"Feeling safe here" is death. The last day of the challenge shop.
Hello.
I'm Kenkura,
raising bread yeast and experiencing all the ups and downs.
Last time,
I talked about how my wife changed her environment
by decisively discarding the "housework, TV, and breakfast"
that were once taken for granted, in order to make time for herself as an artist.
"To start something,
first, stop doing one thing."
Because of the "space"
she courageously let go of back then,
we have the life we have now.
Well, the next thing she took on
was
changing her environment.
That was
a graduation from the "lukewarm water"
that was far too comfortable.
January 2022.
My wife's studio
officially graduated from the
"challenge shop" in Iwanuma City,
where she had been for half a year.
The "poison" of comfort
The challenge shop.
It was
a warm place where you could experiment with business
at a very low rent while receiving support from the city.
The staff were truly kind.
The risk of rent was kept to an absolute minimum.
Even if you failed,
no one would blame you.
I will be honest with you.
As an ordinary husband,
I thought somewhere inside that it was fine to stay in that warm environment.
"It's safe here."
"You don't have to force yourself to go out."
My selfish instinct
to protect her
might have been holding back
her independence.
True independence began when she realized that "nothing was getting across"
"For half a year, I just kept moving by trial and error.
But I realized that it wasn't working at all."
Before dismantling the shop,
she let out this reflection.
It was
a painful realization that "I thought I was trying my best, but my feelings weren't reaching anyone."
A supported environment.
Low pricing.
A community of only acquaintances.
As long as you are immersed in that,
your true voice
will not resonate in the 'outside world'.
To increase her brand value,
she decided to leap out on her own.
Relocation.
Revamping the pricing structure.
And, setting up her own studio
in a shared office
where professional workers gather.
That was
a declaration of her determinationto 'live as a professional,'
a strict yet proud commitment.
The professional atmosphere strips away the lukewarmness.
The studio she moved to was
a sophisticated space where
professionals active on the front lines gather.
I still remember
the moment my wife's expression changed
when she touched that atmosphere.
The lukewarmness of 'just lining up works'
was brought into sharp relief.
'Persistence' is the ultimate sincerity.
Five years have passed since then.
I have watched from the closest distance
the process of her becoming independent
as an artist
after she leaped out of that lukewarm water
that day.
A place without government protection
or cheap insurance.
But,
because she kept shouting her concept
until people were 'sick of hearing it'
there,
'Art as a gift'
the one and only
'Art Gift Shop Tulip' exists today.
Strong, deep roots have grown,
allowing her to deliver her thoughts to many people
and be there for the anniversaries of someone's life.
Thinking you can be understood in one go
is nothing but arrogance.
To keep conveying it with all your words,
over and over again,
even to the point of being annoying.
That "persistence" is,
as a professional, and as a human being,
the most beautiful form of "sincerity,"
which I learned from her.
Graduation is lonely.
It is scary to change from the status quo.
The warmth that was always there disappears,
and standing in a place exposed to the harsh winds
is scary for anyone.
However,
the moment you take
that "trembling first step"
is the time when life
shines most brilliantly.
My wife, who took her first step as a professional.
However, the next wall
was waiting for her.
Creating a logo that will become her face.
What was the unexpected "starting point"
she arrived at after wandering?
I will talk about it next time.
The end!!!
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