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Guest, Personality
Guest: Shiohigari
Illustrator/Manga Artist
Born in 1989 and currently living in Tokyo. Her illustrations of girls with humorous and romantic dialogue, drawn in a light touch, are her trademark. She calls herself a “cheap artist.” During her student days, she began posting illustrations on Twitter and live streaming on Ustream. After graduation, she joined a material manufacturer, but she decided to quit her job and become a full-time “cheap artist” when her illustrations and short comics that she drew during work became popular and she received more requests.
Personality: Yuuki Sakoda
After working for a telecommunications company and a comprehensive advertising agency, he started an anime planning and production company and produces music videos and films. In 2021, he moved to Kyoto and started working on promoting the entertainment industry in Kyoto. He is currently also working in the entertainment field of manga and audio. He is planning and producing audio dramas and webtoons. In addition, he serves as a producer and advisor for multiple entertainment companies.
Table of Contents
#01
- What is a “Cheap Artist”?
- The Era of Interesting Job Titles and How the Name Was Born
- The Desire for Expression Born During University Days Enjoying USTREAM
- Collaborative Creativity on the Internet in the 2010s
- “LOVER SOUL” as the Ending Theme of Shiohigari’s Life
- Always Aiming for Episode-Worthy Conversations
- Weaving Creativity During University and as a Working Professional at a Materials Manufacturer
- Rational and Efficient Career Choices
- The Twitter Series That Began Around the Fifth Year of Working Life
#02
- Always Dreaming of Living Solely as a Creator
- Riding the Wave of Twitter-Based Creators Gaining Popularity
- Believing Luck is Necessary for Success
- Changing Pachinko Machines
- About Shiohi Girls
- How to Behave Creatively in the Era of Social Media
- How Does Creativity Appear to Shiohigari, Who Values Efficiency and Rationality?
- Adopting the Survival Strategy of the Weak
- Realizing That What Seemed Ordinary Wasn’t Actually Ordinary
- Ultimately Wanting to Converse Only Through Metaphors
#03
- About High-Context Creativity
- Drawing Inspiration from Machi Tawara’s Words
- Always Aiming for the Right Balance in the Era?
- What is the Right Balance in Mitsuru Adachi’s Works?
- Is There No Anxiety in Not Detailing Everything?
- Showing Vulnerability to the Grim Reaper
- The Webtoon Project Currently Being Worked On
- Are Shiohigari’s Works Similar to Waka Poetry?
I was able to ride the wave of excitement from creators on Twitter.
Sakoda
In general, Shiohigari-san has taken a different path in life and pursued their studies, and now they are working in the creative field. For those who are seeking a similar path or have a vague desire to engage in some form of creative work but are unsure of how to proceed, Shiohigari’s experiences would be invaluable to hear. So, I would like to continue exploring this topic further.
After graduating from university, Shiohigari worked for a material manufacturer while also creating illustrations. I am curious about the frequency of their art submissions. Could you provide some insight on this?
Shiohigari
Ah, but at that time, it might have been quite close to every day.
Sakoda
Do you think it’s important to post every day after thinking about it later?
Shiohigari
Well, I think so. Well, looking back now, I think it was important. It’s like, you know, seeing it every day. So, I think it’s a way to make people aware of it. Well, I think it’s important to increase the chances, so in that sense, I think posting it every day is an effective method.
Sakoda
However, at that time, I was still working, so I wanted to make it easy for myself to do it every day and post content. Am I correct?
Shiohigari
Well, yeah. Well, I guess I was able to make time for it to some extent, and there was definitely passion back then. Anyway, it was just really exciting to receive any kind of response, so it wasn’t particularly a hardship to do it every day or anything like that. I guess it was more like… it was fun to draw and post every day and receive feedback.
Sakoda
I think there were moments when working at that material manufacturer mentioned earlier didn’t really suit me or was boring, but did you ever think after continuing that job for a few years, “I definitely want to pursue a career in creativity,” or did you have moments where you thought, “Maybe it’s also good to continue working with materials?” By the way.
Shiohigari
Ah, I see. Well, if I had to choose, I’ve always thought that someday I would like to be able to do things on my own as a creator. However, in reality, I haven’t been drawing for that long, so I don’t have the same level of skill and intensity in my illustrations. So, I was still unsure about what kind of work I could do and I was really struggling with the trade-offs involved in that decision.
Sakoda
It can be difficult to imagine what kind of work a creative does, what they can create, and how it can translate into income.
Shiohigari
It’s really true, isn’t it?
Sakoda
I think this is a challenging point when aiming for a creative job. When you’re a salaryman, well, if you join a company and do as instructed at the designated time, you can kind of calculate how much salary you’ll receive each month. But in the case of a creative job, it’s not like that, which is why I believe there is a difficulty in aiming for it.
Shiohigari
Well, you know, there was this lucky moment when Twitter creators were really popular. It was like the time when Chiikawa became a huge sensation. There were many people who shared their illustrations, manga, and characters on social media, and various advertising agencies and others noticed them and reached out to collaborate. It was a really exciting time.
Also, LINE became popular and they introduced LINE stamps that could be sold. They created something called LINE Creators Stamp, which allowed individual creators to go through an evaluation process and create their own LINE stamps using their own drawings or photos. So, I think that opened up new opportunities for creators to make a living in that field.
Sakoda
When smartphones came out, I thought it was a significant turning point for the Japanese industry. It seems that Japan’s platforms didn’t embrace the idea of promoting free competition through smartphones. For example, LINE stickers and the Docomo i-mode were major platforms at the time, offering various games and services. However, they didn’t allow users to freely enter and post content.
Shiohigari
Yes, that’s right, indeed.
Sakoda
I think there is a sense that user-generated content (UGC) is becoming a leader in this era, and there is a feeling that we couldn’t adapt to that. As the times change, the influence of Shiohigari-san, who started posting around 2010, has been steadily increasing, and that was evident in the numbers, including followers and such. It was because of that, that people like them, who are like digital agencies of the new era on the internet, reached out and said, “Let’s work together.”
Shiohigari
Yes, I agree. That’s exactly what I meant.
Changing the pachinko machine
Sakoda
That part with the numbers, you can’t just create it out of nowhere, right? Do you feel like you’ve been building it up gradually, like the “Shiohigari-san” way? Or did it suddenly increase without you realizing it?
Shiohigari
I am quite conscious of spreading numbers. That’s still the case now, but basically, I think success is luck. Big luck, anyway. Luck is important, and it’s not about trying to increase that luck or anything like that, it’s just about chance. Chance, like catching someone’s eye, is what matters for success. So it’s not guaranteed that you will always find something good, it’s really just a game of luck.
I often say that I change the pachinko machine, but I’m not familiar with pachinko, so I don’t know the details. Anyway, even if you keep playing on the same machine, you won’t win. There’s probably a machine that tends to win. So instead of clinging to the same machine and saying “I’m not winning,” it’s important to try changing the pachinko machine and keep playing. That’s what I think, anyway.
Sakoda
Indeed. I feel that rational thinking is a common characteristic among creators emerging from SNS.
Shiohigari
Oh, I think so. I really feel that everyone has a clever way of selling themselves, or a kind of shrewdness.
Sakoda
If there is one thing that sets them apart from the existing creator image, I think it’s because they give users a strong sense of “direct delivery.”
Shiohigari
Ah, that might be true. That’s why it might be easier to go in the direction that feels right.
Sakoda
Somehow, by doing that, you can see how people react to what you present, in a very straightforward and instantaneous way. You can make changes and gauge the situation while looking at that. So, when making something for TV or creating something for the theater, it’s definitely a form of communication with the audience in that one moment. It’s difficult to directly observe what kind of experience the users are having, as it is not easy to perceive it through intuition. This is somehow a point of discontinuity with creative work in the age of social media, a clear difference in behavior. That’s what I think, you know.
While discussing these things, I would like to briefly talk about a song, and then delve deeper into the second half. If there’s a song you’d like to hear from me, please feel free to recommend it.
Shiohigari
Yes, please give me the “Romantic Time Bomb” at ONIGAWARA.
About Shiohi Girls
Sakoda
The user’s text has been detected as Japanese. Here is the translation:
The question you asked is about “Romantic Jigen Bakudan” by ONIGAWARA. Shiogari-san, do you have any episode related to this song?
Shiohigari
Yes, that’s right. This song is a very meaningful one for me. It was the ending theme of a web anime called “Shiohi Girls Bongorebianco,” which was based on my illustrations and was released in 2018.
Sakoda
This is it, right? It may not be visible at the moment, perhaps.
Shiohigari
Well, yes, it’s currently temporarily suspended.
Sakoda
Yes, but when I saw this, what I thought was that the ending theme was danced like crazy.
Shiohigari
Well, you know, that’s how it is. The ending is really pumped up and crazy. First of all, even though the main part is only a few seconds long, there is a proper opening and ending. And the ending is also super energetic, with three girls dancing and singing, like that kind of ending. So, in some circles, that ending was considered to be the main part.
Sakoda
I think the main point is that the creative content posted by Shiohigari-san on Twitter and Instagram has been directly transformed into animation. The looseness in the animation and the suddenness in the ending, the way they contrast each other, create an incredibly rich experience within this one-minute piece.
How does the current creativity appear to you, Shiohigari, in terms of efficiency and rationality?
Sakoda
I think it’s really interesting how you chose a material company, and it reflects your personality and way of thinking.
Shiohigari
Well, yes. Basically, I’m still an efficiency enthusiast and a rational thinker, to some extent.
Sakoda
The importance of efficiency and being rational can sometimes seem contradictory from a creative perspective. However, it seems like that might become the standard in the future, as we continue to coexist with it.
Shiohigari-san, how do you feel about this sense of things? It may be a bit vague to ask, but while you have admiration for those who practice the creativity of the past and the era you long for, do you have any thoughts on what kind of thinking the creators of the future are bringing, when you reflect on yourself?
Shiohigari
Well, I think that people who survive by creating something through a combination of irrational and almost insane elements are truly strong. Personally, I have always loved drawing since I was a child, and I think that those who say they have nothing else but this and pursue it relentlessly are truly unbeatable.
So, I see myself more as someone who is surviving as a weakling. Therefore, well, I considered my abilities during my time as a company employee, such as communication skills, general knowledge, and mental stability, as things that I thought were normal. But in reality, these were actually superpowers. However, everyone in the company had these abilities. Since everyone in my company possessed them, I thought I was just ordinary. But now that I have taken on a creative role, I realize that these are indeed superpowers.
So, I wonder, waking up at 6 o’clock in the morning and always arriving at work by 9 o’clock, being punctual, and responding to emails properly. Well, these are actually tasks that anyone can do, but not everyone can perform them. That’s why I think that these abilities are really helping me a lot now.
Sakoda
Somehow, that communication ability, and also being mentally stable, can be expressed in a slightly different way, but having mental stability and general knowledge helps, you know. In the end, creativity is grounded in industries, so there is always some kind of purpose that needs to be fulfilled in those industries. Generally speaking, since it is an industry, it is assumed that something is created that leads to money.
There are people who are happy about it, and it progresses on the premise of delivering something to those happy people. Moreover, if those happy people are as many as possible, it is based on the principle that it is good. When considering that, the engine that should be used to create, well, of course, there are many important moments when it is something incredibly fanatical for one person, but the importance of general knowledge, communication skills, and mental stability that support it is really significant. In terms of the survival theory of the weak, there is also the aspect of transforming oneself according to the environment, right?
Not to change the pachinko machine, but going to a good place with a good flow and playing, that’s one way to put it, and you could also say it’s about wrestling on your own turf as much as possible. Maybe that’s when I became free. In the past, there were rules or rather, there were few media where creativity could be expressed, especially in this route.
Shiohigari
Yes, that’s right.
Ultimately, I want to communicate through allegories only
Sakoda
By the way, I have a question. When I extract some of the creative works of Shiohigari-san, there is a lot of white space. It’s not like there is a background or anything, but from the visual information, you can tell that it’s a girl, and also the clothing, hairstyle, and small gestures, things like that.
It’s kind of the opposite of the working adult phase, where you use words and actions to do something, and instead, it leaves a lot of white space and doesn’t say much. I wonder if this is a manifestation of the desire to understand each other without speaking if possible. Can I ask how this type of creativity came about?
Shiohigari
Yes, that’s right. Basically, I really like metaphors and such. It’s all about similes. So, in the end, I would like to communicate only through metaphors. There’s this alien race called the Tamarians in “Star Trek.” There’s an episode called “Darmok” where these Tamarians only speak in metaphors.
For Earthlings, it’s completely incomprehensible what the Tamarians are saying. Since the Tamarians speak only in metaphors derived from their own mythology on Tamarian, even if you were to translate it, Earthlings wouldn’t know anything about the original mythology, so communication would be impossible. Captain Picard manages to find a way to communicate effectively and it ends happily. Well, in the end, I want to become a Tamarian myself.
Sakoda
I can understand the words, but I have no idea what they mean, so it’s like it’s encrypted.
Shiohigari
In other words, that’s what it means. The Tamarians say things like “Temba, arms wide open,” but it’s kind of like, expressing a welcoming gesture or something, I think. However, I don’t know who this Temba person is, and the meaning of “arms wide open” is also unclear. If you know the myth, there’s probably a scene where this person Temba opens their arms to welcome someone, but Earthlings don’t know about it, so the translation itself can be done but it feels meaningless, you know?
So, for example, if we say “Romeo and Juliet on the balcony” in Earth’s language, you kind of get the impression of romance, right? Something like that. Well, the Tamarians talk like that, but my work tends to lean towards that too. It tends to become Tamarian-like. So, basically, I really don’t want to explain it too much. I want to go with the atmosphere.
However, it’s quite limited, the readers who can understand that. So, when I’m drawing something like that, for example, at events like Design Festa, I draw caricatures and sometimes people come up to me and say, “I’m a big fan of Shiohigari!” And when I ask them what they do, they say something like, “I’m in the literature department at Meiji University.” And I would say, “Oh, I see,” and then say, “Next, please,” and then someone else would come up and say, “I’m a big fan of Shiohigari!” and when I ask them what they do, they would say, “I’m in the literature department at Meiji University,” or something like that.
In short, it seems that there is a difficulty in reaching people who are good at reading books and understanding the meaning of the text, like being familiar with such metaphorical expressions.
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