Tomosumi Tomosumi

allergies

What are you allergic too?

pine tree pollen

swirling past the side

of my red face

…

for most of us

means tracing back

our recent actions

in order for us

to determine

what could have

caused us to experience

this kind of outcome

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culture, creativity, community Tomosumi culture, creativity, community Tomosumi

storing clothes

How do you survey your environment?

piece by piece

articles of clothing

form new ridges

…

inside our drawers

standing them up

side-by-side

instead of stacking

them from top-down

gives us the necessary space

to assess our essentials

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culture, community, creativity Tomosumi culture, community, creativity Tomosumi

intermixing

How do you approach exploring new material?

red oak acorns

harvested by squirrels

left on the ground

…

red, yellow, and blue

creates new hues

that shapes our understand

of inputs and outputs

and at the same time

piques our curiosity in exploring

new shades and possibilities

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culture, community, creativity Tomosumi culture, community, creativity Tomosumi

the placement

How do you organize and design your life?

white tablets

dissolving into

dixie cup

…

of our toothbrush

next to the floss

or bottle of fluoride

is in a way designed

for us to intuitively

move from one routine

onto the next without resistence

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culture, community Tomosumi culture, community Tomosumi

fast forward

What holds your attention?

rice cooker

clouds of starch rise

above the rim

…

through this set

of commercials

to return back

to the content

that was originally

holding our once

captured attention

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culture, community, creativity Tomosumi culture, community, creativity Tomosumi

apathy

How do you manage laziness?

radio taiso

stretching till

the song ends

…

is but a symptom

to the overarching problem

of how we engage

with others and ourselves

in the age

of digital addiction

and consumerism

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culture, community, creativity Tomosumi culture, community, creativity Tomosumi

a strategy

What are you prioritizing?

evening stroll

swirling by oak trees

children play

…

for traveling

starting a family

to even volunteering

and giving back

to our community

means prioritizing

our time and energy

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culture, community, creativity Tomosumi culture, community, creativity Tomosumi

endgame

What fills you with motivation and desire?

nara park deer

bow their heads

for shika senbei

…

don’t mistake

the tools we use

to achieve our goals

to be main reason

why we were successful

without considering

our motivation and desires

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culture, community Tomosumi culture, community Tomosumi

worn

What clothes do you the majority of the time?

grandmother’s jacket

loose purple threads

waiting to be pulled

…

when it comes

to our wardrobes,

every single day

we make the choice

of how we want

to be perceived

by ourselves and others

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culture, community Tomosumi culture, community Tomosumi

the reason

What are your preferences?

fresh cilantro

left outside

the salad bowl

…

why we evaluate

appearance and odor

sound, taste, and texture

experience, beliefs, and mood

is that it allows us

to rediscover or develop

our attitudes and preferences

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culture, community, creativity Tomosumi culture, community, creativity Tomosumi

thumbnails

What draws you in?

blue polaroid

sun-kissed film

rolls out the box

…

we came for

the glossy picture

the enticing title

the brand name

but stayed for

the content that changed

our perspective

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culture, community Tomosumi culture, community Tomosumi

sequels

Will you continue or expand your work?

ceramic mugs

basted with a

single brush

…

continue and expand on

our earlier works

to the delight

of our audiences

who can’t seem

to get enough

of our storytelling

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culture, community Tomosumi culture, community Tomosumi

who cares

Do opinions matter to you?

street lights

fading away

from curtains

…

if we didn’t get

enough sleep

yesterday night

we can always

make up for any

lost hours tonight

is an opinion not a fact

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culture, community Tomosumi culture, community Tomosumi

devotion

What are you committed too?

snowy owls

perched upon

a hollow post

…

in terms of options

we have an array

of interests

that require us

to decide

what we want

to commit ourselves too

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culture, community, creativity Tomosumi culture, community, creativity Tomosumi

it's all relative

What would you put in a time capsule?

newspaper ink

imprints onto the

kitchen table

…

our favorite food

tv show, book, or game

to even what makes

us happy or sad

is part of the reveal

for the next generation

to discover about us

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culture, community, creativity Tomosumi culture, community, creativity Tomosumi

if it's true

What wealth are you accumulating?

speaking japanese

a conversation

with my grandparents

…

wealth is more

than money

then shouldn’t we

be asking ourselves

what can we do today

that shows us a new way

for appreciating what we have

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culture, community Tomosumi culture, community Tomosumi

red or blue

What is the power of choice?

the sandlot

dust sweeps over

tennis shoes

…

presents us

with a choice

to choose one option

which will lead us

down a path

we may or may not

completely comprehend

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culture, community, creativity Tomosumi culture, community, creativity Tomosumi

gutters

What requires regular maintenance in your life?

rainy afternoon

loose debris collects

around the drain

…

more than

a seemingly simple

decorative design

much is left unsaid

about maintaining

our skills and senses

to guide us in the right direction

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creativity, culture, community Tomosumi creativity, culture, community Tomosumi

off script

When do you improvise?

elastic straps

wrapped around

vintage denim

…

takes away

our fear of failure

or set expectations

to motion in

our burning desire

to take risks and

expand our imagination

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culture, community Tomosumi culture, community Tomosumi

counting

When do you focus on the present?

oink, oink,

wild boar stuck

in the mud

…

one, two, one, two

as we step

across the floor

trying to find

the rhythm

may distract us

from the present

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