InterviewFeatured Artist

Suzurima is a design calligrapher who undertakes the production of logos and icons. He has always walked with calligraphy since he was 3 years old when he first picked up a brush, and has won numerous awards since elementary school, and when he graduated from university, he was awarded as an excellent student in the art category, and even after graduation, he has continued to be evaluated for his solid ability, such as winning awards in public exhibitions, etc., but it was only a few years ago that he decided to make a living from calligraphy.  

"I chose the Department of Calligraphy and Literature to deepen my studies about calligraphy at university, but it was still difficult to make a living from calligraphy, and many graduates went on to find employment in occupations that had nothing to do with calligraphy. After working there for about a year, I moved from one job to another, and from that experience, I began to think that going out and working was not suitable for me, so I started to make use of calligraphy in my work." 

"At first, I registered on a platform called Coconala, but since I didn't get any requests because I didn't have a track record, I decided to use "calligraphy × design" as a weapon by using a creative calligraphy method that boldly broke down the character "avant-garde calligraphy" in my logo design, and drawing ink paintings in addition to the letters. After a few months, the number of requests gradually increased. I decided to become independent as a design calligrapher when my income exceeded my main job." 

While he is keenly aware of the difficulty of making a living through calligraphy, he has a lot of respect for his attitude of identifying his own strengths, finding weapons, and carving out his own path. He said that he is currently concentrating on production activities for requests, and I asked him what he values in creating works.  

"When I receive a request, it is important to first carefully listen to the client, such as 'Is there a motif you want to include?' and 'What kind of image is close to you?' 

Suzurima first picked up a brush when she was 3 years old. It is said that it was triggered by a relative who was a teacher in a calligraphy class, but surprisingly, he did not have much of a feeling of liking writing at the time.  

"To be honest, I didn't like it at the time. In the first place, I wasn't very good at going outside, and I was a child who went to kindergarten crying, and I also went to calligraphy while crying (laughs). But as I gained the experience of winning an award for writing a work, the very thing of winning an award gradually became my motivation. When I was in elementary school, I would observe the works of the previous year of the award I was exhibiting and analyze the composition to see if I would receive this kind of thing. I think it was kind of like a game." 

Suzurima has demonstrated her ability since childhood to the point where the certificate holders are full, but there is no doubt that her high analytical skills are her strength.  

"The university was an environment where only people who were good at calligraphy gathered, so I thought about how to stand out among them, so I tried avant-garde calligraphy and exhibited it at art festivals. 

For suzurima, who has lived her life with calligraphy, what is the appeal of calligraphy?  

"It's difficult to put it into words again, but I think it's profound and interesting that there are various ways to express yourself even if you take just one line drawing. I think that the composition and glyph are as particular as the number of calligraphers, but I am especially particular about the texture of the lines, and I choose tools that can draw lines as I imagined, and I like to think about how to incorporate the blurring of the lines into my expression." 

Suzurima has a very different style and atmosphere for each work, but I was asked to choose a work that feels like me.  

"Is it a logo design based on the character 'nothing' and a product packaging design based on the character 'Kaoru'? Both are works that have been transferred to the design of avant-garde calligraphy, and the same characters are produced in a style of proposing several patterns by completely changing the composition and atmosphere. It's fun to be able to create a high degree of freedom while daring to splash ink, thinking about the composition using the splashed ink, and incorporating chance. I feel that I was able to express my particular focus on the blurring of lines well." 

As he continues his activities centered on calligraphy in the future, he also talked about his thoughts on his own works.  

"Now that I'm raising my children, I can concentrate on my creative activities late at night, and it's quite difficult to exhibit at public exhibitions in terms of time and economy, but I still have a longing for an artist somewhere. Isn't it amazing to be able to create a work that you want to make and someone else will like it? I think the genre of calligraphy is particularly difficult in art, but I would be happy if many people could know about my work through a platform like Japan Bridge Art." 

I can't wait to see what kind of works Suzurima will create in the future, as she continues to devote herself to creative activities and grow even in her busy days raising her two children.