Reflections from Japan
Toyko, Japan
I have never been a very good artist.
I was the kid in elementary school who, despite my best efforts, struggled to draw anything recognizable. I recall inconclusive complements like “How interesting” and “You use such nice colors,” and then encouragement to study the history of art rather than its application.
So I am definitely out of my comfort zone as I gaze at the delicate hand made paper, porcelain vessel of freshly poured ink, and thin goat’s-hair brush before me on a desk at a middle school in Toyko, Japan. Adding to my anxiety are the two energetic boys sitting on either side of me; self-appointed mentors eager to reverse the