It is hard to get a perspective on the wonders of one’s own culture until one steps outside of it. Whether you’re a Grinch or not, you can’t deny that Christmas is the number one biggest holiday in the United States. Decorations, music, lights, Christmas cards, charity, commercialism, and gift-giving fervor are everywhere. Christmas is [...]

Japanese people have a deep rooted affinity with nature that touches upon nearly every aspect of their culture. This is most obvious to me in family names, so many of which can translate easily into some natural landmark, plant, or animal. There’s lots of “Rock River”s (Ishikawa), “Long Isand”s (Nagashima), “Forest Mountain”s (Moriyama), and “Harmony Field”s (Wada). Even [...]

The vast majority of feedback I get on my work is positive and I am whole-heartedly grateful to everyone who has helped keep me motivated with their kind responses. However, I put a great deal of my time, energy, and passion into my creations. As such it is difficult for me to separate myself from my work [...]