Ugly Duckling Art Journal

What was your CHILDHOOD DREAM?

I hope you had a nice Mother’s Day weekend. I miss my mom so much after losing her to cancer over 20 years ago. But each year on this day I am reminded of her strength. She was always a major supporter of my pursuits, as well as my career choice. She strongly believed in the value of education and personal experiences rather than material possessions. 

*** If you missed my previous story, Ugly Duckling in Tokyo, CLICK HERE to read it.

Ugly Duckling Wants to Fly

When I was in high school in Japan, just before a summer break, my homeroom teacher, Mr. Kishida, had a mandatory private consultation with individual students and their parent for his entire class. His aim was to advise students about their career paths after graduation.  

Mr. Kishida  was known to be very traditional and misogynistic. The thing is that his mentality was still mainstream in the whole Japanese society. I never liked him. 

Several days before that, I watched TV footage of a female astronaut and physicist who was receiving an award for becoming the first American woman in space. Her name was Sally Ride. I was touched by her achievement. 

I told my mom that I wanted to go to the United States to study at a university and become an astronaut. She acknowledged me somewhat, but our conversation did not go further than that. 

My mom and I arrived at our classroom to see Mr. Kishida for the private appointment. As I opened my mouth to talk about my desire to study abroad, he disrupted me, and lectured me about his belief  that girls who want to get a higher education should just go to an easy college, get a 2-year college degree, and get married.  

We thanked him for his time and left the classroom. 

On the way back, my mom started asking me, “So, what does it take for you to study in America?” I said, “I’m not sure, but I’m going to find out!” “Okay, girl, you’d better get busy!” 

20 months later, I was sitting in an airplane from Tokyo to Los Angeles. I was heading to the University of Arizona to study astronomy and aerospace engineering. 

Eastbound - Midnight

This painting is an allegory of the ugly duckling flying across the ocean to pursue her dream to fly. The dream to fly into space. The little bird represents the duckling who shed her old skin and left her old identity behind. No one recognizes who she is anymore. 

She is just a little bird in a big airplane. She does not know anybody across the ocean. She barely speaks English. Nobody knows her, nobody questions her, and nobody abuses her anymore. She only knows that she is not the UGLY duckling anymore.  

Do you see the bright dots outside the window? That is the constellation Cygnus. It means “swan.” Do you remember the swans you saw outside the window? 

The little bird is going after her big dream. That is what this painting is about. 

I share my dreams through my art. My journey is to pursue a dream to fly like a bird. I help people to connect with Nature and to connect with their own dreams by sharing my art as an allegory of my personal journey. 

What is ONE dream you remember having as a child about what your future holds?

Please share your answer in the Comments below. I look forward to hearing from you! 

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