Great advice. Why don’t I repost. Reposting my messages I had shared will not take so much time & energy. I hope it will be a re-think moment for you (and me) if you are a long-time follower.
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【Repost from 5/15/2019 – where I learned the word “Cultural Appropriation”. I was still so naive… (Slightly Edited)】
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I encountered one discussion on FB about Sashiko. I try to be sincere. I try to reply to the emails & comments as much as time allows. Since I believe Sashiko is more than stitching, when the question is about the Sashiko as the culture, I answer pretty much all of the questions sincerely. (I unfortunately limit the service to answer the technical questions to my workshop students – limited capacity situation – and many answers are already answered online).
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Yet, my replies caused discomfort on one FB group. The angry discussion led us to the fundamental question, why do you (they) call it Sashiko if they were not willing to learn the Japanese culture? It seems they only care what “Sashiko” looks like – not Japanese culture at all.
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Is it my English that is causing the discomfort? If I made confusion because of my writing, and encouraged “the people who are angry” by not reading what I wrote, I understand. I have reasons for writing a long story. However, if it is actually me that is creating confusion – then I would like to learn how to improve.
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The last angry comment was like this: “There are many Sashiko teachers that are welcoming and generous with their knowledge.” If she is calling me “not generous” wihtout reading my messages, then something is missing … and I would love to understand what I am doing wrong. I wrote something very important at the end of the article. It gave me a chance to reconsider what I want to be doing & what my challenges are. Thank you very much for your help in advance.
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Article: https://upcyclestitches.com/why-do-you-call-it-sashiko/
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投稿頻度を減らしますというコメントに「リポストすればええやん！」と気楽にお答え頂きました。うん。確かに。なので、過去の文章を遡ってみようと思っています。英語が多くてごめんなさい。
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2021-07-03 10:47:43
Your honesty is beautiful 🌟💫
👏👏well done 👍🏼😎
It is not your English that causes discomfort, it’s telling yt people that they can’t simply take whatever they want and have it still be Sashiko that causes discomfort, because it tells them that they are not the centre of the world.
I am learning more than I have known before
There Will always be people who wants ti missunderstand and you can’n live to please evertbody. Listen to those you love and who respects you! Let go of those who don’t. It’s your webbsite and if they don’t like it, they are free to leave. Its like going in to a shop and then start to complaine over whats in the shop or not insted going to another shop. IF you trye to please evertbody else you Will loose yourself and the unique woice you have. Thank you for being You ❤️
You are NOT doing anything wrong. You are unique and you have right to express yourself the way you do. You are extremely and refreshingly honest ❤️ I stumbled by coincidence on one of your posts, read it and I became one of your followers, eagerly reading every one of them. I know it’s not easy but you need to learn to let go… Focus on those who appreciate what you do and want to learn from you ❤️
I am a faithful follower of yours. There is nothing wrong with your English. There is nothing wrong with what you say. I’m sorry you’ve been hurt.