Reading experience of "Tadanori Yokoo and the Life Dialogues of 9 Classic Creators": Seize the moment and create a better life
As a creator, I am naturally very interested in books on creation or design and other related topics. Therefore, a while ago, when I re-read “[Yokoo Tadanori’s Life Dialogues with 9 Classic Creators]” (https://www.books.com.tw/exep/assp.php/vista/products/0010821225 (opens in a new tab)? utm_source=vista&utm_medium=ap-books&utm_content=recommend&utm_campaign=ap-201905)” when I read this book, my eyes suddenly lit up.
Especially when I saw this passage, I felt even more interested:
This book (opens in a new tab) The dialogue characters appearing in it add up to a total of 886 years old, the oldest is 98 years old, the youngest is 81 years old, and the average is 89 years old! But they are still at their jobs, continuing to create and come up with new ideas. They never think that they are old, and they never think that they lose creativity when they are old. They even go to exhibitions and publish new works.
Although I am usually busy at work, as soon as I picked up the book, I immediately put aside other things and concentrated on entering the life story of Yokoo Tadanori and nine creators from Japan and South Korea.
Tadanori Yokoo, who was born in Hyogo Prefecture, is a well-known artist in Japan and is also known as “Japanese Andy Warhol” (https://vitomag.com/art/lglrf.html (opens in a new tab)). If you are interested in his life, you can refer to “Haihai Life!” ! Autobiography of Tadanori Yokoo (opens in a new tab)》.
Yokoo Tadanori (opens in a new tab) not only won the 6th Paris Youth Biennale (Biennale de The biggest prize in the printmaking department of Paris, he also held a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in 1972. What’s even more amazing is that in 2008, he won the Izumi Kyoka Literary Award for his novel “BLUELAND”.
What is the so-called “success”? Material success, economic success, social status success, these are all considered success! However, for me, real “success” is whether I can create the paintings I want in my mind. This is the most important thing. In other words, it is not the kind of success that society calls success, but “whether one’s own ideas can be expressed (opens in a new tab)”, which is important.
This book (opens in a new tab) The author spans the fields of design and literature, which is really not simple. Being able to create for a lifetime is the dream of many creators. Currently reading this book (opens in a new tab), I suddenly heard the news that Mr. Ieoh Ming Pei, a Chinese-American architect, passed away at the age of 102.
I have long admired the works of Ieoh Ming Pei (opens in a new tab). I really admire that such a senior creator can still be on the front line. Of course, I am also curious about the life stories of Yokoo Tadanori and the other nine creators.
To be honest, I often lament that I am getting older, but when I think about it, I still have a long way to go before I reach eighty! I feel ashamed when I think of this, and I think I should work hard!
With a curious attitude, I opened the pages of the book and began to follow the footsteps of the author Tadanori Yokoo and learn about living and creating [inspiration] from nine working creators who are over 80 years old (https://www.vistacheng.com/2020/05/a-technique-for-prod (opens in a new tab) ucing-ideas.html) and old age(https://www.vista.tw/en/blog/yoshimitsu-single-wing-all-gold-beads-1).
After reading this book, I have a deeper understanding of creation and living, and I am in awe of these senior creators. Especially when I saw Mr. Yoji Yamada mention that “aging will definitely have a positive impact on my work”, I began to have some longing for it.
It turns out that getting older does not necessarily make people feel depressed, but may also bring positive energy.
The author also mentioned an interesting point in the book, which I have never thought of before - why are there so many long-lived painters?
The author points out that because the painter uses not the mind but the body. The act of drawing is to eliminate thinking and language in the mind, and try to present a state of complete selflessness. Therefore, many painters prioritize feelings and value the body more than the mind.
On the other hand, novelists or writers use their brains and language to express ideas, so they put more wear and tear on their bodies. I was shocked when I saw this, and I thought that I must make more use of my senses and exercise more in the future!
There is always only “now”. Don’t think about the past and don’t predict the future.
After reading the book “[Yokoo Tadanori Let us create a new life together through creation!
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Further reading
- “Focus on the 20% high-density work: Learn to “pick work to do” and get the maximum results in the least time” Recommended sequence: Say goodbye to perfectionism and become a high-density worker
- Recommended Preface to “The Science of Seduction”: How to win the public’s attention in the era of fragmentation?
- I read “The Highest Learning to Apply”: The way modern people learn starts from input, speculation and output
Next step
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Vista Cheng speaks and runs workshops on AI workflows, writing and content systems for companies, schools and public agencies.
