I love “words”. But, I don’t trust “words” so much. I feel there is something between “imagination (image in our brain)” and “words”. I share stories to outline “it” – something we cannot define or describe comprehensively in words.
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Let’s say, I have “a” needle now. Can you imagine “the” needle I have accurately? Probably not. You can imagine “a” needle I have, but not “the” needle – since we have all different filters. Unfortunately, I do not have HDMI output to connect my head to project what I have in my brain. Therefore, we have to trust the mutual understanding of the word, not the word itself. When we bring the word “Needle” to non-English community, it may mean nothing but “symbol”. Now, if you are not Japanese, I want you to try to learn “our (Japanese) mutual understanding”, not only the definition of the word and techniques.
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I did my best to write my intention in English above. However, it is incomplete – sort of “wrong English” because I am still learning. Please laugh and let it go if you are professional in English as Language. Somehow, I need to share this “something in between” in English to protect Sashiko – so I chose to share stories, not just “how to” and “what it is”, with the hope that they read between the lines.
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I receive many messages like this: “I cannot explain/understand why and how, but your writing for some reasons resonates with me.” That is exactly the outcome of reading between lines – remembering your own (indirect) stories while using my story as a trigger.
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What I share through Sashiko isn’t something extraordinary. Regardless of cultural differences, as being human, I believe that we all had something similar as the ordinary. Without that belief, I won’t spend this much time sharing. I fight back against those who force the image of “the” Sashiko. Then, we can appreciate the scenery of “a” Sashiko, and that’s how we can pass down Sashiko.
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2021-07-10 15:16:51
👏💞Yes. I also feel this way about cooking. People ask me to teach them how to make my recipes but how can I explain or write out the energy/intention I put into each ingredient and all processes of my cooking 💜
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‘If you have to ask what jazz is, you’ll never know.’ Louis Armstrong — this old saying hung on my music teachers piano when I was in highschool. I didn’t understand then, but I did think about it a lot. I still ask myself that a lot. What is jazz? It’s not just how you play the notes, and it’s not an era of music either. There’s something else there, something that defies explanation even between two native speakers of the same language. Reading your posts about sashiko and the cultural importance and history of the craft often make me think of this paradox.
The essence of something is its basic and most important characteristic that gives it its individual identity. ❤️
Beautifully stated and always appreciated 🙌
I love your words and how you use your stories to illustrate complicated ideas. Its brilliant to be reminded that we need to listen to each others stories and not assume we already know.
just wanna say as English being my first language you speak it better than me
I hope you continue to write in English the way you do now. Your writing makes me focus more closely on what you may mean. If you wrote in “perfect English” it would be too easy to read without truly feeling or understanding your meaning. I’m looking forward to more of this “something in between” so I can try to learn “Japanese mutual understanding”.
“A needle”! What a perfect analogy!!
You have a beautiful mind-spirit.
how do you feel about the brand kapital?
I find this expression similar to the literary criticism of “implied reader” and “implied author “. Basically, the reader cannot properly imagine “needle” but the implied reader can.