Artist Interview - Naoshi (Pt.2)

Name your favourite Manga character?

- My favourite character is Watanabe, the main character of a manga by Eisaku Kubonouchi titled “Watanabe,” which I read when I was in elementary school. The story depicts those who encounter Watanabe, a pure-hearted extra terrestrial who doesn’t know a thing about Earth’s (Japan’s) culture/lacks any basic common sense, and how they learn to see things from a new perspective and begin to change. It has beautiful artwork, humour, and emotional elements. I loved his manga almost too much as a kid, and obsessively copied the art. I guess I’ve always had a thing for aliens!

Your home is Japan, how much does your home country inspire your art? 🇯🇵

- I collected a lot of manga, so all of that influenced me. Also, my father loved Japanese comedy so I was heavily inspired by comedy sketches on TV too. There are so many different styles of comedy in Japan, ranging from Manzai (stand-up duo), Konto (sketches), Oogiri (improvisation), Rakugo (traditional comic storytelling), to Monomane (impressions), and many more. I think this variety in expressing humour is very unique to Japanese culture. 

Do you miss Japan, how often do you get to go back? 🏯

- I go back to Japan every 1~2 years. My mom helped me make the sunae kits, and I talk to my older sister almost every day, so I don’t get too lonely. I love Japanese comedy radio shows and listen to them every day. Once when I went back to Japan someone commented “you know too much about Japanese comedy and music, do you really live in America?” haha! I really love Japanese culture!

How is life now in Los Angeles? 🇺🇸

- It’s so much fun! It’s a great place to live as an artist, it’s challenging but rewarding, and I’ve connected with so many great people and opportunities. Life here keeps me busy and fulfilled everyday. My favourite part is driving by myself on the freeway and singing at the top of my lungs!

How popular is sunae in Los Angeles versus Japan?

- It’s about as unknown in Japan as it is in Los Angeles… I’ll do my best to get sunae known around the world through my sunae kits!

If you were an underwater creature what would you be? 🐙

- An octopus! I want to portray the endearing life of an octopus through the picture book I’m currently working on. 

Your Instagram account has blossomed beautifully over the last few years, how hard do you find managing social media? What are your tips for artists starting out?

- It’s very hard to balance time between art production and social media. My priorities are constantly shifting, so there are months when I post consistently, and others when I post just a few times. I’ll just keep going at my own pace. Using social media is definitely important, but I also want to be mindful about visiting galleries and shops that support me, and staying in touch with artist friends I meet at events!

Do you play video games? If so, what have you played recently? 🎮

- I don’t play video games because I’m the type of person who can’t stop once they start playing… (I’ve lost countless nights of sleep because of binging Netflix shows!)

Flats or heels?

- Flats. Since I’ve moved to LA I drive everywhere + I take a walk because I’m out of shape. 

You are a superhero - what is your superpower? 🦸🏻‍♀️

- The ability to continue one thing. Since I was in elementary school, I’ve had this pretty hardcore motto to “continue anything for 10 years”. I’ve done Japanese calligraphy for 10 years, worked at a single company for 11, been a sunae artist for 18, kept up my hobby of going to live concerts for over 20, and in two more years I’ll have lived in America for 10 years!

How do you get in the creative mood?

- Seeing any space or creative work that’s been crafted with passion, like live performances or movies, or going on a trip and seeing or experiencing new things. It feels like a fresh new wind rushing through my heart and motivates me to create!

What piece of art kit could you not live without? Sorry but you can’t choose sand!

- Chocolate Croissants and Honey Ginger Tea! I can’t focus in my studio when trying to come up with ideas, so I go to my favourite cafe. I spend hours facing my notebook while eating the above. Chocolate is equally as important as colourful sand!

How do you keep on shining with your art? 🎨

- Up until now, I’ve gone to major cities in the U.S., Italy, Taiwan, China, and Korea to exhibit my art or do sunae workshops. In 2017 I visited Scotland to work on a shop’s window display. By chance, an Italian girl who passed by the shop knew of my art, then a young man/musician who was there from Los Angeles told me “I have one of your t- shirts!” and showed me a photo. I was so moved by these serendipitous meetings. Traveling to different countries alongside my work and connecting with people through my work has been the biggest motivation for continuing to create art!

What or who inspires your art? 

- Comedy, music, traveling, scenery and things I’ve never seen before, colours, things in the sky and outer space, and the many emotions expressed by humans. 

Have you ever heard of the Richard Scarry books?... (Katie - your art gave me such nostalgic fond memories of these illustrations that I adored when I was a young child). You have so much detail in your work, where does it all come from? How do you ever know if a project is finished?

- I’d never heard of them. I did an image search online and the characters are so charming. I find it so fascinating that people can coexist in the same space together, yet experience the flow of time so differently. For example, when I’m working at a cafe: there’s an elderly gentleman who’s reading a book, young people enjoying a fun conversation, a mother running after her energetic child, a person angrily talking to someone on the phone, and someone with a serious expression who’s been drawing on their laptop for hours (that’s me, haha!) –  I try to capture this feeling in a single piece. Whether they’re joyful, lonely, kind, or sneaky, once I’ve been able to capture the stories of all these characters with different emotions, I sketch it out and start colouring with sand. 

Do you have projects that will eternally be a WIP?

- It’s been challenging to recreate my work in 3D… I had the figure manufactured overseas once, but it got damaged during transport and I wasn’t able to exhibit it. I really want to make lots of characters in 3D, so I won’t give up working on this!

What is next for Naoshi? ⌛️

- I’d like to go to England (London next!), Australia, and Spain along with my artwork. In Spain, I want to meet my long-time contact at a publisher who has been featuring my work in their art books since 2008. As far as my works go, one of my dreams is to make an animated work with either the ice cream man from my picture book, or the octopus and fish as main characters. I’ll continue to chip away at these projects to make them a reality!

We wish NAOSHI all the luck with her dreams and projects! What an amazing talent! ✨