"How will you live today?"
That choice is entrusted to you in this very moment. Inspired by today's society, where destruction and creation swirl violently at the same time, this painting depicts the importance of believing in your own will and choosing hope, even in the midst of chaos.
The Feeling in This Work
For those who seek to choose hope for themselves and give off their own light, rather than having things decided by someone else or by society.
The message from this art is: "Give off the light of living today by your own will." To live, or to live as if dead: that choice is entrusted to you in this very moment. It carries the wish that you set your true strength free and live today by your own light.
Concept & Background
This work was born from an inner dialogue. It began with the realization that how we live each day is decided not by others but by a contract with ourselves. I expressed how important it is to live through even the midst of adversity with your own will.
Technique & Visual Expression
Vivid pigments layered many times over, red, gold, green and a faintly glowing white, express the energy of a life that holds both hope and conflict. The texture of the surface seems to breathe, giving a sense of movement as if the emotions held in the painting might leap out at any moment.
On Making This Work
This art exists as a mirror reflecting the inner world of each viewer. It shows a different expression depending on the angle and your state of mind, and should reflect your inner will and light back to you.
The same work cannot be delivered again, but with Personal Order Art, I paint a one-of-a-kind work just for you through a conversation with each person.About using the artwork
More about this painting
Making a contract with yourself
This painting, "Dead or Alive," is about the resolve to choose your own way of living while holding both hope and inner conflict.
Even when we set goals, we often find it hard to act on them. Psychology has long recognized a large gap between having a goal and actually taking action.
Deciding "if this happens, I will do that"
One approach studied to bridge that gap is "implementation intentions," proposed by the German-born psychologist Peter Gollwitzer.
Instead of only thinking "I want to be healthy," you decide in advance when, where and how you will act — for example, "After I brush my teeth in the morning, I will stretch for five minutes." An analysis by Gollwitzer and Sheeran in 2006, drawing on 94 studies, showed that planning this way greatly helps people achieve their goals.
Making a small promise to yourself and giving it a concrete shape — that is truly a "contract with yourself."
Red, gold, green and white
In this painting I layered vivid pigments of red, gold, green and a faintly glowing white. The texture of the surface seems to breathe, as if the emotions in the painting are about to overflow.
Red for passion and life force, gold for preciousness, green for growth, white for new beginnings. Doubt and conflict are part of the resolve too — every color lives on the canvas.
Dead or Alive
The title "Dead or Alive" is a strong phrase. But what I put into it is not fear — it is the resolve to choose, by your own will, this present time of being alive.
I hope that whenever you see this painting, you remember the important promise you made with yourself.
Sources
Gollwitzer, P. M. (Implementation intentions: Strong effects of simple plans, American Psychologist, 1999)
Gollwitzer, P. M. & Sheeran, P. (Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta-analysis of effects and processes, Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 2006)
¥60,000
tax, frame & domestic shipping included
shipping outside Japan: flat ¥8,000
approx. USD $400
A one-of-a-kind original painting.
