Me - Photography = ?? What remains when you subtract photography.

Where does identity reside?

Who am I?

A self that is no one, wanting to become someone, keeps searching for something.

Living in this modern information society, where social media platforms showcasing people who have become 'someone' are popular, it's a world where my own inferiority complex stands out. Perhaps it's impossible not to feel that way.

At such times, I suddenly realize.

Me - Photography = ??

That such an equation actually holds true.

Conversely, I think it is a blessing to have encountered something of that magnitude in my lifetime. No, it is undoubtedly a blessing.

Before I knew it, I have spent half my life living by taking photographs.

Even before the era of smartphones, I was recording my daily life with a compact digital camera. Without doing anything with those photos, I just loved taking them, I loved the version of myself that was taking them, and I have always had a camera with me.

If you were to take the camera away from me, what would be left?

A life of sloth, days spent worrying about what to do, drifting from job to job, wandering aimlessly.

Such a life comes to mind.

I think that taking photographs is what makes me a decent human being, and that the camera and photography are the only tools that allow me to connect with society.

Because I have always been taking photos, people tell me, 'Kota, you have your camera! That's great!'

While I think, 'That's true,' there are also days when I feel anxious and lonely, thinking that it's all I have.

There are many people who are able to do so much more, have various experiences, earn money, and live properly in Japanese society.

The grass is always greener on the other side. Even though I know that perfectly well, I still fall into the darkness of modern society that is comparison.

It is also the camera and photography that save me from such a dark state of mind. It is somewhat ironic.

If you subtract the camera from me, what becomes of me?

Isn't it because I don't want to subtract it that I take photos?
Am I not taking photos just so that I can be myself, and so that I can be a person needed by society?

If that is the case, then my identity lies in the camera.
The thing that makes me who I am.

One body, one soul.

That is precisely why I must face it.
I must not run away.

Because the joy of living is right there in front of me.