Illustrator and May in Paris (3) - Why I Came to France

Was France the weighty country you first imagined?

— Looking at your website, it seems you do a lot of book illustrations.

“My first job was illustrating a language reference book, and from there, similar work came in a chain reaction, which is still the case now. I do a lot of illustrations for practical books for children, reference books, and sometimes advertisements.”

— Advertisements?

“Things like apartment advertisements in newspaper inserts, food advertisements, and packaging for Chinese medicine.”

— For those, do you receive detailed instructions from the client?

“Sometimes I get very detailed instructions from them. But I also find it tiring to be doing purely creative work all the time. Occasionally, there are projects where I'm given a general theme and can work freely, like cover art.”

— Do you get work commissioned in France?

“I currently have a project illustrating a children's story written by a French author, and I've sent proposals to about ten publishers and am waiting for replies. I hope it comes to fruition.”

— How did you meet that author?

“They are a friend of a friend, who is also an illustrator. Apparently, they usually write erotic novels. They saw my work and brought me the idea for a children's book, and then they wrote it.”

— I don't often see erotic novels around...

“There are publishers specializing in that, and apparently, there are even specialized bookstores.”

— Is that so? It seems like work in France often comes through personal connections.

“Conversely, it might be difficult to get work otherwise.”



— From what you've said, things seem to be going smoothly, but isn't living in Paris cumbersome?

“It is cumbersome, but I don't live my life under constant pressure, so even if things take time, I don't suffer much inconvenience. This leaves me time to find things interesting. Everyone seems to live at a relaxed pace. I might visit about four shops to find one item, but I enjoy the inconveniences. Nothing too major has happened yet. Once, an illustration I drew for work went missing after I sent it by express mail, and my stomach hurt then. Fortunately, I had enough time to redraw it, but I'm always on edge with each piece.”

— So, French postal services are a source of anxiety. And was France the weighty country you first imagined?

“Yes. Countries like Finland or Hawaii, I think they see themselves as smaller nations, though Hawaii is special. There's a certain humility, a quietness. In contrast, France has a confidence, a sense of 'We are France.' When I returned to Japan recently for a visit, I felt the Japanese admiration for France overflowing everywhere in the city, and I truly thought France is a unique country.”

*Kanako Kokonoe's Website
http://www.geocities.com/kanakoinhawaii/

Illustrator and May in Paris (5) - Art Talk