Long Time Expat In Japan
Hey, it's been forever since I've been able to show some progress, but in the March issue of Shodo Geijutsu, the magazine for my Shodo group, you can read that I made it to yukyu. This is up from 1 kyu. Check out the cover of the mag: My name has a big old circle … Continue reading Level Up – Kana
I kind of like my kanji submission this month. I still feel awkward and clumsy with the size, especially with the non-cursive style I have to use. But this month was fun if not skillful. Below is my kana submission. While I think I could have done better, I feel like I know more specifically … Continue reading January Shodo
Kanji hasn't really improved since last year, but my rankings among the 3 kyu skews a little to the top. I'm going to try to test up in February. Until then, I plod along with the following, which means think a thousand (times), ponder ten thousand. Which is kind of saying the same thing twice, … Continue reading December Shodo
I feel like I'm starting to get the basics. The below is still pretty pedestrian, but the balance was good, and I feel like I started to "get it" a bit more than usual. This month's kana is a waka (和歌), a 5-7-5-7-7 syllable poem. When I was writing it I didn’t really understand the … Continue reading November Shodo
Shodo has a weirdly important place in my heart. I go with my daughter on Saturdays. My Sensei is a peach. I struggle and progress slowly, yet I look forward to it. I enjoy it because I get time together with the little one, but I also learn, and it is art. I have a … Continue reading Shodo – October
I feel a little better about my kanji this month. I took a break for about a month for summer vacation and also work. But I came back with a fresh perspective. And the characters kind of reflect that. The following say (basically) precise pen, spare ink, where spare means not too much. If you … Continue reading August Shodo
I don't usually write with a cursive style with kanji. In my shodo society, they want you to know the basics first. Makes sense. Sensei does an annual art show at the local bank. This year, I'm contributing the following. Since it's not the regular submission, I can do whatever I want. And I wanted … Continue reading Cursive
The pressure is on. Now that I'm 1kyu, I'm worried I can keep the same level of quality. The below ain't bad but is it 1kyu ? Same here for 3kyu in kanji.
I just submitted some kana for a level up test. This is the first time that I get to choose what to write, how to write it, and how to arrange it on a page. It was like trying to play improvisational jazz after two piano lessons. I was paralyzed. I finally struggled through and … Continue reading Testing Up
Kanji for Feb, a little better than usual. Still struggling, but at least it's balanced. Kana is still about right. No leveling here, but solid stuff, imho.
B.S. Donovan 