Self-Introduction [Coaching, Manga, Theater, Parenting, and... This and That]

Thank you for always reading Kokokon's note!

Although I have been running this account using a handle name and an illustration icon until now...

Having connected with so many people, I thought, "I want to show more of my own colors! I want to make this a more natural account!" so I decided to use my real name and a photo icon ^^

And along with that, although it's a bit late, I am writing this post because I wanted to introduce myself ♪
(Actually, I hadn't introduced myself until now 🤣)

Once again!

Renaming from Kokokon...
My name is Haruka Shibata!

While running a sole proprietorship in manga and illustration production and creative direction, I am also a mother raising two boys, aged 6 and 0 ✌️

I also study coaching and NLP psychology, and serve as the secretary-general of a community that outputs these into individual lifestyles more flexibly and lightly ^^

My old handle name, Kokokon, was named with the hope that it would become a "compass for the heart" for those who read it,
combining "
Koko(ro no)Kon(pasu)"!

#WhoWouldHaveKnown

Although I am fulfilled every day now and can spend my time laughing from the heart, I actually had a very desolate heart until a few years ago...

My posts as Kokokon are also directed toward that past version of myself.

"I thought from the bottom of my heart that I couldn't do anything"

Actually, I was originally a super negative thinker...
In my head, the words
"I can't do anything"
were constantly swirling.

Influenced by my parents, I became hooked on stage theater, joined the drama club in junior high and high school, and attended a theater department in university. After working at a stage lighting company, I eventually got a job at a public theater.

Until then, I enjoyed being involved in theater and was able to be proactive in my work, but working at this public theater became a huge wall for me.

What was required was an elite, ready-to-work force. But I was clearly lacking in ability. I couldn't do the work my boss expected, and the days of feeling down continued.

Also, the theater industry (though that might be a bit of a misnomer 🤣) is full of people with strong personalities. Lol

And the words of encouragement and reprimand are quite harsh. Lol
(It's out of love, right! Out of love...)

I took those words of encouragement and reprimand to heart, but in a sense, I might have taken them too literally.

Unable to do my job satisfactorily, I gradually began to blame myself more than necessary for everything I did.

“I’m going to get yelled at again...”

“Why can’t I even do this right...”

“Since it’s me, nothing I do will ever work out anyway...”

Like that, I fell into a vicious cycle of:

Anxiety and spinning my wheels due to reprimands
↓
Blaming myself when things don't go well
↓
Losing faith in myself, thinking nothing I do will work anyway
↓
Starting to hate myself

Looking back now, I think my feelings would have changed significantly if I had just been a little more flexible in how I interpreted those words.

At the time, I had an extremely strong
“This is how it should be! I must do this!”
belief, or perhaps a fixation, that was very, very strong.

“Childbirth” that changed my life significantly

In the midst of that, I unexpectedly discovered I was pregnant. Actually, this pregnancy led my life in a direction I never imagined.
It guided me.

During my maternity leave after pregnancy and childbirth.

I decided to try doing something I could do from home, and for some reason, I jumped into an entrepreneurship school for women that cost nearly 400,000 yen at the time.

#TheMomentIPressedThePaymentButton
#ICanStillRememberVividly

While studying at that entrepreneurship school,

“Bata-san, what do you like to do?”
“That’s a strength! It might even become a business!”

A senior student said that to me, shining a light on my path.
(By the way, that senior also posts on note♪→Fuyuka Baba-san)

That’s right.
Thinking, don't be so gloomy,
I decided to start a business with the illustration and manga creation
that I had thought was just a hobby!

Now I have graduated from working for a company,
and somehow, I am in my 4th year as a sole proprietor.

While also incorporating direction work,
I am living a laid-back life!

My encounter with coaching, which made life overwhelmingly easier

Coaching is what I encountered after stepping into the world of individual business.
This encounter with coaching made my life overwhelmingly easier.

I have received individual coaching sessions,
and I have also taken long-term courses on brain science and self-coaching.

Ultimately, by becoming the secretary-general of a business community that learns about coaching and NLP psychology, I have acquired a more flexible, coaching-oriented mindset.

If I were to return to the theater work I once struggled with now,
I can confidently say that I would be able to work very happily.

Because my thinking has become flexible, I am now able to take on the 'things I want to do' that I had previously suppressed!

For example,
I tried opening a local booth at JAPAN EXPO held in Australia,

I tried opening a booth at a large-scale event next to the Saitama Super Arena,

Thinking that I want people to look at themselves more carefully and cherish themselves, I tried making a picture book (workbook) to help them realize that,

I tried hosting an 'Online English Conversation Cafe' for studying English,

Also, I moved to a rural area!

In the future, I want to host events, and these days I am working on things like applying for subsidies to hold a 'Theater and Performance Festival' in my new home.

It is okay to live more comfortably

I believe there are many people who, just as I once did, spend their days living with strict self-discipline.

That is a very admirable thing, but if that feeling is acting as a brake on yourself, it might be okay to loosen it up a little bit ^^

Finally, I would like to share a phrase that actually helped me relax when I said it out loud.

That is

saying that to yourself.

Forgive yourself for making a mistake.
Forgive yourself for getting irritated.
Forgive yourself for wanting to be lazy.
Forgive yourself for oversleeping a little.

At first, it feels very resistant and takes courage, but if you keep doing it, you might see a world different from the one you see now ^^

In closing

Moving forward, while I will continue to focus on posts related to coaching and psychology as I have done, I also want to share progress reports on the subsidy applications I am working on, post the manga I have drawn, and talk about the English I am studying!
I would like to post in a more natural style ^^

Why don't you also spend your time lightly and naturally?
Let's let go of rigid thinking and spend our time comfortably together ♪

Thank you very much for reading this far!
I would be very happy if we could connect through comments or follows ^^

I look forward to our continued connection ♪