Time for Art
Art was always my favorite subject in school as a child. I loved drawing and painting — sculpting, not so much — but visual creative expression captivated me. At one point, I even considered going to art school for college. However, as I grew older, my interests expanded in many directions. By the time I was graduating high school, I had set my sights on studying English, which led me to enroll in a trade school in Tokyo for foreign languages, preparing myself for the next chapter of my life in America.
The year before I left for the U.S., I discovered a new artistic passion: photography. In hindsight, it was a natural evolution of my creative pursuits. Inspired to learn, I asked my father to teach me how to use his Nikon F, learning both technical skills and composition. I even attended a photography school in Tokyo for a short time before making my move across the Pacific. That experience sparked what would become a lifelong relationship with photography.
It wasn’t until the early 2000s that I truly immersed myself in it again, taking photography classes at Santa Monica College, UCLA Extension, and eventually, the Los Angeles Center for Photography. Over time, I built a career as a commercial and fine art photographer, exhibiting my work and establishing a creative identity. However, sustaining it financially proved challenging. Having already spent years assisting my husband, Kenny, with the back-office work for his real estate business, getting my own license felt like a logical next step. And just like that — another career shift!
Despite my transition into real estate, my artistic side has never faded. Over the past few years, I’ve been fortunate to have several group and solo exhibitions, though I haven’t been as creatively productive as I’d like. Lately, however, I feel a renewed pull toward artistic expression, especially in these uncertain times. Just in the past couple of weeks, I attended an art party where I got to paint (so much fun!) and collaborated with a client on an interior photo shoot — both experiences reigniting my creative spirit.
It feels like the Universe is nudging me to make more art, and I’m ready to embrace it!