31)

Came. Out of. Parents.

(17:33 - 17:34)

Home. And. Studied.

(17:34 - 17:38)

And. You're idealistic. You don't.

(17:38 - 17:40)

Have a family. To look after. You know.

(17:41 - 17:43)

You're. Idealistic. And fully spirited.

(17:43 - 17:45)

Which is. That's. How it should be.

(17:45 - 17:47)

But. The reality. Hits you.

(17:48 - 17:51)

You. You. You might be.

(17:51 - 17:54)

You know. You might get sick. You.

(17:54 - 17:57)

Were trying to find a meaningful. Relationship. You may not find.

(17:57 - 17:59)

Or you. You found it. And you might lose it.

(18:01 - 18:03)

You. Are trying to make a family. You.

(18:03 - 18:07)

Might not able to make a family. You know. The financial catastrophe.

(18:07 - 18:11)

The wars happening. Economical crisis. You know.

(18:11 - 18:14)

Life is. Full of suffering. As the Buddha said.

(18:15 - 18:17)

And it's damn right. It is. Full of suffering.

(18:19 - 18:27)

And. As I. Faced. With life.

(18:27 - 18:33)

Suffering. In a. Different stage of my life. I. Looked for.

(18:33 - 18:38)

Answer. And. Oddly enough.

(18:39 - 18:42)

I started. To read. Folk tales.

(18:43 - 18:46)

Japanese. Mythology. And.

(18:47 - 18:52)

I. I. What I realized. I was too quick. To.

(18:52 - 18:54)

Think. What I don't. See.

(18:55 - 19:00)

What I don't touch. Is. That's not valid.

(19:00 - 19:04)

The wisdom. In between the lines. Is not valid.

(19:04 - 19:07)

You know. I dismissed it. As a teenager.

(19:08 - 19:13)

And. Only when I. Deeply. Difficult.

(19:13 - 19:16)

Life. Problem. Suddenly.

(19:16 - 19:18)

Ancestors. Wisdom. Came back.

(19:21 - 19:24)

You know. Very. Difficult.

(19:24 - 19:26)

To. Be a good. Mother.

(19:26 - 19:30)

For instance. I realized. It was very difficult.

(19:30 - 19:32)

For me. To. To.

(19:36 - 19:38)

Immerse. Myself. Into.

(19:38 - 19:40)

The idealistic. Motherhood. It was.

(19:40 - 19:42)

A lot. Of. Struggle.

(19:42 - 19:44)

For me. And. It seems like.

(19:44 - 19:46)

Society. Is full of. Cute babies.

(19:46 - 19:49)

And. Super moms. On Instagram.

(19:50 - 19:53)

You know. The. Very difficult.

(19:53 - 19:55)

To. Be a good. Mother.

(19:55 - 19:59)

For instance. I realized. It was very difficult.

(19:59 - 20:01)

For me. To. To.

(20:06 - 20:10)

Yeah. And. Will be.

(20:12 - 20:17)

And. And. And.

(20:18 - 20:20)

And. And. And.

(20:20 - 20:23)

And. And. And.

(20:23 - 20:26)

And. And. And.

(20:26 - 20:29)

And. And. It seems like a. Society is a full.

(20:29 - 20:32)

Level. The cute babies and. Super moms.

(20:32 - 20:35)

But. You know. And I. Thought.

(20:36 - 20:41)

Well. I should be that one too. But I didn't come naturally to me.

(20:42 - 20:44)

If it was a bottle. You know. It was like a wall.

(20:47 - 21:03)

What else is going on? Sickness is another quite a big one that when you are young, you don't really think about. And the pandemic really showed us, yeah, you know, only when you Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, exactly.

(21:04 - 22:49)

Oh, wow. We actually, you know, share the story, which is a death, all of us. We don't quite conceptualize that way when you are young.

So, so what happened is, hang on a minute, I lost your question. You're asking, I can read it again. That's your question.

Because it's because I said spirits everywhere, especially nature. Yes. So these spiritual characters and mythology, deities, it wasn't about the invisible God of fire or, you know, it's this invisible creatures.

The narrative that matters, the weight of word that matters. So I think I was only reading a word. And hidden wisdom helped me to decode some of my life catastrophe, which created often by modern world.

Now, a lot of spirits in Japan, they live in nature. That's another interesting thing. When you, if you walk in a dark forest, you feel small.

(22:50 - 23:53)

Don't you? And if you swim in the middle of the ocean, you feel small, don't you? And that for me, that's, that's crucial to me. I grew up in the middle of Osaka, and all my adult life in the centre of London. It's all both mega, mega city.

And a mega city is made by human, obviously. And, you know, you wake up and get on this double decker bus and you see the big bend, you're going through the financial districts. It, you know, the massive bridge, shard, tallest building in London.

It's very man-made. And it's incredible. You know, there's incredible historical buildings.

(23:55 - 26:04)

But it's a lot of a man chest beating feeling. It doesn't, and I respect the power of creativity and the human's work. But yet, it makes me feel sort of like, wow, I'm really amazing.

But what the nature does to me, at least, you know, you're walking through the forest and, ah, if I get lost, am I not able to get out of it here on my own? And suddenly, you're small. Often when people say, oh, someone made me feel small, it's bad, right? I think it's actually important, at least for me, the forest or ocean mountains is making me feel small. And for me, this is what I meant by this spirit, I find a spirit everywhere, especially in nature, because they put me to the place where I belong.

Only then, yeah, and only then I can reach out to vulnerability and honesty, the really raw, honest part of myself. And it is, when there's no human, you're obviously not comparing with somebody else. It often surprised me when I get out of the city, how much your comparison game, whether you're willingly or not willingly, you're doing, you know, contributing to that game.

(26:05 - 27:31)

You know, you have a studio and 50 other artists are also in the same warehouse, for instance, or you walk up the street and a million people dressed in a different way, you know, you compare, you go to the playground and there's organic mummy and the super cupcake mummy and the helicopter mummies and, you know, it's natural for human to compare, but there's a double-sided edge, because it's pointless to compare with anybody else. It's only you, who knows the progress you made as a human and an artist, more you than yesterday, you becoming the artist you want to become today. It's no point comparing with Picasso, not because Picasso is famous, because there's no connection there.

You don't know what you achieved, what your progress is. It's not accurate measurement. So in that sense, nature is crucially important for me.

(27:46 - 28:05)

And here's that Lithuania question. You are currently building a studio in Lithuania, in the middle of a forest. Can you expand on how Lithuania came about as your optimal location? And that seems like quite the commute to me.

(28:08 - 28:26)

Yes, yes, that's probably the most simplest question you asked me. You have an incredibly thoughtful, difficult question, so it was difficult to decode. This is the easy one.

(28:26 - 30:01)

I'm married to a boy from Lithuania. A boy, he's a man, but you know, Ed, he's from Lithuania. We just had an incredible opportunity to buy a piece of land in the middle of a national park, right in front of a lake.

The land was on sale and we just went for it, essentially. In Lithuania, lands are much more affordable. It's not like, you know, you were never able to buy a national park in the UK, but you can do that in Lithuania.

And we took the opportunity. But of course, you know, it wasn't an easy transition, because how do you look after national parks when you're in London? And bit by bit, we were building a dream studio. My husband is an architect.

So in a way, this is his dream journey to build the project from scratch. He's making everything in a traditional way. He's cutting a massive tree, which is, you know, 200, 300 years old tree, down, skinning it and turning it into timber.

(30:01 - 34:47)

And in a national park, you're not allowed to use any other material anyway. You need to use traditional method. In fact, even the size has a regulation and you can only build something if you can prove there was a building before in a forest.

It's slow. It's, I must say that. But enjoy the journey of, you know, building.

This is great fun. It's a great excuse for our kids to hang out in a forest. Yeah, that does sound fun.

I have a feeling you may have answered this question just now. But does your new studio residence have to do with being true to yourself, being who you really are? Is this location a sacrifice for you to strengthen your soul by keeping you in touch with your best self? In a way, are you saying we all are artists that reason responsibility as our practical path instead of the artistic path? You're throwing another really difficult question. Okay.

Wow. All of you are able to answer these deep, difficult questions like spontaneously. And actually, they're not all difficult questions.

It's just when the artists themselves have a lot, just a lot about them, that like so many layers to their work and their personality that I find there's deeper questions to be asked, so. So, the one element is you're asking whether this, are you essentially asking is this crucial element of my art practice? Is this essential? No, I was asking about your, the new studio in Lithuania in the forest. Is this to just help you with your art practice, strengthen your soul while you're working kind of thing? And then I kind of go off into how you were saying that people, all people are artists, they just choose to see reason and practicality as a way to veer off from being artists, rather than staying true to being an artist.

Like I'm saying, are you, do you think we're all artists? We're just choosing the wrong path kind of thing. And so, they're kind of two separate questions now that I think about it. Okay.

So, the forest studio, that wasn't the intention to strengthen my soul. There's no way that was my intention. It's almost like a by-product.

I have to be honest. I, like I said, I was born in the middle of Osaka. I spent all my adult life in the centre of London.

I wasn't a camping type of girl. So, I had to learn to make work in the middle of nowhere. I mean, like you have to imagine the National Park, there's no neighbour, no one lives here.

It's just like, yeah, it's the middle of nowhere. You have tons of wild animals running around. That's about it.

I remember inviting my mum when Ed and I bought a land, and my mum came and was like, so how are you finding this new journey? And I said, well, mum, I'm not too sure about this whole entire forest thing. I don't even drive a car. And my mother said, because I had lots of things like, okay, there's no electricity in the forest.

(34:48 - 35:33)

What are we going to do? There's no water. What are we going to do? There's no internet connection. Oh my God.

I liked the idea of adventure, but the reality is like, okay, this is not realistic. I want shower. I want internet.

In a sense, I'm a spoiled city girl. And my mother, she said, no, give four seasons. Do not complain.

Do not be resentful. Try, enjoy the four seasons, welcome the four seasons in the forest. Then you open your mouth.

(35:34 - 37:00)

So that was that. That's my mother's advice. So that's what I did.

And I actually faced some of the challenges. I didn't even know it would become a challenge. I didn't, you know, I never lived like this.

You have to imagine, you can Uber anything. I'm, I was the kind of person who was complying if the Uber didn't show up on time. Oh my gosh, where's my 4G, you know? So it was, it's not dreamy in the beginning though.

That's what I'm trying to be honest here. I am definitely not the Japanese ceramicist who's practicing meditation in a forest. That's definitely not it to me.

However, it does helps you to be who you want to be because you see your Northern star clearly. Literally, it's much darker than London. Seeing Northern star is by far the most important thing as a human and as an artist, I think.

(37:03 - 39:29)

If most of the time we are lost because you don't see your Northern star, when I say Northern star, it's abstract, you know, your ideal, you know? So the shortest answer probably, yes, it does strengthen my soul. It's not as poetic. This is why my answer is a bit long winded.

Does it make sense? Yeah. No, it's like, it's not, it wasn't your intention, but it kind of worked out that way in the end. Yeah.

And then the second part was, do you see that all artists choose reason and their responsibility with reason rather than, and basically a practical path rather than the artistic path. Yeah. Anyone who were an artist, I don't think we decide.

In my experience, most of the people who are full-time artists, they didn't decide in a way that I wanted to become a lawyer. Most of us had to be an artist. Most of us probably had intuition, the creative, whether it's musician or you are always playing instruments, you're always singing, you're always writing, you're always doodling, making something.

All of us had a personality, a trait that indicates you might be an artist. Only decision that you need to make is to listen to that part of yourself and commit to it. The rest is just the daily grind.

Every day you show up to your studio and do your thing. And so to answer your question, you probably know this yourself because you used to be an artist. Yeah, I did think that way.

(39:29 - 40:57)

Did you choose to be an artist? You probably, you realize you are an artist, no? No, but I was thinking that the way you had discussed on one, I don't know, I think it was a website, on one of your statements saying that you kind of alluded to the fact that you, that it seemed like you thought everyone was kind of an artist and that they were, they just hadn't chosen that field. They just got more of a practical... And we'll be right back. No, no, I don't think I said everyone's an artist.

That would be impossible. It's not everyone can be an artist. That means no one's an artist.

Artist is a minority. It has to be that way, right? Because if everyone's genius, no one's genius. If everyone's special, no one's special.

So I don't think I said everyone is an artist. But what I have a sense that you have to show up. It's having that artistic trait alone isn't enough.

(40:58 - 43:22)

You probably know your friends who's sort of great at painting, great at singing, but they're not practicing a full-time artist's life. Because I think that's the two different things. Yeah, a lot of us are given a script by history, by society.

We often have the vision of happiness. If you have, I don't know what would be the... You need to have a high quality career. You need to have a decent amount of salary.

You need to have health care. You need to have a mortgage. You know, there's a script.

It's been written by society and it's by system. Now, either you take that script as like, yeah, that's at the end of the script, there'll be happiness and fulfillment and meaning for life. And you act it out accordingly and hoping that you get there.

But obviously that's not the case as everyone knows. You can have all of these things and you're still deeply sad or depressed or the happiness is nowhere to find. Everyone knows, either themselves or friends or family, who seem to have everything they need and they want, but they can't find their meaning in their life.

So that script that it's been given is dangerous. It puts you to sleep. Now, I lost track of how to bring it back to the question.

(43:23 - 47:22)

I think you're meaning that we need to find our own sort of script and we need to find our own path. Did I answer your question though? Yeah, like I just, I guess I read it wrong or something that I thought you were saying that we are all artists and I, but it must have been that you were saying that you were just saying artists, this is the path, you know, and that's what they choose or that's what you choose is the artistic path. And it's probably going back to how you have been seeing what's going on in London, UK, and how you see the people around the end of the day and how they're not happy.

And you're just comparing your life to that. And that's probably what I was misunderstanding. Okay.

So the last question, having a background of both growing up surrounded by nature and now living in London, England, a very industrialized area, as well as being educated in both art and design, do these two extremes fight for dominance in your sculptural work? Or have you found a balance between them? Well, firstly, my background, I'm from Osaka, so I wasn't growing up surrounded by nature that that might be overstatements. The nature was available around Osaka. Japan is small countries.

The moment you go out to a city, you can see the ocean, the mountains. But I don't want people to imagine my childhood as a idealistic, you know, Japanese landscape that was it was neon Osaka City. That's how I grew up.

Extreme. There must be a real, real big difference between Japan, though, and London, England. So, yeah, so I can get simple answers.

Yes. My origin is come from Japan, East, let's say, and started to practice my art in West. So obviously, East and Western element is a part of my DNA as a result, a part of my work.

But that's a very short answer. That's a very short answer. Yeah, but that's it.

Yes, it does manifest into my work. I was just saying, though, that you don't find that these two extremes fight for dominance, or they actually find a balance. They complement each other.

Most of my, like I said, artist's destinies are found in problems. So, like I said before, I make notes of things that bothers me and that my surrounding is West. And I look for answer or light from my ancestors or motherland.

And that's the East side. We have the dance between East and West, you know. So, I think it's an interesting spice, both in a complement to each other.

(47:23 - 47:31)

Yeah, that does sound much nicer, a dance, a dance between the two. Yeah, you don't want them fighting. That just sounds so much nicer that they're dancing.

(47:34 - 47:41)

All right. Well, that's actually, we came to the end of the interview. So, yeah, that was actually really good.

(47:41 - 48:19)

Well, thank you. So, yeah, no problem. So, if there's anything you'd like to add, now's the time.

Yeah. No, not that I can think of. I hope I'll get to visit Canada.

Yeah, one day. Yeah. If there's any opportunity in Canada to do a show, I would love that.

Yeah. All right. Awesome.

Okay. So, I will get this to you as soon as possible. And yeah, we'll talk again in the future.

(48:21 - 48:25)

Definitely. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. You're very welcome. Thank you for having me.

(48:25 - 48:27)

Thank you, Noi. Okay. Bye.

(48:28 - 48:29)

Bye. Bye. Bye-bye.

(48:29 - 48:43)

Okay. Join me next time as I go down another rabbit hole with another creative professional on their insights, their inspirations, and their ingenuity.