The Year of the Snake signifies shedding skins and transformations. I have done a lot of that this year, on purpose and unintentionally.

Self-perceptions

I AM AN ARTIST. This year I decided to lean into “being a Artist” and it worked. I created drawings, collages, paintings, and art materials from botanical sources – and sold my first piece in 25 years. I don’t have to narrow down my art to one medium or even a style. I see the world around me in lots of ways and I turn those visions into art. Other people don’t do this. I am an artist.

I SPEAK JAPANESE. I will always find my Japanese skills lacking no matter how much my vocabulary and grammar expand. But I speak well enough to communicate with friends, neighbors, and colleagues and I will only get better. This transformation in self-perception has allowed me to attempt another transformation:

Community

With Japan’s nationalism rising and political pressure mounting to solve the “foreigner problem,” I want to be a counter-example to people’s fear, uncertainty, and doubt. The only way to be that person is to be known in the community. I decided to make stronger connections in areas that are meaningful to me.

I dove in via art activities, leading workshops in Japanese at three different events in the area: Kozuka Art Festival, Wellness Marche at Tasukake, and the Harvest Festival at Oyama Senmaida. And I did an International Yoga Day session, too. At all of them, I had good conversations and the vibe was positive.

I also participated where I did not lead: joining Wata-Ai (Cotton & Indigo) Trust and the local Handcraft Club, where I’ve made friends and enjoyed the activities.

In a giant leap, I joined the Board of Directors at Oyama Senmaida. I attend monthly board meetings and have a small say in how things are run as part of a fifteen member board. I hope I will help to keep the group going in a positive way with (or despite) my foreign ideas.

Health

The skin I shed in this case is my middle-age. This transformation’s not so great. They say 60 is a turning point for health but that’s next year so I am hoping this year’s changes reflect that turning point coming a little early.

Bloodwork from my heath check last month shows Hashimoto’s thyroiditis markers and my cholesterol inching up. A cataract is forming in my left eye. I’ve gained some weight, too. Everyone’s got their aging journey and my itinerary is filling up.

Most importantly, this year I had a herniated disc injury in mid-March that took six months to heal. The pain and mobility restrictions influenced a lot of this year’s activities (or inactivity as it turned out).

I closed my daily yoga class after more than five years and haven’t restarted it. Instead, I learned about lymphatic drainage and movement forms like tai chi. Not the same; I miss my yoga practice.

Work

Work was a transformation that involved more players than just me.

Tod was “RIF’d” from his job in March. Our steady income ended. It’s a big transformation for both of us as he finds his purpose and new daily rhythm.

Now I am the main breadwinner.

And we could starve, because my regular work – the paid stuff for other people – didn’t get close to the million yen mark this year. I combined teaching at Oyama Senmaida (32 times) with a dozen design projects through the year.

Work transformation had an upside, too. Projects I initiated were successful.

Remarkably, I wrote a book that’s sold 65 copies. The International Resident’s Ending Note surprised me by resonating with people and filling a niche in Japan. I’ve been supported by several influential voices in the international community, too. In fact, I’ll be co-hosting a webinar in January.

Also, I organised and presented three Art & Nature Retreats. They cemented some of my ideas about art meditation. Those ideas are going into a book next year.

And finally, looping back to that first transformation of self-perception, I sold an artwork, the first one in 25 years. It was a glorious shedding of my last resistance around being an artist.

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So as 2025 concludes, I feel grateful for transformations of all kinds. I am ready to gallop into my kanreki year with vigor and enthusiasm.