I work as a painter and designer.
When working on designs or pieces for solo exhibitions, I value the process of checking my work in progress from both subjective and objective viewpoints. However, I aspire to get closer to a more objective perspective, one that allows me to adjust my work while feeling, 'This person's work is...'
Currently, my self-devised checking methods include checking right after waking up and having trusted friends from different fields review my work. Professor Sakamoto, if you have any tips on how you objectively check your own work, any secrets, or things you pay attention to, I would be grateful to learn even just a hint.

You Can Only Try to See Objectively!

It's true that the more people who create things make them, the more myopic they become. It certainly becomes difficult to see the bigger picture. You get caught up in the details.
I actually step away from my work too. When mixing a song, I consciously stand far from the speakers and try to listen without focusing on the music. But, because I made it myself, I already know the details.

They say the brain works better right after waking up. That's why checking emails right after waking up is the height of foolishness (laughs). In those moments, you should be thinking about problems that have been ongoing since the day before, or reading a book... I suppose.
There's the saying 'before breakfast,' but eating consumes energy for digestion, and after a meal, the energy spent on digestion is so significant that it's not ideal for thinking. Sumo wrestlers train before eating, right?


Nice to meet you. I am majoring in Western painting at an art university.
I've loved drawing since I was young, and after many twists and turns, I enrolled in art university. However, I'm simply not good with crowds, and I get nervous just by having people nearby, making it difficult to even study painting at university. I understand I have to endure it for the sake of something I love...
Therefore, I would like to ask Professor Sakamoto, who performs in front of many people, how you manage to stay relaxed and not get nervous. I would be very grateful for your advice.

The Meaning of Attending University...

For me, attending university was about making friends, meeting good teachers, and using the facilities.
I also skipped classes and went to see my friends. I'd find a friend who seemed to have money that day and we'd go for tea or play mahjong. Mahjong?

Taeko Onuki, Tatsuro Yamashita, and I often played three-player mahjong. We'd sometimes stay up for three days straight, and when we got tired of the three of us, we'd often call Ginji Ito over (laughs).
At the time, I lived in an apartment in front of Hatagaya Station. Tatsuro would come in his family's car, and in the morning, we'd eat at a set meal restaurant in front of the station, feeling completely worn out... Me? I never got any better at mahjong. I had so much time back then.