We were lucky to catch up with Yuh Okano recently and have shared our conversation below.

Yuh, appreciate you joining us today. Have you ever had an amazing boss, mentor or leader leading you? Can you us a story or anecdote that helps illustrate why this person was such a great leader and the impact they had on you or their team?

My uncle was one of the top designers in the Japanese graphic industry and many famous typographies were done by him. My uncle was always very strict with me about my artistic career. After graduating from the Art collage ( RISD ), my first job was as a graphic design assistant in Tokyo. It happened to be graphic design, and my uncle was angry that I had entered his world. I was still a new assistant designer and was just starting out in my career…

My uncle’s seven lights were present and prominent in places. At the same time, I was uncertain about what I wanted to do and unsure of what I was going to do. All my colleagues at work were doing their jobs well and working ambitiously. My anxiety and self-loathing grew. In the midst of all this, my supervisor spent his valuable time with me, not only guiding me in my work, but also bringing out my abilities and preaching a strict professional philosophy. However, with all the outstanding people around me, including my uncle, my confidence disappeared more and more, and I quit that job after a year.

It was eight years later that I overcame the setback and decided to make textile art, which I really loved, my career, but in the meantime, that boss kept in touch with me to ask how I was doing. When I started my own business, he gave me a logo as a gift. The same year I started my business, he became a professor of information design at Kyoto University of Arts.

I lost in touch with him now, but I looked for him through social media and I found an interviewed article about him.
He said that he is not teaching, but rather coaching students to draw out their abilities. He is trying to create an environment in which students can experience growth by training them to be aware of their own abilities, giving them choices, and improving their self-reliance through repeated training. This is exactly what he taught me.

Yuh, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

As a textile artist and designer, I am committed to creating products that are made of materials. Given that resources are finite, it is essential that products not be disposable or frivolous. Materials must be reliable and superior. Whether it is silk and wool from nature or artificially created polyester, it must bring out the beauty and goodness that can only be experienced in that material and be comfortable to use. I also believe that they should be durable and long-lasting. I believe that my unique brand is to fully research materials and bring out the meaning and beauty of each individual material.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

It was the “Structure and Surface” exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1998 that sealed my decision to follow my calling. It was the exhibition “Contemporary Japanese Textiles” at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. My work was selected for this exhibition. It was a life-changing experience. Dyeing and weaving originated in the ancient history and culture of Japan and has flourished through the use of materials and techniques. As an immigrant artist, I felt it was my mission to continue my efforts to pass on this precious and important dyeing and weaving to future generations.

https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/228?

https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/228?installation_image_index=10

https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/228?installation_image_index=9

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

For me, creation is an activity that captures the abstract, the unformed, the unknown, and the axis of time and gives it visible form. It is something I do every day, and it is a daily activity.

People who are not creators often ask me, ‘What do you do on your days off? What are your hobbies?’
They also say, ‘You seem to have a lot of freedom, going to the beach, going to the mountains, traveling. I am envious.’

It may be hard to understand, but it is important to awaken the unconscious to the everyday, to feel the invisible, and to find the light that reflects between you and the presence of others and nature. I always try to be sensitive to the everyday.
Therefore, my daily activities cannot be compartmentalized. No hobbies, no vacations. Because I cannot compartmentalize, I give all my time as a creator. I believe that not only creators, but also people with a sense of fulfillment try to overcome any hard work, no matter how many hours they spend. Like the weather, it is not always sunny. Like the seasons, there are many changes. However, if we can enjoy the changes, make the choices that we find most rewarding each time, and live our lives, we will have no regrets. I believe that we should trust ourselves that even the hard times will pass like a storm subsiding in time.    

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.textilesyuh.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yuhokano_shibori/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yuhscarves
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhbI_qUCGuo
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnZfB-_VUxs

Image Credits
Kohei Take /Photographer Hatsumi Nomura / Model