I am a full-time design/art freelancer based in Montreal. Born in Japan, raised in Montreal, I was very much influenced by both cultures.
One taught me to be subtle, calm, premeditated and humble. The other one taught me to be bold, loud, free thinking and proud. As a kid growing up, more than often I found myself contradicting in both my creations and my lifestyle, yet with time, I managed to find harmony between the two ways.
Creating art had a large part of finding the balance and also figuring out myself, my identity. I have spent many years experimenting... Trying to find the “media”, the “tool” that I could relate to. And for many years, I have felt unsatisfied and disconnected from the result of these experiments.
Thinking back at it now, I think I was confused and frustrated in part because of my hunger to please everyone (friends, clients, agents, etc) with my actions and my creations. I was very much fixated on being accepted.
There was a time during my adolescence, that I wouldn't even think about art or creating. I was so preoccupied with the lack of self-image... by the lack of confidence. During my younger adult age, I decided to give art another shot. I guess there was something calling me back to it... not sure what it was... maybe just an intuition... So I started to challenge myself by experimenting with different media applying different styles to my creations. I also started my study in graphic design and after that, I learned different ways of outputting my work such as digital illustrating, sculpting, screen-printing, embroidering etc.
Slowly but surely, I was able to sculpt myself into the person I am today. By just trying stuff and not worrying too much about the result and the achievements. By doing so, I felt free. I felt able and for the first time, I felt in complete confidence. I see now, that back then, I was a bird stuck in an opened roofed cage. All I needed was to look up and see the different possibilities opening up.
Nowadays, I create to open up lines of discussion with the viewers. It's no longer about fearing rejection and seeking acceptance. But even now, I make sure to remember how I got here by constantly challenging my ways and by staying true to my heart by trying my best to keep on expanding my creativity.
More info: reikanapparel.com | Instagram
