Esteban: To officially get the conversation started, my main goal is to really understand where your creativity comes from and how it developed, so that hopefully other people can learn from it. I think that creativity is the most important thing to understand if you're in a creative industry. I want to learn from your experience—for you and for other people.
My first official question is this: for the sake of people understanding, can you give a very brief story about who you are as a creative and as an artist? Just give us a brief background of your story and history so people listening can have some context.
Ryunosuke: My name is Ryunosuke Okazaki. I’m an artist and I also work in fashion under my brand, Ryunosuke Okazaki. I’m from Hiroshima, and I’ve taken creative inspiration from the idea of prayer for peace that comes from Hiroshima. The history of the town where I was born and raised, and my own experiences, form an important part of the concept behind my creations.
Esteban: I guess a question people probably always ask you is: did you have a very specific vision from the beginning when you pursued creativity early on? Did you know that sculptural fashion would be the result, or did you have a different motivation and this came later as a result of progressing and learning about yourself as a creative?
Ryunosuke: Originally, since I was in middle and high school, I liked fashion. I always admired forms of expression that are worn by people—something that maybe you can’t normally wear in everyday life, but that gains meaning when someone puts it on. I also loved creating things and making things ever since I was young.
I went to an art university and studied art and design. From the beginning, I wanted to make creation my work. Now I create what I want to make and present my work in both the fields of art and fashion.
Of course, I did want to express through fashion. I always wanted to express within the realm of fashion and also in the realm of art—both at the same time.
Esteban: Do you remember any big misconceptions you had about developing yourself to this level as a creative? Were there any counterproductive ideas or beliefs about creating that stopped you from getting your creativity to the level you wanted?
To make this more specific, I think there are two parts to the challenge: the personal and conceptual challenge, and then the practical challenge.
Ryunosuke: In the beginning, of course, it costs money depending on how you present your work, and there are many difficult parts. But I created pieces with my full passion within the range I could manage. For me, the most important thing was to make the work that I felt was truly good—something that pursued an expression only I could do.
I didn’t find that difficult as much as I was simply committed to it. So far, I’ve been able to make the things I want to make and present them. Going forward, I might take on more challenges, but that core hasn’t changed. Money is important—really important—but I’m not doing this for money. Still, money is necessary to create, to continue presenting, and to communicate what I want to express through my work. Realistically, I absolutely need money to continue my creative practice. How to generate that is still something I’m thinking about. My works may sell, and I will likely sell more in the future, but I have to keep thinking about how this will evolve.
Esteban: The reason I asked the money question first is because I think a lot of creatives treat it like a forbidden word. As you said, to pursue these things you have to be very willing to be resourceful and not let excuses stop you from pursuing your vision.
A lot of creatives are driven by the idea of money or blocked by the lack of resources, and it stops them from taking the steps they need to make progress.
Ryunosuke: I don’t think it’s good to use the lack of money or opportunity as an excuse. If you want to make something, you can make anything into a work. If your motivation comes from something other than the act of creating itself, it can become scary. If you want to create, you should create. If you have something you want to express or communicate, you should make it.
Esteban: Did you personally struggle with excuses or lack of resourcefulness early in your career, or was this something you always had—clarity and the resourcefulness to make things happen?
Ryunosuke: I might create because I lack confidence. Because I lack confidence, creating becomes the opportunity for the next step. Creating brings people together. Creating allows me to present and have people see the work. It helps me grow—for my heart, emotionally. The time I spend creating is when I feel happiest.
Esteban: Is that motivation more about desire or escape? Or is it something else?
Ryunosuke: I think it’s both. Creating allows my life to move forward. As an artist, the act of making and continuing to make is what I can do with my life.
Esteban: What have you personally noticed are the most common challenges other creatives face? Because I think insecurity and avoidance stop people. Pressure, fear, and other people’s opinions become obstacles. What have you observed?
Ryunosuke: I think a lot of people stop. And honestly, I think that's fine. If you don’t want to do it, then you don’t have to. I’m okay with that. For me, I just love making things. It’s very simple.
If someone can’t create because of fear, then they don’t need to force themselves. There are other paths in life, and that’s not something to deny. Not creating doesn’t mean that person has no value. For me, I just like making things.
By continuing to create, I’ve realized how important the experience of making is. By accumulating that experience slowly, expression evolves little by little. My style is to keep creating and discover new things as I do. I don’t think, “I want to do this one specific expression so I’ll challenge it.” It’s not like that.
Esteban: I like that. It sounds like a very simple concept—just enjoying making things. But as simple as that sounds, many people struggle with executing it consistently. Fear, insecurity, lack of direction, or confidence get in the way.
Ryunosuke: There are times when I don’t feel confident either, but by creating, my heart becomes calm. It’s difficult in some ways, but that act itself grounds me.
Esteban: I think there's a very important lesson there, not just in art but especially in fashion. A lot of people get into this industry for the wrong motivations. As you said at the beginning, many people pursue this idea because of money.
Ryunosuke: Yes. If you think about whether something will continue or not, I think the pure love of creating is what sustains it. If someone does it just for money, that’s fine too. But for me, when I think about how to use the long or short time we have in life, my purpose is to create expressions I’ve never seen before and bring into existence something I haven’t yet witnessed through making. Seeing something new that I created—that is happiness.
Esteban: I think the important thing to communicate here is what happens behind all this creativity. Many people want to create something like this, but when it comes to execution and getting to that level, as you said—just liking to do things and doing them—there are many barriers that stop them.
Your principle is: “I just like doing things.” There is a lot of simplicity in that.
Ryunosuke: Everything I’ve created has come from continuing to make things over time. I think you just have to keep making. If the idea is only in your head, that’s not good. You have to keep making and making and making—by repeating that, you give birth to things beyond what you imagined.
It’s long. Layer after layer after layer. I do it because I love creating. That’s it. It's very simple. Creating is just my life. That’s my way of living.
Esteban: I think that’s why you’ve been able to stay consistent and create something like this over time. But other than that, what important ideas do you think you’ve learned as a creative? Besides enjoying making things, what other principles do you live by as a creative?
Ryunosuke: From the beginning, I’ve loved materials. Experimentation is very important to me—using different materials and trying different things as I create. Experimentation is the most essential part.
Esteban: I want to focus the main topic of the conversation on the idea of enjoying making things. But I also want to understand whether the core inspiration or emotional foundation behind your creativity has always been the same since the beginning, or whether it changed over time.
Ryunosuke: The core concept has not changed. But through continuous experimentation, observing things, and living everyday life, I discover new things. Those become inspiration, and that connects to new motivation. Those experiences are added into the next expression. Everything accumulates on top of the core.
Esteban: I think that simplifies the process. At the very beginning, it’s about enjoying the craft enough to do it consistently. Then the second part is having a conception or emotional foundation that is personal and using it as the base for your work. So in principle: First — enjoy the craft. Second — know your foundation. Would you agree?
Ryunosuke: Yes. First, enjoyment as the base. Then, through different experiences, I connect myself to history. For example, thinking about Hiroshima’s history or ancient Jomon history. By doing that, I begin to understand who I am—where I was born, where I grew up, and why I create what I create.
Once I understand that, there’s no hesitation in creating. I can only say, “Because that is who I am.” I think many people make it difficult because they try too hard to find a reason to create. Rather than forcing a reason, if you don’t feel like making, then don’t. If you have a reason, then make.
For me, the reason is simply that I like creating. And when it comes to why I make this specific kind of thing, it’s tied to who I am, why I’m here, and facing those questions.
Esteban: So again: enjoying the craft and knowing why you do it. I think those are the two most important questions. Do you remember when you were trying to find your “why”? The purpose behind your design, beyond just enjoying it?
Ryunosuke: Yes, I’ve had those moments. I thought about who I am, where I was born, what I experienced. Individual experience is very important to me. When I connect that with history—like Japanese history—through thinking, I start to understand things. And while doing that, I begin to realize, “Okay, then I’ll make something like this.” It becomes clearer gradually.
Esteban: So progress comes naturally once you know the right questions to ask.
Ryunosuke: Even if you don’t know the answer or the reason yet, I think it’s fine to start making. There are many things you understand while creating. Even if your head is empty and you don’t have it figured out, the act of making leads to new realizations afterward.
Esteban: Do you personally ask “why” before you work, or do you ask “why” during the process?
Ryunosuke: I think more while creating. I keep my hands moving and think as I work.
Esteban: Right. Again, it’s a very simple formula—doing things, enjoying doing them, then learning the right questions to ask, which is almost always “why.” What changes is just the nature of the question. Why you’re asking changes—sometimes it's to explore your background, sometimes a different aspect of it, sometimes materials or vision.
Ryunosuke: While creating, I ask myself, “Why did I make this?” As I continue to do that, I gradually start to view the history of my own work from a distance—objectively. That leads to new discoveries about myself and my art.
Esteban: Interesting. And as you said, exploring your history and background is one of the most important parts. What other questions do you ask while working through your creative process? Is it purely intuitive, like if something doesn’t feel right you question it? Or are there specific things you explore?
Ryunosuke: I’m always researching in a way. The reason Jomon became one of my themes was because, as I kept looking into prayer and tracing it back in Japanese culture, I made discoveries. By living, things appear, and I follow them.
For example, I encountered Jomon pottery while living. Then I researched it and it connected. These discoveries happen naturally while living and thinking.
Esteban: The process of finding the answers to your questions is a natural result of asking the right questions over time and doing things. So, how do you personally know when you’ve found the answer you were looking for? Is it emotional, like you feel you discovered it? Or a moment during the work when it becomes clear?
Ryunosuke: There are visual feelings and emotional feelings. When I feel that the current state is good, I call it complete. But I don’t think there is such a thing as a perfect completion in any of my works. I think they could always continue being made.
I’m not searching for answers. By continuing to create, new discoveries appear each time—that’s the motivation and the joy. I just like making things. I just keep making. That is life.
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