4 Heroes

Yesterday my friend Misa visited my house, she came back from Japan and brought me amazing amazing presents back. She totally knows things I like.
She went to Yayoi Kusama's exhibition at Osaka Museum and got me Kusama Pumpkin cookies! You know I love Yayoi Kusama. Check the box!

Inside, there are cookies with Kusama's drawings on.

But I don't want to eat them, I don't want her drawings to get disappeared in my stomach, turned into a poo and go down in a toilet! I will keep the cookies forever even I get really hungry.

Another present from Misa was this book about Taro Okamoto.

Does anyone know who he is? He's also a great Japanese artist. He is my hero, he's dead now, but  his book called 'Some Hold Out Your Poison You Are "Human Sense" Or Be Abandoned' is my bible.

While ago I wrote down some of his words in my note book to remind myself why I do all the things I do...

I'll translate some of his quotes... (sorry if my English isn't correct, I hope you get it though)

なにかを貫こうとしたら、体当たりする気持ちで、ぶつからなければだめだ。本当に生きると言う事は、自分で自分を崖から突き落とし、自分自身と闘って、運命を切り開いて行く事なんだ。 
If you want to penetrate your aim, you have to use all your heart, mind and strength. To live real is, pushing yourself to the edge of cliff,  fighting yourself and opening up your own destiny.


「いまはまだ駄目だけれども、いずれ」と絶対に言わない事。”いずれ”なんて言う奴に限って、現在の自分に責任を持っていないからだ。生きると言うのは、瞬間瞬間に情熱をほとばしらせて、現在に充実する事だ。過去にこだわったり、未来でごまかすなんて根性では、現在を本当に生きる事は出来ない。 
Never say "I can't do it now, but sometime." People who say "I'm going to do it sometime" don't have responsibility to your own 'Current'. Living means getting on with 'Now' with passion every single moment. Not moving on from your past or making an excuse passing on to your future, you will never be able to live your life real now.

人間、自分を大切にして、安全を選ぶんだったら、何も出来なくなってしまう。計算づくでない人生を体験する事だ。 
ぼくは本当に自分を貫く為に、人に好かれない絵を描き、発言し続けてきた。 
一度で良いから思い切って、僕と同じにだめになる方、マイナスの方の道を選ぼうと決心してみると良い。そうすれば必ず自分自身がワアーッと盛り上がって来るに違いない。それが生きるパッションなんだ。 
As a man, you will not be able to do anything if you chose your life 'safe' or protect yourself. You must experience a life that's not been calculated. I've continued drawing images and saying things people don't like to be who I am. You should try once, chose to go to the "minus" path like me. That will make you feel something "Whooaa!!!"with in you is coming out. That's the passion of living.

青年は己の夢にすべてのエネルギーを賭けるべきなのだ。勇気を持って飛び込んだらいい。 
ぼくはあの若い日の決意を絶対に押し通すのだ。とことんまで危険な道を選び死に直面して生きる。 
たとえ食えなくても、本当の生き方の方向に進みたい、そう決意したいという情熱が自分を突き動かしてくれる。 
Young people must put all your energy towards your own dream. You should jump into it with brave.
I'll never forget the decision I made when I was young, and I'll still keep my determination going.
I'll live by choosing the risky path being confronted by death. Even I can't afford for food, I still want to live and move towards the real path. This passion and determination push me forward.


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I have 4 heroes, I'll tell you who.

1 - Taro Okamoto, the artist I was just talking about.

2 - Hiroto Komoto, Japanese punk rock singer of The Blue Hearts, The HIGH-LOWS, The Cro-Magnons. (Some of his lyrics say similar things to what Taro Okamoto said),

3 - Martial artist Bruce Lee. (his book Tao of Jeet Kune Do is my bible too. I have the same book one in Japanese, one in English) 

4 - Japanese comedian Hitoshi Matsumoto. His sense of humour is just beyond genius, I wanted to be a comedian when I was a child, for so long! He made me want to be a comedian, because of him! This is him on a TV advert for the band The HIGH-LOWS, my other hero, Hiroto Komoto's band.


So yeah, basically I want to be the person 4 of my heroes combined all in one.