What I loved as a child

Day four in New York ✨
The jet lag has finally started to settle a little.

Whenever I come here, I always visit yusuke (poi), who is like a big brother to me.

Every time we meet he is taking on new challenges; while continuing his sculpture and street art, he has spent the past year or so devotedly painting large works.
Lately his paintings feel full of angels and light, and I love them.

We hadn’t met since I performed at his studio during the world tour in April,
but we have been friends for twenty years,
so the time apart vanished in an instant.

Sharing what we have each experienced in our own worlds brings so many insights that only happen between artists.

For a while now he had been saying
that, as a new form of expression,
he wanted to make not only sculptures
but “stuffed toys,”
and I kept asking him,
“What kind of stuffed toy do you want to make?”

This time, a prototype had finally taken shape.

But for the character POI as he truly is,
he had a vision of “I want it to be more like this…”
and was struggling with parts he couldn’t express himself,
so he told me he had put it on hold…

As I listened,
I suddenly felt the urge to create:
“Wait—I might want to try this!”

In fact, as a child,
there was a time when I dreamed of becoming a teddy bear maker.

Adults kept telling me to give it up, saying that realistically
such a thing could never be a profession, and though I felt frustrated, at some point I gave up.
Somewhere, a tiny bit of regret remained.

Facing a small childhood dream
and seeing it through until I am satisfied.

That is a freedom I can choose because of who I am now,
and something important that fills my heart.

Slipping back in time some twenty-five years,
like a summer adventure 🎵
fulfilling the dream I had back then while helping a friend—what a wonderfully rich time that could be…
and my heart filled with excitement.

Because, even from far away, I had always been watching
how much he poured into this poi.

What I can do is only a small part,
but let’s try revising this little one’s pattern 🎵

Can I finish it while I’m in NY?! 😆

Yes, let’s give it a try.

If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work.
By doing everything I can right now,
there is “something” I will get to experience ✨

Whether it’s work or a hobby,
the first step is always like that.

Just as I thought, “I want to cherish this very moment,”
I realized today was the “new moon in Cancer 🌑” 🎵

I posted my new moon & full moon musings on note.
https://note.com/mogmin/n/nadfed2ab3fb7