Hello everyone. 2022 has begun, so how are you all doing? My other job as an illustrator didn't end before the end of the year, so I moved the New Year to around February. Soon it'll be just me having a Happy New Year.
This is actually my last blog.
When I hear "the last one," I suddenly get excited and end up not knowing what to write. I'll try to keep things as normal as possible.
Just to add a little extra, I, Kawamura Mao, will be graduating from Layout at the end of January. It feels like I just graduated from university the other day, but I'm graduating again. There are a lot of graduations in life.
Normally, I'd start with a flashback like "When I first joined the company...", but I've been rushing through things in my own way, so some of my memories are hazy. I feel bad about telling a vague story, so I'll just talk about what I remember most clearly, which was last night's dinner. No matter how busy I am, I'm sure I won't forget what happened yesterday.
Kimchi for dinner
I had kimchi for dinner last night. The kimchi at the local supermarket is delicious.
As I was munching on the rice, my eyes suddenly caught sight of the label.
Have you noticed? The label says "seasonings, amino acids, etc."
What does "etc." mean? It means that it's not just amino acids. The fact that something unknown is being lumped together under "etc." suddenly scared me. If it were "amino acids and," we would know that there is one "something" that is still hidden, but with "etc." we don't even know how many there are. It could be three, or four, or even more... What a scary word.
When I looked at the miso next to it, I saw the words "seasonings, amino acids, etc." again.
When I think about it, there are a lot of things that come to mind. My favorite artist, Jun Miura, also answers "illustrator, etc." when asked what his occupation is, and so does Lily Franky. "Etc." sounds scary and quite shady.
Benefits such as
Now, let's pause for a moment and think about this dreaded "etc."
"Nado" (etc.). We are usually surrounded by many "Nado" in our daily lives. If we look at the meaning of "Nado" again, the dictionary says that it "indicates a generalization of several things lined up, and indicates that there are other things of the same type, not limited to those."
In other words, what is hidden in "nado" is "the same kind." It is not something completely unknown, but a friend of the word with "nado" attached. So, there was no need to be so scared. In fact, "nado" may be a fairly rich word with a group of friends at the end.
Let's try using
So, after all that, my fear of "etc." has subsided, but I still won't know if it's actually a good thing until I try it.
This time, as I am about to be released into the world empty-handed, I would like to think about my profile using words like "etc." throughout.
Kawamura Mao, 23 years old
・Origin: Hokkaido
・Occupation: Illustrator, etc.
Favorite saying: Don't be superior, be different
Favorite animals: Cats, etc.
Hobbies: Walking around town, etc.
Favorite food: Engawa, etc.
・Recently, I've been interested in: The medaka industry and differences in how pigeons gain weight in different areas of Tokyo.
Well, I've listed the ones that came to mind. I feel like I've used it too much, but let's look back at the parts where I used "etc."
1. Occupation
First, my occupation. Illustrator. I like drawing, but I'm also interested in traditional Japanese crafts and want to do everything related to design, so I included my hopes for the future in my "etc." It's a good "etc."
You can find out more about her work as an illustrator here. If you're interested, please take a look → https://instagram.com/sin_ou35?utm_medium=copy_link
2. Favorite animal
Next is my favorite animal. I wrote "cats, etc." because I actually like insects too. And not shiny ones like jewel beetles, but more mundane insects like moths and ants. I love leaf-cutter ants, which grow mushrooms at home, and I could look at them forever. But I thought it might be a little creepy, so I hid it under "etc." It's a convenient "etc."
3. Hobbies
And my hobby is walking around town, "etc." I used "etc." here because, of all my walking around town, I especially love "looking for block walls." I'm embarrassed to suddenly write "block walls" here because it might seem weird... but I want to tell people who I think have the talent... This dummy "etc." is useful in situations like that. I use it as bait to lure people who are interested in walking around town into the swamp of block walls.
4. Favorite food
Favorite food: Engawa "nado". This is a clever "nado" that subtly conveys that although he likes Engawa, he likes any food, making it easier for him to receive other foods besides Engawa.
5. What's been bothering you lately?
Things that have been bothering me lately include the medaka fish industry and the differences in how pigeons get fat in different areas of Tokyo. I was hoping to make this seem interesting and show that I'm interested in a lot of different things, but the things I've listed are a bit too quirky, so I'm deducting points.
[The medaka industry is still interesting]
[Still curious about Tokyo's pigeons]
In conclusion.
Now that I'm satisfied with using "etc.", I'll say goodbye. When you have too much to say, it's hard to organize it properly. Thank you for bearing with me as I read my poor writing.
At Layout, I lied and said, "I can do it!" about things related to design, which I had almost no experience with, and although I caused a lot of trouble, I was able to grow a lot. There were some difficult times, but also a lot of interesting things. Thank you very much! I hope to come visit from time to time.
And to everyone I've met so far, thank you for putting up with me, even though I'm still inexperienced! I have so many wonderful memories, from talking about strange rugs to getting excited about Iran. I hope you will continue to support me warmly. See you again somewhere!