The 9 Stories Fourth Series is about our listed artist
who our curator discovered.
Find out what he does & how he got discovered!
9 stories about him, here it comes!
If you would like to know what is “The 9 Stories”, click/tap here
- WHO IS Kozy?
- “NOTHING LIKE WHO I AM TODAY”
- THE BEACH CHANGED EVERYTHING
- THREE MONKS VISIT?! & ZAP!!
- IT WAS JUST A PART OF THE JOB
- FINDING PEACE in SEA GLASS
- URGE to LEARN MORE
- SOMETHING DRASTICALLY CHANGED
- EXPERIENCE TO EVERYONE
1)WHO IS Kozy?
He is the Setouchi glass photo artist who our curator discovered.
The reason she offered to join KoLe was because of his art form.
His art form is not just about the beauty of his photo, but also it is the invitation for you to engage your inner creativity by yourself.
When we tell his story, we probably should divide the stories into 2 parts.
The first 3 stories are about his spiritual growth,
the following 4 stories are about his growth as a creator.
We hope you enjoy the unique journey of his life.
2) “NOTHING LIKE WHO I AM TODAY”
Today, Kozy is a very calm, warm, welcoming, and giving person. But according to him, he was nothing like today, before. Can a person change that much?! Let’s find out.
Back in many years ago. He was an inline skater and an instructor. He told us one episode. One day, his mother bought a bunch of ice cream for him to bring to a skate link. He arrived at the link then ate all the ice cream! One person asked him why he didn’t share. The person also mentioned the intention of his mother, “To share”. Kozy back then didn’t understand why he had to share nor feel ashamed.
Kozy tells ashamedly, today, “I was unbelievably self-centered. When I look at those days, I cannot believe who I was”.
If you ever had a chance to talk to him, you would not believe who he was. “Self-centered” is definitely NOT the word to describe him, today.
Now, you must wonder, “What did happen?!”. The answer will be in the next 2 episodes.
To catch the latest episode, please follow us, if you haven’t.
3) THE BEACH CHANGED EVERYTHING
One Summer, he was asked to manage one beach house on a beach. The beach is Yamada beach in Higashikagawa city of Kagawa. The moment he stood at the beach, the flow of his life started to change.
“I don’t know if I can explain it well but, as soon as I saw the sunset at the beach, something inside of me changed. I was amazed and overwhelmed by the beauty of it”, says Kozy.
Our curator also had spent a summer as a manager of the beach house. She also says “the beach has something to move you…more like it talks to you”.
Kozy also mentions that he did not believe in spiritual things, before. But the scenery of the beach made him feel something bigger than him.
The encounter of the specific location led him to a new and unique encounter and experience. It changed him completely. And the story is for the next episode.
To catch the latest episode, please follow us, if you haven’t.
4) THREE MONKS VISIT?! & ZAP!!
One thing worldly unique about the island, we are on, has; the circulating course of pilgrimage. A lot of pilgrims make circles on our island. The beach Kozy worked at is on the same island, Shikoku. There, he experienced something unheard of even for Shikoku islanders.
Kozy was an unbeliever of spiritual things. One day, one monk on his pilgrimage talked to Kozy. The monk told him about spiritual things. Kozy harshly dismissed the monk. The monk told him “I see. If you are being that way, you will keep visited by someone like me” with a calm smile. Then another 2 monks actually visited him!! “Don’t think, feel” was the basic message he got from these monks.
He started to think that logic he had, not to believe, could be just an excuse. One day, he was lying on a SUP board on the sea, thinking nothing. A while later, he felt some sort of energy zap through his body!! From that moment, his perspective of the world changed from only me to the whole.
5) IT WAS JUST A PART OF THE JOB
His photography is about Seto inland sea. The signature pieces are photos of piled sea glass with the sea. We asked how did he start his work.
In the beginning, he wasn’t aware that what he did can be an art. He started it because he was told to do so.
The owner of the beach house he worked at gave him a specific order.
“Do something to run our Instagram account and attract people to the beach!”
Kozy had to think harder.
He looked at a jar full of sea glass. Cleaning the beach was already his routine. He kept the pieces of glass he found while he was cleaning the beach. Then he remembered someone else posted piled stones. He thought of piling the sea glass and taking photos with the sea in the background.
Our curator remembers she started seeing the first few photos of Kozy. She and Kozy both agree on “these were not art”.
But our curator offered him to work with her, in the end.
What did happen between now and then? That’s the next episode.
6)FINDING PEACE in SEA GLASS
It surely started as just a part of a promotion for the beach house Kozy worked for. But the process of creating the posts started affecting his inside.
To take pictures of piled sea glass and the sea in the background to promote the beach.
The process requires a great degree of concentration. During the process, he found peace in his mind.
He started to think that he want everyone to experience this whole process. From picking the sea glass to taking photos. “You can experience small successes and satisfaction through the process. And apparently, it is good for our brain and mind” says Kozy.
Before, it was just a chore given by his boss. But he began to give a thought to the process. To create a better, impactful image for Social Media users to stop scrolling. To capture the beauty of the sea and beach he fell in love with.
His pieces started showing his intention. He was getting somewhere.
Where did he go next? It’s in the next episode :).
7) URGE to LEARN MORENECTING WITH OTHER ARTISANS’ PROBLEMS
Working at the beach house gave him the opportunity to learn 3 things.
Nature, Safety, and Photography.
NATURE:
He noticed so many different articles washed ashore, while he was cleaning the beach, every day. That led him to start learning about marine debris problems and ecosystems.
SAFETY:
We won’t tell what happened to respect Kozy’s feelings but one tragic accident happened in the sea, while he was working. Seeing the victim of nature led him to study safety to play in nature and first aid.
PHOTOGRAPHY:
To expand his range of expressions, he sought advice from a local photographer. Also, learned how to edit photos by himself.
Now he is a credible Seto inland sea nature guide, a local marine debris problem educator, and a photographer.
Our curator who kept seeing his work started to notice a drastic change in his photos.
And it is in the next episode!
8) SOMETHING DRASTICALLY CHANGED
One day, our curator noticed a huge difference in Kozy’s photos. Compared to the earlier pieces, these had the soul of Kozy. These were no longer just cut-outs of scenery or documentation of objects, nor just aiming to look beautiful.
The pieces our curator saw had Kozy’s intentions, thoughts, and a world of his own. “The best part was…” says our curator, “his work had a bit of darkness. That makes his work raw and real as a human”.
As soon as she saw the pieces, she contacted Kozy to work with us. Until, she told him “You are an artist, now!”, he never thought he would be called so. Also, he was surprised that she contacted him right after he changed his approach to his pieces.
Over the meeting table, our curator asked Kozy, “Something must have changed in you. What was it?”.
He replies, “I noticed that what missing in my pieces was a theme. So, I gave a deeper thought to it. Then I realized that the darkness is part of me. Yin and yang, the darkness highlights the brightness. But all one thing. But how did you notice?!”
This is how artist Kozy was born.
9) EXPERIENCE TO EVERYONE
What he wants through his photography is not about getting the recognition of his pieces. He is more interested in other people to try and have experiences of the process.
He provides field activities for his clients to;
…wander around a beach,
…find and pick the sea glass or other articles on the shore,
…pile the glass, and
…take the photos the way they feel.
Through the experience, he wants his clients to focus on their feelings and emotions of each moment. As well as compare them with before and after.
So, Kozy and our curator decided to provide 2 things to you.
||| Seto Inland Sea Activity with Kozy |||
For this, you need to visit Kagawa, Japan. But once you get here, our curator will assist you with the language. Kozy will walk through you with the experience.
||| Setouchi Glass Piling Kit |||
Not everyone can visit here. So, Kozy picked a few sets of Setouchi Glass from his collections for you to have. We will send it to with a wooden box. So, you can pile it on/in the box and take a photo.
If you are interested in them, contact us from the contact form at the bottom of this page!
Comments by satoko