[Translation] Ikuhara Kunihiko “The Director’s Diary: Motivation for the Future”

Original source: “The Director’s Diary” (final essay in a series). Animage. March, 1997.
Web source: http://kasira.blog97.fc2.com/blog-entry-23.html
All translations mine.

This essay is exactly what I needed to read and ruminate on.

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This is sudden but this will be the final installment of this essay series. It is because my main job — in other words, my job as director, has gotten busier. Even as I chat about this, there are cells and film rolls and things scattered all around me so it is a pretty chaotic situation.
And that being said, since this is the last essay, I wanted to give the whole story on why I wanted to become a director.

Wendy-Bird: 31 days is short. 28 days is shorter.

My online moniker is often “Wendy Bird.” The name is a double reference, first, to Anne Lamott’s famous book on writing (and living) Bird by Bird. Lamott recalls a memory in which her procrastinating brother was immobilized with panic over a bird report he had to write. Her father reassured him that the way to tackle it was to take things “bird by bird,” one by one, step by tiny step….which becomes her theme for the book itself and a metaphor for the creative process at large.

The other more obvious reference is, of course, to Wendy Darling from Peter Pan, a favorite about the horrible and violent joys of childhood. The Darling trio are described as birds literally flown from the “nest” of the nursery, much to their parent’s sorrow. But Wendy in particular becomes a “Wendy bird” because Tinkerbell is itching to kill her.

Here is the scene and it is worth quoting in full:

Pic Spam of Silent, Solitary Mornings

Generally, I’m sick of the vast Self Help Industry and its recycled, cliche advice. But the one thing I still long for, still fantasize about, is having a silent, solitary morning to get my shit together. This is an impossibility right now bc my kid wakes up at 4am. I found these screen shots of beautiful early-morning sequences in an old post draft and nnnngggghhh… I’m dreading the back-to-school morning rush tomorrow…

Hello 2019: Get Punched in the Mouth

So I know I wrote a 3 part series on 2019 New Years Goals but now that it is actually 2019, I think I need Mike Tyson to roll his eyes at me and say

“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth” (Mike Tyson). 

Meaning, you can do everything “right,” make no mistakes, be approved of by all the “right” people, and then life will go LOL NOPE. Someone needs to update this gif with “life” written on Mike Tyson and “me” written on that guy in white. The important thing isn’t the plan but the resilience to get on with it even after getting punched in the mouth. So that being said…

2019 New Years Resolutions: Someday, Together, We’ll Shine (Part 3/3).

My mantra for 2019 is turning out to be:「君と僕が出会う、この世界を恐れないで。」 “Don’t be afraid of this world where we’ll meet.” 

SOMEDAY, TOGETHER, WE’LL SHINE…MAYBE LIKE IN 2019 (PART 2 OF 3)

I love Himemiya Anthy but….it took me 20 years to get there. Because, come on, nobody wants to be like Himemiya Anthy. That is kind of the point of the show.

Someday, Together, We’ll Shine…maybe like in 2019 (part 1 of 3)

My driving mantra for 2018 was “Go Meet Her.” I meant this in the sense of, “Go Meet My True Self.” The idea was that I needed to reconnect with who I am as an individual: my values, my interests, my goals.

The mental image I centered in 2018 was Utena from the now iconic 90s show Shojo Kakumei Utena. What better icon to symbolize my goal for 2018, right?

50 days left in 2016

It is more or less 50 days until the end of 2016. And while I will not write about the anxiety I feel at the uncertainties of a Trump America, I will say that the emotional response is surprisingly inspiring. No matter your political affiliation, we all feel invested in and committed to our communities. A close friend of mine has always said her guiding post is simply to say, “I want to live by my values.” So we start with what we love, what we believe in, what we hope for. That is where we begin and that is where our community is built. Start with what you love…

Also, it reminded me that I have a say in how my community is formed. That I have a voice and there is an urgency to use it. That I have to rely on myself, finding strength and happiness within my own measure of life. And despite a rough past week of migraines and overeating and general dislike of myself and utter despair at America…I am doing pretty well. So thanks President Trump for contributing to my improving mental health, in a way.

The Snow Queen ~ Winter 2016 Pruning

We either think January is a time of dead, cold winter OR the exciting time of fresh beginnings. But using my gardening metaphor, winter is actually the time for pruning, recuperation, protection, and preparation. Your flowers are dormant but not dead; most of the work going on underneath the soil. You must prune back in order for full spring rejuvenation.

The Snow Queen In Seven Stories by Hans Christian Andersen (1845) illustrated by Vladislav Yerko

Scientists Confirm ~ We Become Our Heroes and Heroines

Read this today after seeing the tantalizing headline on Reddit:

Psychologists Discover That People Subconsciously Take On Attributes Of Their Favorite Fictional Characters