Lee Love on sun 27 nov 05
On 2005/11/27 1:58:11, clennell@sympatico.ca wrote:
> the reason I called you on
Called me? I see. You weren't really interested in knowing about it. You
just want to win a point. And that makes me sad. Please don't become an
old fart before your time! If I thought like this, I would never have
been able to come to Japan to study at the age of 46, or had the courage
to stay here and set my own workshop up.
Some people are stymied because they ask how they might ever possibly do
what they dream to do. Others say Why Not! I have never been in the
first group.
I saw a really wonderful program on Japanese T.V. about the
artist/children's book illustrator, who is in her '90s and still works
in her huge garden in Vermont everyday. Her name is Tasha Tudor. Check
her garden out here:
http://tinyurl.com/9a6dv
Her son Seth, who must be somewhere in his middle 60s and does all the
heavy lifting for Tasha, said the most important thing his mother taught
him was that people should pursue their dreams and not just think about
them. He said: "People always dream about what they want to do. My
mother said 'Just live it!'"
Seth is a furniture carpenter. He sells doll furniture on the internet:
http://www.tashatudorandfamily.com/SethTudor.htm
>Do you plan to go off to America and learn or do a 2 month sales
> trip leaving Jean to pay the fixed costs of your foreign studio? you
have
> married a saint, my friend.
You got that right. Her zen name means Beautiful Light. Because Jean is
self-employed, she has some flexibility about taking time off. She
taught at the university level back home and can teach there again. She
was involved in the WARM mentor program and is looking forward to giving
workshops on traditional woodblock printing in the States.
. >My little trip to Japan last year for not quite 4 weeks cost "us"
$4000 (free room and board
> at Kanayama).
Tony, You don't have the support group and did not have a chance to
build one before you came to Japan. I have a solid network established
in Minnesota and am working at nurturing it. You really can't compare
your short, one time trip to Japan with what I plan to do.
> month and there is a cost there. Not something I can do every year and
> especially to selfishly do it with out my partner.
Please send Sheila to Japan next year. She'd enjoy Kanayama don't you
think? She can also come to our gathering in Mashiko. We are planning at
week at Furuki's the week before Kanayama. Our week at Furiki's is aimed
at full time potters. She can acclimatize in Mashiko with the crew. Hey,
that would be a good thank you, don't you think?
> I think to locate in Minnesota near a marketplace you likely need a couple
> hundred grand. hard to borrow when you have no job or track record. i
> know I
> moved 150 miles and the Farm Gate does not open the day you decide to open
> it. It takes years to gain the communitys patronage.
Well, I can't tell you my whole plan because I don't want you to steal
it on me. ;-)
Suffice it to say, you don't have the whole picture.
> You're not getting any younger my man. You may have boxed yourself into
> Japan. hang up the "home sweet home" sign.
I know many foreigners here in Japan who live here and also have a home
in their home country. In fact, my friend Genevieve is not wealthy, but
has homes in France, England, Japan, and is currently in Bendigo
Australia setting up another new home. So I know living in two countries
in not uncommon.
It all comes down to the fact that we know only what we are exposed to.
If we don't know people who live a certain way, we don't think it is a
viable alternative. We have physical boxes and mental boxes. The mental
ones create stronger bonds against our acting than the physical ones do.
I have a responsibility to spend time back home, to share what I have
learned. My mentors have encouraged me not to forget that. I can do some
of it by writing books, but I need to fill it out some by actually going
back too. 6 years is a long time to be away from home.
--
李 Lee Love 大
愛 鱗
in Mashiko, Japan http://mashiko.org
http://seisokuro.blogspot.com/ My Photo Logs
http://ikiru.blogspot.com/ Zen and Craft
"The way we are, we are members of each other. All of us. Everything.
The difference ain't in who is a member and who is not, but in who knows
it and who don't."
--Burley Coulter (Wendell Berry)
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