Hello there ;)

Tell us a little about yourself, who are you and what do you do?

My name is Kiri Miyazaki! I am married, I am 31 years old and I live on a small farm with a lot of animals including a rooster, some hens, dogs, rabbits, fishes, bees and a kitty. I am an artist, índigo teacher and researcher and I also grow a plantation of Japanese índigo. From this plant it is possible to extract a blue pigment and dye several materials; I run the whole process from the seed to the dyeing pan. I eventually produce blue works of art and recently started a Master’s Degree on this topic.

What does an average day look like for you?

On a regular day, I wake up before the sun rises, especially now, because soon spring will start. While my husband looks at all the animals, do the water changes, feed them and releases the chickens, I open the windows and I go outside to look at the plants and open the irrigation system of the plantation. In the meantime, I  check if there is any urgent messages from the job to respond. If there is external planting work, we always do it during the morning, because in the afternoon the sun is very hot. As early as we can, we make some coffee, and around noon, we return to cook and have lunch. Creative work, I do at night, after 6pm. It is during this period that Nature is quieter and the climate is cooler and I can hear my inspiration.

What turning point in your career do you consider your "big break"?

I believe in abundance, so for me, every day is an important turning point. In my career, it was at the moment that I decided to try turmeric (Curcuma longa) to dye a college project and then I went looking for more natural sources of dyeing. During this process I met Flavia Aranha and I decided to return to Japan (where I lived for three years during as a teenager), to learn about traditional Japanese indigo. Returning to Brazil, I received a subsidy from the Culture Secretary of São Paulo State and I recorded and documented the whole process from planting to extracting the blue pigment.

What advice do you have for striking a work/life balance?

To tell the truth, I am not the best person to answer this question because my work and personal life are so connected that I can't separate them. For example, I do not separate the social media Kiri Miyazaki and Miyazaki Indigo. This is because my return to Japan to learn about the traditional blue dyeing, it was not to create a company or a profession, it was to make peace, be well with my own history and my ancestry. I am half Brazilian, half Japanese and I had lived in Japan during my teenage years, and I didn't have good memories of that time.

What do you consider your biggest failure? And how did you persevere and grow from the experience?

I don’t say anything is a failure; I do not believe anyone is a failure. I believe in learning. For me, everything we go through in life works as a learning process. My greatest learning was to have spent my teenage years in Japan.

Can you recommend any resources that have helped you in your career?

When working or starting a new career it is important to listen to your heart, nothing is more important than your intuition and wellbeing.

What's the best and worst advice you've ever been given?

The worst advise was not to go against the mainstream, not follow my heart and my intuition. In Portuguese we use the expression: “to swim against the waves”.

How do you navigate social media, any rules or guidelines you set for yourself?

I don't look at bad news, I haven't had TV for four years and now we have one just to follow some series that I like. It's not that I don't know what's going on in the world, but I prefer not to consume sensational news. I only consume what brings me peace.

What is keeping you inspired and sane right now?

Who do you nominate for the next interview? Why?

Mimma Ito! Mimma works in ceramics and, like me, is of Japanese descent. 

Much love, 
Lilith and Arabella

L+A xx

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