In the second half of the interview with Daichi Miura , we talked to him about his thoughts on stress, his work, and the events that changed his life.
<Miura>
"Is there any way to relieve stress? "
This is a question that comes up often, isn't it?
I have quite a few questions about that question ...
In the first place, aren't stress relief methods based on the premise that stress is building up? Wouldn't you be happier with a method that doesn't build up stress?
“ What is the solution? ”
I also wonder why we are so imprinted with the idea that stress is a normal thing.
<Beautiful Boat>
"That's true, isn't it?"
<Miura>
That's why I often say that it would be better to live a life without feeling that kind of stress in the first place ...
When I think about what that is, I think it's "being true to yourself."
Being true to yourself may sound selfish in a way, but I think if you were true to yourself about what makes you feel good, what you really want to do, and what you don't want to do , you wouldn't get stressed out.
<Beautiful Boat>
"But what made you able to do that, or change your mindset?"
<Miura>
There are various reasons for this.
That's exactly what I said in the first part about "the accumulation of the same things," but it feels like a lot of different things have piled up over and over again.
Remember back in 2018 when I told you about my chakras opening?
I think that was a big part of what triggered me, but I also think that it's all a matter of the accumulation of experiences.
As a result of the accumulation of various experiences in my life, I was able to see things that I had not seen before, or rather, I had a "change" (a change of mind). That was one of the triggers. At first, it was a "change" in the "visual" part of my five senses.
As I mentioned last time, it's like getting acne, and it's the moment when a lot of things pile up ... I think there's a moment when you notice acne, but in my case, the moment my chakra opened was the moment I was able to visualize (sense) it, just like when I noticed acne. So I think it's all a cumulative experience.
＜ZENGO＞
I once heard someone say, "Such sensations come to me, but I just can't sense them, or it's just the frequency of my body." Is this a similar sensation?
<Miura>
Yes, that's right. "There were always sensations, and little by little the variety of sensations I could sense increased."
After all, people who work in the creative industry are often people with keen intuition ... I believe that such people definitely have the ability to "create something from nothing" and the ability to "read something into something."
For example, there are people who pick up on the energy that people are giving off, such as " This is the way I want things to be in the future, " at an early stage and create trends by saying, "This kind of thing will be popular in the future! " , but I also think it's possible to sense in advance what things or places people will want to go to next ... it's something that is connected to that kind of intuitive thing.
Being able to see what is invisible can also be called "intuition."
That's why I think intuition is a great thing and I hope everyone can cultivate it.
I'm trying to spread that message, but I feel that improving one's "intuition" is connected to what makes you feel truly comfortable.
I think you need intuition to be able to sense for yourself that what feels good is the natural state of being for you.
So when I do that, I don't feel stressed. I think it doesn't even feel like stress anymore.
For example, with the mfn products produced by Mifune, I can immediately tell whether or not they are really right for me.
I often hear people say, "I'm using this because someone recommended it ," but I feel like there are surprisingly few people who actually try it and know whether it suits them or not.
<Beautiful Boat>
This is especially true for skin care products. You can't really know until you've been using them for a while, and even then, "the parts where you intuitively know whether you like it or not are based on superficial things like the texture and scent."
<Miura>
In my case, after using it for a week, I intuitively knew that this was a good product.
Once I had my own axis that wasn't influenced by others, I found it easier to come across products that truly supported me, and I stopped making unnecessary purchases.
So you will come to understand the people and things that are close to you. That is also the benefit of honing your intuition.
When it comes to love, strangely enough, it's a different matter (laughs).
<Bishuu・ZENGO>
"That's really interesting, so let's have another meeting to talk about love at a later date ... (laughs)
＜ZENGO＞
I see. I would like to hone my "intuition" as well. Now, please tell us about the beginning of the artist "Daichi Miura" and your recent activities.
<Miura>
Yes, I originally went to a fashion school, and after graduating I was selected to be a costume designer for an artist, and I've been in charge of the costumes on an almost exclusive basis ever since.
When making a costume, you draw "clothing design drawings," right?
If I could draw design illustrations, they thought, "You could probably express things like this, right? " and asked me if I wanted to try being an art director.
After that, people started asking me, " If you can draw storyboards, you can direct commercials , right? " and I started being entrusted with things like producing and directing.
Then they thought, " If you can do direction, you can also direct a brand, right? " and I was even asked to do things like be the creative director for a brand.
So, I was told, " The pictures you draw are so cute, I want you to be an illustrator, " and so, more and more,
↑From Daichi Miura's website
"If you can do this, you can do this too."
I was told that over and over again, and at that point I somehow no longer knew what my title was ... (laughs) That's the truth.
I mean, you met Ofune (Mifune) through work, but at first did you ever wonder who she was?
<Beautiful Boat>
When we met, he introduced himself as the art director, so that was the first thing I knew. I remember being very impressed.
＜ZENGO＞
For example, what kind of place is it?
<Beautiful Boat>
"What impressed me the most was how much respect they showed to the artists."
When we create a work on location, we have a meeting beforehand and then start shooting, but when we're shooting, there are quite a few people who look at one of the photos taken by the photographer and immediately make corrections or reject it because it's different from what they had in mind. That didn't happen with Daichi.
<Miura>
On the other hand, don't we all have respect for each other? (laughs)
< Beautiful Boat>
“That’s right. I sometimes feel like there are a lot of people who give their opinions before they even look at the photos they’ve taken. I think that’s because the reference image is too strong.
In the midst of all this, Daichi-kun was the one who told the cameraman to stop the person who was saying that, "Just look at the end!" That's why I thought that this person really pays attention to the artist... If you trust the cameraman and wait, you will often get better photos than you expected. Of course, it's important to guide him in the right direction when he doesn't know what to do, but
Daichi keeps a close eye on the creators and guides them in the right direction.
He is creative and respects everyone in their own position on the job. That was probably the most memorable thing about our first meeting.
<Miura>
For me, this applies to all of my work titles, but I'm aware that I'm not a "craftsman" because I do all of them in small increments.
I'm not the kind of person who holds the same title for a long time ...
That's why I have respect for the professionals in each of those roles. Or rather, I have nothing but respect.
Everyone is doing things that I could never do, and sometimes I am entrusted with the role of art director, but there are many art directors out there who are far more brilliant than I am.
Similarly, there are plenty of illustrators out there who are far more talented than me.
Compared to my own tendency to pick out various things, makeup artists, photographers, and stylists are "craftsmen" in their field, so I leave it to them first, and then I try to tell them a little and make corrections only when the final result is different from what I had in mind. But basically, there are only a few people who work with me, and they are all really amazing ... They often give me results that far exceed my imagination, so I try to leave things to them without saying anything.
As a result, you can "exceed the capacity you imagined" in a good sense.
It's the same with my job: rather than deciding that I can only do this much or that this is the limit of what I will do, when someone says to me, "Go ahead and try it," or "You can do this, right?" or "I'd like to ask you to do this," I want to be able to answer all of their requests.
As a result, my possibilities are expanding more and more. It's a good cycle. After repeating that, I started to lose track of what I was doing (laughs).
But for me, the "feeling of flowing like water" is a really fun and comfortable environment. If I have to do things a certain way, it can be tough ... "I have to be like this " ... I feel like that's like creating a cage for myself.
But like the tea ceremony and flower arrangement, craftsmen are supposed to master their craft in this way. I think that these are part of the "aesthetics," but I can't do them ...
I'm grateful that there are people like that.
<Bishuu・ZENGO>
I see. Next, please tell us about Daichi Miura's beginnings as an artist, his current activities, and the latest news.
<Miura>
As for my latest activity, I thought it would be interesting to start an online community called EARTH AND STOVE. We have a locked Instagram account where members approve each other and communicate with each other and I hold talk sessions.
It's an activity where people come together to face personal problems, social problems, and other issues. Also, issues of consciousness are particularly interesting.
For example, to pick one, "view of life and death "
We all have serious discussions about death. I think the topic of death is generally quite ... difficult to talk about, right?
It's insensitive. There are a lot of things in the world that we can't say out loud, so we decided on a rule that no one would complain about it, and we discuss what we really think about life and death on our account.
<Bishuu・ZENGO>
"How many people is that?"
<Miura>
Now there are about 300 people. At first there were only 100 people (at the time of the interview).
I wanted to turn this into a "doubling game," so I started by hiring 100 people, then 200 , then 400, and so on. I started with 100 people, but they were scattered all over the country and the world ... they were a mix of different values, religions, and genders, and I created a community where we could all listen to each other.
<Beautiful Boat>
"That's amazing! The premise is that you won't complain. That's great."
<Miura>
No one will deny it. You don't have to affirm it either. But everyone will know that there are opinions like this.
Because, in today's world, people have this feeling that " if you don't conform, you'll be bashed, " so people don't say anything ... but I think that in reality, everyone has a lot of different opinions. I wanted to "brand" a community where people can share their true opinions, and nothing like that has come out until now.
I want to "brand" this place and create an environment where people think this is wonderful.
The career I've had up until now has been about creating things that people think are wonderful.
Next, I thought about how to project this onto the "community" and brand it, so that everyone could empathize with it and align their awareness.
Furthermore, I would like to develop products and experiences that are like everyday items, taking into consideration the "circulation of the world," the "circulation of the environment," the "circulation of producers," and the "circulation of consciousness." I think this is related to the now commonly used words "sustainable" and " SDGs."
Furthermore, we plan to create a project that will make it seem fashionable, and to develop it comprehensively by combining the name of the community with the name of the brand. We have also decided to collaborate with a world-famous overseas brand, so I'm really looking forward to the future!
I guess I've been focusing on that sort of thing lately.
<Beautiful Boat>
"That's an interesting project!"
<Miura>
"The circulation of everything connects to myself and my work." I've come to think especially recently that everything exists through "circulation."
＜ZENGO＞
Is there any particular event or moment that you think changed your life?
<Miura>
Something that changed my life was when my chakras opened.
<Zengo>
I'd like to hear more details.
I was in New York for about three months, and was returning to Japan via Mexico. I stopped off at a famous tourist spot called a cenote, where water springs out, where the Mayan civilization flourished. It's a crater made by a meteorite that fell a long time ago, and it's said to be a sacred place for the Mayan civilization, where they secured water for their faith and daily life.
When I was playing in the water there, I realized that my body was being purified. Then, from that night onwards, I started to see things like waveforms of energy in nature that I had never seen before.
<Bishuu・ZENGO>
"What was the natural form like? Does that mean you were in that spring the moment your chakra opened?"
<Miura.
I wonder if that's what happens ... It was at that place that I first felt purified. A lot of things were removed from me, and I felt like, " So this is what purification is . "
From that, I got the feeling that the energy of nature is random, irregular, and very natural ... not something fixed.
What struck me was that it was a very geometric pattern.
The one I saw was a green light that suddenly appeared in the sky, and it had a very neat geometric pattern, like a chrysanthemum. My first impression was, "What is this?"
But actually, I could see it with my own eyes, so strangely enough, I wasn't really surprised. I wasn't really like, " Wow! "
It wasn't something fantastical, but it felt like something I could see in my own mind, so I realized then that "nature is a geometric pattern. " At that time, I didn't know much about "chakras."
After I returned safely to Japan, I became curious and looked up "chakras", and discovered that there are apparently seven chakras , each with its own mark.
Then I realized that the mark I saw was the mark of the seventh chakra, the strongest spiritual place. I also learned that the origin of the chakra mark is a shape found in nature.
I remember that the universal chakra symbols and colors were fixed, and I had the sense of, "Ah, this is what it means, " and it all came together.
From there, various things started to connect and information started to come to me automatically.
The laws of nature,
The law of things ...
It just came in like dada-da-da-da
It was chaos for a while ... (laughs)
I've calmed down now though.
For the first year or two , there was so much information that I was like, " What should I do? What should I do ? " It was crazy, like the Earth .
<Beautiful Boat>
"So that information is something like a voice that you get from nature?"
<Miura>
Some of it comes down to me, some I pick up on from people's conversations, and some of it comes to me as information from the media ...
How can I put it, it was like all the information was flowing in and everything started to make sense. So the strange things started to disappear.
It felt like I understood everything at once, like this is the situation that is happening in the world right now.
I don't know if that's correct or not, but I felt like I understood it and it connected.
Until now, I've worked in the fashion and luxury world, which is far from the environment, so I had no connection to it, but now I think that ``environment'' is the coolest thing.
So I want to do something that I think is " cool, " and that happens to be something sustainable, but back then sustainability wasn't as fashionable as it is now, so I'm trying to make it even cooler.
＜ZENGO＞
We've just heard some amazing stories, but our conversation is nearing its end. Finally, could you tell us what your must-have item is?
There is nothing I can't give up. There aren't many things that I can't live without ... If I had to say , I'd be in trouble if I didn't have a cell phone (smartphone). There are more and more people going on digital detox these days, but for me, the influence of social media and the like has been huge, and I think there have been many wonderful things.
I don't think we could communicate, resonate, or share all kinds of events like we do now without mobile phones (smartphones).
I think that now that mobile phones are so common, people have become more aware of the importance of real things.
<Beautiful Boat>
"The word ' other people ' is a bit weird, but ... listening to other people's stories is stimulating because each person has a completely different way of thinking ... "
I've been feeling that way recently too, and that's what prompted me to start this project.
<Miura>
It's certainly interesting that each person has their own unique ideas.
I think it's important these days to share my experiences with everyone and to see whether my past and future activities are "helping someone or something" and contributing to the cycle.
<Bishuu・ZENGO>
Thank you for sharing such a meaningful story with us. "Everything is a cycle" "Everything goes around like water." That's right.
Please tell us more about it. I look forward to the next episode.
_______________________________________________
Daichi Miura profile
Fashion designer/illustrator/art director from Tokyo
He is active in producing and collaborating with famous brands both in Japan and overseas, including designing costumes for Japan's leading artists and popular film productions. He is also known for his recent collaboration with Disney for his illustrations, and is one of the Japanese creators who has received high praise from all quarters.
Their latest activity is the launch of the "EARTH AND STOVE" project, in which they manage a community and develop products that support a stress-free lifestyle.
Her stylish Instagram, which shares her unique perspective on travel, fashion, and lifestyle, is a must-see.
Instagram■ www.instagram.com/daichi_1127
OFFICIAL SITE■ http://www.daichimiura.com