One of the things that inspires me of late is the Philosophy Zine. It’s editor is Tetsu Nishiyama of Wtaps fame(www.wtaps.com). While Wtaps is known more for being one of the most sought after Japanese streetwear labels in the world, the Philosophy Zine is a lot more than just fashion, in a way, there’s almost very little connection to fashion or streetwear. It is really more about Tetsu or Tet’s philosphy and the philosophies of others who share the same common interests.
Most of the contributors are of course Japanese, save for occassional guest contributors from Europe or the U.S. The thing that inspires me the most whenever I read the interviews, the articles or even the letters from the readers, is how they live their life. For them, the most important thing is doing something that they are passionate about, whether it is being a magazine editor, a designer or even just a coffeeshop owner. They take pride in things they do and take every small detail into account. And I feel that the way they write just reaches out to me, it’s like I can really feel they are happy doing what they are doing. They may not be rich or famous but they live a simple life, doing it day by day.
Personally, I feel that I want to live a similar life, to do something that I am passionate about, to live a simple life. Unfortunately, I am constantly conflicted because at the same time, I have been very blessed to have lived most of my life in relative comfort, we are not very rich but our parents made sure that we wouldn’t have to experience the same struggles they had when they were younger. And with this, of course my parents expect us to do the same for the succeeding generations, so as their hard work won’t be wasted. Perhaps we live in a different situation, that in Japan, even with just living simply and doing what they love, unables them to earn sufficiently to live in relative comfort. And in constrast to over here where sometimes, it’s more of a struggle just to bring in proper income to provide for the family if you are just working for your passion. Again the work is relative, if your passion is doing finance, going corporate, doing big business, etc, etc, that might also provide the proper income for your family. I’ve already understood from before that this thought will be my life’s constant struggle.
However, this does not derail the fact that reading their experiences inspires me to work hard, to try to look for things that I am passionate about and hopefully one day I can achieve the true meaning to “my way of life”.
*edit*:I was trying to think what’s the exact feeling that the zine inspires and I think it’s focus and drive. I guess I work best on short spurts of concentration and focus.
