Meeting with my teacher and my passion for "spatial design" fostered at the Expression Expo

When I was in high school, I had a broad interest in art and design in general, including things related to homes and spaces. However, I didn't know what I was suited to, and I hadn't yet decided on my future path. At that time, I learned that Otemae University offers flexibility, allowing you to decide your major after enrolling and taking classes in other faculties. I felt that I might be able to broaden my interests and find a foundation for my future here, so I decided to enroll.

When I was in my first year, I really enjoyed making drawings and models, and I would immerse myself in the work even on my days off. I received good reviews and was even asked to give presentations as a class representative. However, I had a habit of suppressing my thoughts when I was in front of others... There was a part of me that wanted to hide my feelings.

The person who made such a big difference to me was Professor Shimoda, who acted as my advisor from my second year onwards and who taught me everything in my seminars from my third year onwards. The reason I was able to rely on him so much was because he paid close attention to the deeper aspects of each student, such as their personality and way of thinking, and was very considerate of their feelings.

Ever since I was little, I have been the type of person who has tried to keep my feelings hidden from the people around me, but my teacher found my values interesting and encouraged me to "express them more."

He also put effort into creating a warm atmosphere in the seminar, and my friends also understood my individuality, so I gradually began to be myself without having to pretend to fit in with the others. This was a very big thing for me.
If there are other high school students who feel similar to me, I think this university's environment, where you can be close to your teachers and they will support you, would be a good fit. Also, if you try to show even a little bit of yourself, there will be people who will empathize with you, and the synergy from there will help you grow as a person.

For my graduation project, which I am currently working on, I received some encouraging advice from my teacher: "Takaoka, let's put your best foot forward and get first place," and so I am tackling a theme that I have been wanting to try. That is, observing the behavior of people sitting and deliberately creating a space that encourages the act of sitting in a space that is not normally used for sitting.
I feel that meeting Professor Shimoda was a major turning point that broadened my perspective and allowed me to accept myself.

The "Expression Expo" that I took on in the summer of my third year was one of the experiences I put the most effort into during my student life. Through a connection with my professor, I was contacted by two members of "Sanso Design," an Awaji Island-based group working on the theme of "expression and independence," and five volunteers from my seminar participated in the project.

For this project, the students were entrusted with the design of the space. When creating the concept, each student brought three ideas and we decided on the direction of the space through repeated discussions. During this process, we learned about the two people at Sanso Design, who hold dear the importance of "respecting dialogue with others" and "wanting to create a space where children can express themselves freely," and we thought hard about how to incorporate these ideas into the space.
This led to the concept of "a space where you can have a dialogue with the artist through their work." Treating the T-shirts as "artworks," the idea was to create a space where visitors could participate in the expression themselves, rather than simply exhibiting them. 41 children from Awaji Island became artists, and a system was created in which they would create T-shirts with their original drawings, which would be exhibited and sold at the venue. A portion of the sales was returned to the children as design fees, creating a cycle in which "expression is given form, shared, and transformed into value."

During the production stage, the two members of Sanso Design provided us with many sketches and ideas, and we were greatly inspired by the richness of their ideas and their attitude of having fun while thinking. It was an exciting experience that was different from university classes, and it made me realize that "even when I enter society, I want to be someone who can create while having fun like this." Spending long periods of time with my seminar classmates and deepening our bonds through making things was also a memory unique to student life.

I was also involved in running the exhibition. We prepared a participatory content where visitors were given tags and asked to attach the message written on the tag to a T-shirt they wanted to convey. The children, who were also artists, visited the exhibition with their families and looked so happy to see messages like "Cool!" and "I want to wear that now" written on their T-shirts... I couldn't help but cry at the sight. It was a moment when I realized that the message "It's okay to express yourself without being bound by anything" had reached the children.
I was also really happy when the child of the artist whose T-shirt I liked and was wearing came up to me and enthusiastically explained the intention behind the piece.

What I felt strongly through this project was that "there really is an audience." When you go out into society and create a space, it is ultimately "people" who experience that space. The Expression Expo was my first experience with spatial design, and I learned that the core of spatial design is the process of considering layout, materials, and form based on "what you want to communicate" and "what kind of experience you want people to have." I also got a strong sense of the appeal of creating a space that is in touch with people's hearts.

This experience made me want to create a space that was not just a physical space, but one where thoughts could reach people's hearts through actual actions, and this led to the direction of my later job search.

My minor Psychology also influenced my approach to spatial design. In particular, I believe the concept of "affordance" (the property of an environment or object that evokes human behavior, such as a chair naturally encouraging you to "sit") will definitely be useful in my future spatial creations.

During my job search, I received a job offer from Space Co., Ltd., the third-ranked company in the spatial display field, which handles everything from planning to designing and constructing commercial and cultural facilities under the philosophy of "bringing smiles and hope to people through commercial spaces."

Initially, I considered various industries such as house builders, renovations, and products, but my experience at "Expression Expo" was the deciding factor, and I decided that I wanted to work in spatial display. As the industry is highly subdivided, I thoroughly researched each company, and ultimately narrowed it down to five that intuitively felt right to me.
The portfolio was designed to be as personal as possible, and was fun to open from any direction. Whenever I didn't understand something, I consulted Professor Shimoda and my senior seminar students, who also accompanied me through interview practice sessions on multiple occasions. I think I was able to work hard because of the encouraging environment.

Until now, I have tended to avoid making choices that "aim high." However, this time, for the first time, I applied and took on the challenge of working for a company that is considered to be one of the best in the industry. Of course, this was because it is what I want to do, but after joining the company, I am excited about the prospect of being able to grow while receiving a lot of stimulation in a high-level environment.

At the recent job offer ceremony, I received a wonderful message saying, "Your creativity shines through in your earnest attitude," which made me very happy. I feel like everything I've learned so far has come together: the supportive teachings from my professors, my daily life with my seminar classmates, the realizations I gained at the Expression Expo, and my hard work in job hunting.

What kind of spaces do I want to create when I enter society? I'm still searching for a specific goal, but my dream is to have the spaces I design move people's hearts and enrich them. I also want to be able to convey my clients' ideas to as many people as possible, and to create spaces that offer "real experiential value" that can't be obtained through social media or the web.

Rather than being consumed on a screen, we want to create a space that moves the heart and can only be experienced by visiting. In other words, we will continue to work hard and have fun in order to deliver a space that is accompanied by a "physical experience."