Thin, long, and constantly changing. A story about a photographer who embodies a "career that survives" in the VUCA era
A career doesn't have to be a straight line. The way of life of a photographer, whose relaxed storytelling while navigating immigration to the U.S. and real estate investment was impressive, was full of quiet hints for parents and children living in the VUCA/AI era. Rather than "Am I doing well now?", it's "Can I update this 10 years from now?". This is a report on the value of a woman's career that doesn't end even when it stops, and the value of constantly changing, as discussed at the NEXT2035 seminar.
Hello, this is Real Mengmu Betty.
Four educational migrations, 14 years of living abroad.
At NEXT2035, I continue to think about "child-rearing in the VUCA/AI era" together with parents and children.
The free ongoing parent-child seminar that I co-host with Chikako Dean, "Let's talk about money and work before you decide on your school of choice."
21st Session: Sunday, February 1, 2026, 10:00-11:00
"Balancing child-rearing and creative work: The reality of continuing a career as an artist"
Speaker: Kirika Shirobayashi (Photographer)
I will be reporting on this.
She embodied the fact that "a career is not a straight line"
Photographer Kirika Shirobayashi, whom I heard speak at the recent NEXT2035 seminar.
To be honest, if you look only at her titles, she is an "amazing person."
Immigration to the U.S., a career as a photographer, real estate investment.
But the words actually spoken were very quiet, calm, and relaxed. She talks about everything as if she accomplished it easily.
I was drawn to this "temperature" of hers.
A woman's life stops. That is why "thin and long" is effective
A woman's career inevitably gets interrupted.
Marriage, childbirth, child-rearing, family circumstances.
A time when you cannot work as you wish comes to everyone.
Ms. Shirobayashi also said that she intentionally scaled back her work and changed her methods during her two periods of child-rearing. But listening to her story, I thought once again:
Stopping is not the end.
Even if it is thin, not letting go completely,
and "continuing" while changing its form.
That is what, in a few years or a dozen years,
will stand up again as a career,
and create new work.
This is not a story about "talent,"
but a story about how to continue.
Constantly changing is the optimal solution in the VUCA era
The world of photography, too,
from analog to digital,
and the way of working have changed significantly.
She said there were times when her work actually decreased.
It seems there are almost no openings for assistant positions like those in the analog photography era in the photography industry anymore.
Even so, I didn't quit.
I changed how I did things.
I changed my form.
In the VUCA era,
rather than the 'strength of not changing',
the flexibility to keep changingis far stronger.
I felt that this way of living
is a role model I want to show
to the children who will live in the coming era.
Moving to America and investing in NY real estate. Yet the story is surprisingly flat
When you hear about moving to America or investing in NY real estate,
it inevitably gives off an 'impressive person' vibe.
But Mr. Shirobayashi
does not talk about it as something special.
'I just chose what I could do at that time,'
that is the only way he talks about it.
I thought there was an important hint here.
The reason why one can calmly do 'amazing things'
Surely it is because
he is not advancing his life in leaps and bounds.
Without rushing, without comparing,
he has moved forward one step at a time.
That is precisely why,
even when doing 'amazing things',
his narrative remains calm.
Not flashy, but
a life that continues to update itself quietly and tenaciously.
I believe this is
the realistic career of the AI era.
As a parent, a perspective I want to leave for today's children
There is no longer a correct route.
However,
Keep learning
Do not be afraid to change
A design that allows you to come back even if you stop once
If you have this,
you can restart your career as many times as you want.
This is exactly the perspective
that NEXT2035 wants to convey.
It's not about 'whether things are going well now,' but
whether it's a life you can keep updating even 10 years from now.
Mr. Shirobayashi's story
quietly showed us that answer.
The next free parent-child seminar will be
the 22nd session: Sunday, February 15, 2026, 20:00-21:00
'Be water - Improvisation? Mind, Technique, and Body - Flexibility in comprehensive strength creates the future'
Speaker: Shinobu Noda (Dancer who works freely)
The next NEXT2035 will also feature
someone who embodies the idea that 'a career doesn't have to be a straight line.'
The speaker is
Shinobu Noda.
Her title is 'Dancer who works freely.'
……But in reality,
Investment company employee
Translator/Interpreter
Belly dancer/Instructor
Charity organizer
Hong Kong minority support
And in the past,
she studied archaeology at the University of the Ryukyus,
and went from sales job → Hong Kong expatriate → local job change → secretary and interpreter for a listed company → casino industry → investment company → independent translator.
This is the exact opposite of the 'correct route' for a career.
But that is precisely why there are things that become visible.
'Be water'
Changing shape like water, without stopping the flow.
Noda-san's life is exactly this.
It didn't go according to plan.
Rather,
・I tried going there
・I tried doing it
・I accepted when asked
・I continued because it seemed interesting
It is the accumulation of those things.
But before I knew it,
Work
Language skills
Physical expression
Social contribution
Everything connected like a 'line,' and
the current state of 'working freely' was formed.
This is what NEXT2035 has been conveying all along,
Exit-strategy parenting
= 'A design that allows for re-choosing'
It is one of the completed forms of that.
Event Overview
🟢 22nd NEXT2035 Free Parent-Child Online Seminar
📅 February 15, 2026 (Sun) 20:00–21:00
🎤 Theme:
Be water — Just winging it? The flexibility of mind, technique, and body, and comprehensive strength create the future
👤 Speaker: Shinobu Noda (Dancer who works freely / Interpreter/Translator / Belly dance instructor)
💻 Held via Zoom / Participation is free
🎯 Target: Junior high and high school students and their parents (Adults only are also welcome)
We want these kinds of parents and children to attend
・Those who are anxious because their future doesn't look like a single track
・Junior high and high school students who are unsure how to connect their 'interests' with 'work'
・Parents who want to leave their children with 'versatile skills'
・Adults who want to know that careers can be rebuilt
・Those who want to choose a 'life that can be updated' rather than a 'correct route'
Click here to register
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