Buy the Ninja Print

Today, I have so much energy.  I feel like I could kick some serious… buttocks!  No, no… I’m not going to go on a rampage and start punching people in the face.  The buttocks I’m talking about are my own!

For the past few months, I’ve been unmotivated in many things.  I’ve been less than enthusiastic about studying Japanese, eating healthy, oh… and let’s not forget exercising!  Can I say “Out of shape!?!”

Along with the oomph that I now possess, I found it fitting to create an abstract painting focusing on the Japanese symbols for Ninja because I seriously feel like sneaking up on my laziness and assassinating it… with passion! Read the rest of this entry »

Bamboo, plum blossoms and orchids are very popular subjects in Japanese art. In addition to their obvious beauty, each plant symbolizes particular human characteristics. Read the rest of this entry »

Buy the Satori (Awakening) Print

Mount Fuji

Climbing Mount Fuji in the middle of the night, I was on a journey to catch the sunrise from the summit.  The increase in altitude made it hard to catch my breath as I was pushing my aching body to its limits.

I felt grateful for the pain since I knew this hike was more than a physical challenge.  I was challenging my inner strength.  When it came down to it, I was the only person on that mountain that could keep pushing me to take another step, and then another step, until I reached the top.

Challenges

Challenges, big or small, are the perfect training and reminder that you can rely on yourself when the tough gets going.  You are your best coach.  If you think that you’re not a strong individual, than I dare you to prove yourself wrong by getting out of your comfort zone and doing something you’ve always wanted to do.  People are usually much stronger than they think they are. Read the rest of this entry »

Buy the Chō (Butterfly) Print

Have you ever had a moment in your life where you’re 210% at peace?  I’m talking about the type of serenity that makes you feel like you’re living in a dream and nothing in this world could bring you down.  This happened to me when I was 11 years old, almost 20 years ago, and this experience has influenced my art ever since.

Buy the Tonbo (Dragonfly) Print

I was at the family cabin, which is deep in the woods and about 40 feet from a lake shared by only a couple cabins.  My dad and a few others built this cabin with their own hands and there’s no electricity or anything too luxurious in it.  I always believed that the purpose of this cabin is to get away from the hustle and bustle of ordinary life and to find tranquility in nature.

That day, the only people around for miles were me and my parents.  Only a few clouds were in the sky and the sunlight was intense.  I remember the breeze saving us from the summer heat.  My mom and dad were happily drinking their tea on the balcony overlooking the lawn and the lake.

I decided that I would go fishing while relaxing on the wharf my dad had built.  On my way to the lake, fishing pole in hand, I clearly remember tiny wild flowers scattered on the lawn.  A few butterflies were fluttering around, like they were welcoming me to paradise.  I took my time walking to my destination.  I wanted to soak in the summer day as much as possible.

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I just recently read The Unconventional Guide to Art and Money (incl. audio interviews), by Chris Guillebeau and Zoë Westhof.

My review of this guide is:

“WOW! BRAVO on writing such a GREAT guide! I wish that I had read this when I first started out as an artist!”

Read the rest of this entry »

Buy the Bushidō - Samurai Print

Bushidō means “The Way of the Warrior”, the unwritten code of conduct for the samurai warrior of ancient Japanese, and includes:

Gi – Justice

Yū – Bravery

Jin – Benevolence

Rei – Politeness

Makoto – Veracity

Meiyo – Honor

Chūgi – Loyalty

Buy the 7 Codes of Bushidō Print

To some extent, the Bushidō code is similar to the concept of chivalry.

I find this balance between violent behavior and honor fascinating. Even though we’re now in the 21^st century, the Bushidō Code can still guide us in managing conflicts and living an authentic life.

Too often, I’m quick to equate violence with revenge and protecting your own honor; which sounds ridiculous because how can anyone take your honor unless you hand it over to them yourself? When the words violence, conflict and war come to mind, I habitually think of violence originating from hatred, revenge and corruption. Running through my mind are thoughts of gangs, school bullies and abusive parents (just to name a few). Read the rest of this entry »

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a i u e o

ka ki ku ke ko

sa si/shi su se so

ta ti/chi tu/tsu te to

na ni nu ne no

ha hi hu/fu he(e) ho

ma mi mu me mo

ya yu yo

ra ri ru re ro

wa wo(o)

n

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Buy the Tengoku (Heaven) Print

I was watching a webcast video on Oprah.com called Finding your spiritual path. Elizabeth Lesser, author of The Seeker’s Guide and Broken Open, said something early on in the webcast that really caught my attention.

Elizabeth says that our soul is something that we come into life with and that it’s always with us. She adds, “[our soul is] shining in our hearts”.

She uses the metaphor of a lantern to represent our psyche and our body, and the light within the lantern to symbolize our soul. Elizabeth explains that our lantern can get covered by soot (layers of conditioning). Negative emotions, such as fear, mistrust and anger, put soot on our lantern. As a result, the light of our soul becomes dull. Read the rest of this entry »

Buy the Seika (Sacred Fire) Print

Ever had one of those days where everything seems to be going wrong?  Well, today was my day.

It started out early this morning with a migraine. I could hardly sleep with the nauseating pain and I was really counting on a good night’s sleep since my energy seems to be missing in action lately.Everything went downhill ever since.

Here’s some math for you…

Sleepless Night + Soniei + A Pinch of Migraine Leftovers = Miss Grumpy Pants

My day was so bad that I was thinking, “I’m gone to bed. I can’t deal with today anymore”. Satisfied with my decision, I got up from my desk and accidentally spilled a glass of water all over my Japanese lesson notes. Nice. Great. Terrific. After I cleaned up the mess, I was on my way to crawl into bed and hide from today for awhile. Read the rest of this entry »

Japanese Lesson Notes #2

Japanese has 5 vowel sounds: a, i, u, e, o

a sounds like the a in dad (similar to the French or Spanish a)

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i sounds like the e in Pete(similar to the French or Spanish i)

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u sounds like the oo in loop BUT without rounding your lips!

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e sounds like the e in pet

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o sounds like the o in go

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There are both short and long vowels in the Japanese language. In rōmaji, long vowels have a macron (a dash positioned over a vowel) to mark that the pronunciation should be long. For example, ō has a longer sound than an o without a macron. Read the rest of this entry »