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I’ve started a new series of posts introducing some of my language students. I am constantly inspired by their passion and motivation for learning and am excited to share this with you.
Recently, I interviewed Berkeley-based artist Anandamayi who started to learn Japanese several years ago. I absolutely love her work (which you can see in the pictures) and have some of her beautiful flowers in my office. You can find her work at the stunning store Tail of the Yak in Berkeley. She has had several exhibitions in Japan and was featured in one of most prestigious Japanese art magazine “Kuenel.” I’ve asked her how learning Japanese has impacted her work, what attracted her to learn Japanese, and more.
– Can you introduce yourself and where people can learn more about you and your artwork?
I am a visual artist working mainly with paper, but I do occasionally pursue other media as well. The best way to see what I am working on is my Instagram, @lynxandtelescope. When I am not pursuing other major projects, my main work is making surprise balls. These are small paper sculptures with little surprises hidden inside, which can only be discovered by unraveling yards of crepe paper hidden inside the piece.
– Your work has been exhibited a number of times in Japan. Has learning about the Japanese language or culture had any type of creative impact on your work?
When I am working on products for sale in Japan I think I am even more exacting in my production (though I am always fairly particular) because I feel like there is such a strong cultural appreciation of handcrafts. I also feel a connection to the Japanese awareness of seasonal associations as I like to keep with seasonal themes in my work. This is somewhat dictated by practically, too, since I prefer to work from life when I am copying things from nature, and it is when a fruit or flower is in season that I have access to good specimens to observe.
– What inspired you to start learning Japanese?
I have been interested in Japanese crafts at least since I was eleven, when I took classes in Japanese doll making on Saturday mornings for a couple of years. I also enjoy anime, and loved a class I took in Japanese court poetry (in translation) in college. I think I finally decided to try to learn the language after I traveled to Japan and wished I could communicate better. Most of my previous travel as an adult had been to European countries where I had at least a bit of an idea of the language.
– What other languages do you know or have you studied?
I speak practical Italian, some French, and have studied a bit of German. Now I am starting to learn Spanish too. I also studded Middle Egyptian in college.
– Which language have you found to be the most difficult to learn and what is most exciting in learning Japanese?
I found Middle Egyptian essentially impossible, and Japanese the next most difficult. I think the fact that there are so many nuances and variations in how to express any given idea in Japanese means that any one way of saying a thing is repeated less often. Also, it is just so dissimilar to anything I have spoken or studied previously. Though it is also what makes it difficult, I really do love how different Japanese is from any other language I have any experience of. It also feels so inextricably linked to Japanese culture that when I do get some new bit of understanding of the language I feel like it gives me real insight in to Japanese society.
– Do you have a favorite expression, word or phrase in Japanese?
Maybe “chotto…” in the sense of not actually saying no.
– What advice would you give to other language learners?
I spent a number of years not pursuing any language study, and I wish I had keep working regularly on one language or another. I find language study abstractly intellectually enjoyable and the enhanced ability to communicate with people deeply rewarding. I guess my advice would be to keep studying, and if it is time for a pause, don’t forget to pick it up again when the opportunity arises.