Naoko Mikami shares the inspiration behind her passion for calligraphy and how it led her to pursue it as a full-time career.
Born to do calligraphy
Nick: As you know, I stumbled upon your amazing calligraphy via LinkedIn. But I was also really impressed by your explanations, these insightful explanations and stories related to the proverbs and words that you brush.
And I've already learned so much from you. So would you like to share your journey to becoming a professional calligrapher?
Naoko: I don't remember exactly, I think I was around seven when I started calligraphy. My cousin started to go to a small private calligraphy school in town, so I wanted to join them. Actually, at the same time, they started learning classical ballet, too.
And I really wanted to do it rather than calligraphy, but my parents didn't say okay to ballet. I suspect that they couldn't afford ballet. Anyway, so I just went to calligraphy with my cousins. And I think I wasn't a passionate student.
First of all, I didn't like the school because it smelled bad. Now that I think about it, I remember, I realized it was the smell of rotting ink. Ink is made with soot in animal glue, it can mold or rot. And the glue itself has a strong smell.
So incense is mixed to mask the smell. The expensive ink use high quality incenses and typically smell nice, but this high temperature and humidity can ruin them. So when you handle the Japanese ink, better to be careful.
Nick: Okay, I didn't know this.
Naoko: Anyway, I remember the rotting smell and I didn't like it. And I also remember that are no hot water in the school. So we needed to clean the brush with cold water and my hands got damaged in winter, it’s so cold. Also, I remember the teacher was not very adapted to young kids. The class was not very interesting to me. At the time also, we needed to do calligraphy subject in elementary school, and I was scolded by a teacher in front of everyone; ‘Your Calligraphy is not good at all.’ That hurt me a lot. So naturally, very quickly, I hated calligraphy and I quit. I was over it after a very short period.
But fortunately, because my parents were busy all the time, I was raised by my grandmother. She was a poet and a calligrapher, so she taught me calligraphy. She was strict, but at least her ink smelled good. She was patient, very much. So I studied with her for a long time.
Nick: She was obviously, perhaps, a more generous and kind teacher?
Naoko: Yes, I think so. She motivated me better than others. Then I became a teenager, I started to be mostly interested in Western culture, like movies, music, literature, fashion. So I kind of put aside calligraphy, again.
Then my first job, I was a staff at International Budo University, which is a very famous place in Japan for martial arts. The thing is that I couldn't do calligraphy anymore because I was busy with work. But on the other hand, I met many famous Japanese historians, and also martial arts experts. Sometimes I helped them with their projects.
And so for many years, I was immersed by this old samurai culture, history, and Japanese traditions. That was fun. Although, I didn't do calligraphy anymore, I had the opportunity to learn many philosophical aspects about Japan. But working in a Japanese company is never easy.
Nick: I hear it's very hard.
Naoko: Yeah. Relationship, inefficiency, conservativeness, too much stress. So I decided to quit. And luckily, I could quit and went to Taiwan. At first, in Taiwan, I was a bit lost. After serving a company for many years, this total freedom confused me. I didn't know what to do. But I was surrounded by people in art world, and they pushed me to do calligraphy again.
I hesitated for a while. But anyway, I decided to do. Then I started a different project related to art and calligraphy, Art Curator Japan. I did my first major exhibition in France in 2018, I think. And I really didn't know what to expect, but to my surprise, I sold everything.
Nick: Oh, really? Wow.
Naoko: Yes. That's where I decided to do this full time.
Nick: That would have been a very affirming, life-affirming and wonderful experience to sell all your work. Like that's the hardest thing of an artist, is to sell their work.
Naoko: Exactly. I didn't expect much.
Nick: Well, that's a fascinating history. So maybe you were born to do calligraphy.
Naoko: I don't know. But I hope so.