[Adult Obsession] What happens when a mother in her late 30s tries making dioramas with 100-yen shop materials?

Is there anything you can get lost in?

---Please look back at your elementary school days.

What was the thing you were so obsessed with that you would sacrifice sleep for it?
What was the thing you reached for as soon as you got home, even before doing your homework?

...

Everyone has something
that they definitely used to have.

But now that you're an adult?

Perhaps people who have something
they can get lost in are the "happy" ones.

The power of obsession

My son, who is in the fourth grade.
He got hooked on building Gunpla.

He pours his saved-up New Year's money
into buying Gunpla.

He wasn't satisfied with just one,
so he got another.

And then another.

This is truly
TOTAL ADDICTION!!

As a mother,
the fact that he only liked games and YouTube
was a source of worry for me.

Even though I thought he was
clumsy and lacked focus,
I learned that he could actually build them surprisingly well.

That is
thanks to being "obsessed."

"Obsession" gives you infinite power.

The same goes for adults.

However, it is also a fact that many adults say, "I have nothing I can get obsessed with."

Where did the "obsession" we all had as children go?

Obsession is contagious.

One day, my son was playing with Gunpla.

I was watching him blankly.

Then,

a thought came bubbling up
in my mind.

It was...

"Maybe I should try making a diorama."

Gundam x Diorama.
The image is something like this ↓

(Image: https://gumpla.jp/hg/79997 )

It seems the mother caught the son's obsession.

Until now, whenever I saw miniature works or dioramas like the ones at tourist spots, I had a faint feeling of

thinking "That's amazing," while at the same time

thinking "I want to try making one..."

That kind of feeling.

Looking back, I've always loved "making" things since I was little.

I seem to be wired to find joy in
“giving shape”
to the things I imagine in my head.

I think the reason I keep writing on note is because I can preserve the thoughts in my head as
“text.”

---I want to try it.

Once I find a seed like that, I act on it immediately.

So, I immediately tried my hand at making a diorama.

I tried making a diorama

[Items prepared]
・Styrofoam
・Wood glue
・Toothpicks

[Purchased at a 100-yen shop]
・Green moss
・Small stones
・Cork clay (2 packs)

(I also had some driftwood on standby, but I didn't use it.)

The grainy texture feels like soil.

It's kind to a housewife that the material cost is under 500 yen.

[How to make it]

The Styrofoam is a small stage.
My allies will run around on this white stage.

▶Mountain Zone
Cut styrofoam in a zigzag pattern.
Secure the stacked pieces by poking them with toothpicks.

▶Tree Zone
Stick green moss on with wood glue.
Try placing some small twigs I picked up here and there.

▶Soil Zone
Spread out cork clay,
and add accents with small pebbles.

Time required: A little under 2 hours.
(including shopping)

During that time,
my son watched his mother, who was strangely excited,
with a "mysterious gaze."

My husband seemed to be looking on with a bit of a cold eye too,
but I couldn't care less.

And here is what I made:
[DIORAMA Mother - Prototype No. 1]

Hey you, didn't you just think,
"Isn't that lame?"

Don't bring that up.
I'm vaguely aware of it myself.

This is what happens when you make something by feel without a guide lol

I presented it to my son right away.
(I wonder if he'll be happy...)

Son: "Hey, hey, can I put my Gundam on it?"

(Oh!! My son, aren't you getting into it.)

So, I set up the Gunpla.

The fact that one is lying down in the back is also a nice touch.

I feel like it got better once I placed a Gundam on it.

At this moment...

I felt my son's excitement
definitely rising.

It was the moment when a mother's "obsession" and a son's "obsession" linked up
and sublimated.

This is...
This is truly...
parent-child love 💖

Parent-child love blossomed through the diorama, lol

(Or rather, is it an otaku bond?)

As a result, my creation
will now be permanently displayed in my son's room.

The joy of creation

"Creation" is something where
the fun already begins the moment you start imagining it.

It's just like "planning a trip."

They say the planning stage is the most fun, right?
It's like that.

From there,
the process of actually giving shape to what you imagined.

This also holds the secret elements of being "obsessed."

Staring only at what is in front of you,
without being distracted by unnecessary things

Just keep on making it.

It turns out you can even experience a meditative quality here.

And then, it's finished.

The feeling you get when looking at the finished product
is also deeply satisfying.

The joy of creating
something that is one of a kind in this world

is waiting for you there.

Nowadays, 100-yen shops have a wide variety of products,
and the barrier to entry for various DIY and handmade projects
has become quite low.

Perhaps it means that adults who have almost forgotten themselves

• Something to get lost in
• Something that is uniquely their own

are unconsciously searching for these things.

I suppose it's just a natural trend of the times...

Since it is the autumn of art,

why not try searching for
the seeds of "obsession"
that are sleeping deep within you?

Dioramas are surprisingly interesting, too.

I believe that when people have something they can get lost in,
they can find happiness.

That is what I think.

What are you obsessed with?

Updating every Tuesday and Friday at noon🎉

This was Ayako Furukawa, a beautiful food researcher