I arrived in Japan on October 1st 2025. I currently live in Tsurumi, Osaka. In Japan everyone moves with a reason. I honestly do not fully understand how I got to fulfill this life changing chapter, but since I have been here in Japan I am constantly reminded that I am in the right place at the right time. The patterns of my breath have become more rhythmic since my feet have kissed Tsurumi.

I was caught in a light drizzle of rain in Kyoto, right after visiting the oldest incense shop in Japan (くんぎょくど - Kungyokudo established in 1594 for those of you interested) and was aimlessly wondering the streets when I found eating at an Izakaya reinforce my placement. The name of the Izakaya was いちしゅん (Ichishun) and the owner whose name is まんぞ (Manzo) kept glancing over at me and attempting to make small conversation. After savoring the delicious meal he had graciously prepared, he asks what I was doing in Kyoto to which I inform him I am developing research at Kyoto Seika University and how I study Apparel and Textiles. His eyes widened and became somewhat glossy. I can tell a special kind of spear picked his skin, and caused a smile to form at his aged face. He explained to me that his mother was also a weaver, and he had just recalled on a memory of him as a child hearing the sound of a wooden floor loom clack very loud with ever beat his mother performed while producing cloth as her employment. We discussed the simplistic beauty and dedication of patience as a weaver. Later, he thanked me for our conversation as I paid the bill and I continued my journey with a warm belly. Him, the elderly lady who lives below me and others continued to chant “がんばて ください”, which means please do your best. I get reminded that everything was making sense since I was lost in graduate school only five months prior.

Textiles, similar stories, and the history of cloth was constantly around me since the arrival in Japan. The whispering of the past hummed through Kyoto Seika University, and specifically I could feel that I was here for a reason and that my timeline overlapped precisely in Japan. I am grateful to be here extending my own textile and apparel contributions.

My research began with the development of color. Researching significant traditional Japanese colors I had aligned myself with. Colors intended for staining and dyeing the textiles I intended to develop both by hand or designed and industrially manufactured. One color in particular was that of かきしぶ (Kakishibu), a tannin which is made from Persimmon fruit. A material I was familiar with as I used it often in graduate school because it reassembles that of oxidized blood to me. For me its special. Kakishibu dates back to the 13th century and also finds usage on staining wood and acts as a natural lacquer.

I also drew inspiration of color from どろぞめ (Dorozome), which is a technique in where the natural element of mud in rice fields is utilized to dye textiles with a range of beautiful browns. The color results that takes place is a remarkable miracle as a chemical reaction between the tannin pigments of ひたち 木 (Hitachi trees) which grows mostly in specific locations mixes with the rich iron found in the mud. Dorozome has more than 1300 years of history in Japan. I was walking back to my train one evening after a whole day in the studio when I remembered a comment I received in my Textile seminar class. When my cohort and faculty critiqued my color developments, one student stated that my colors were really “muddy”. I loved this comment and I think its true.

Finally fixated on true alchemy. The “Japan blue” which comes from すくも (Sukumo), fermented leaves of the profound indigo plant. A decadent blue which through oxidation (and perhaps some mythical presence) allows dyed goods to shift from green to blue within seconds as oxygen passes through the cloth. At the heart of Tokushima Prefecture, on an indigo farm is where my intensive studies will be carried out through my hands. There is so much to learn from indigo cultivation. I am beyond humbled to have a hand and study each process.

These three spirits of color inspired my color palette for this developing collection and using gouache I hand mixed over fifty color chips, making final selections which I intend to reflect in the textiles I produce and apparel I make.

Again, In Japan everyone moves with a reason. Each step is directed towards something phenomenal it seems. I learned about a word in Japan. This word is, いきがい (Ikigai). Its a philosophical meaning which defines as finding your true purpose in life. A reason for living. A personal contribution we all navigate towards. I like to believe my life is devoted to making objects; specifically hand made apparel and textiles. My fingers make love to materials not keyboards. My hands grip various materials instead of shaking the hands of future technology. The noises of the looms. The songs of the insects on the farm. The whispering of breeze that dance around the tall trees. The sounds of the city and the hums of the transit system. They all speak to me at an unfamiliar amplification.

There is so much volume on the silent trains after a long day in the studio. But the trains continue to proceed and so will I.