DreamChaser | RIVER TAKADA
photo by @Sasss.World
General Information
Name: River Takada
Pronouns: she/they
Age: 34
Job Title/Company: Artist, teacher and homemaker
Education Background: Associates degree from Haywood Community College in Fibers
In-depth Questions
1. Tell us a little about who you are.
I am a Japanese American artist and freelance creative teacher.
2. What sparked your interest in starting your business(es)?
Flexible work hours, flexible goals, using materials I find and feel inspired by. I also had my mom, Kazuko, as a role model of having her own tutoring business growing up and saw how much independence she gained from being her own boss.
3. If applicable, tell us about your full-time job and/or any side hustles you might have.
I currently, and always, have multiple gigs going at once. My full-time job is taking care of myself- being a creative and running my business, which I started in 2007. I have many part-time gigs- pre-pandemic, like, Teaching creative expression workshops at institutions like Duke University, NC State Craft Center, NC Museum of Art, etc, for the past 6 years I have worked summers teaching kids summer camp at The ArtsCenter in Carrboro. Another part time gig was selling my hand crafted items at craft markets or music festivals. I also sell my work at locally owned shops- wholesale and consignment. I’ve had many part time jobs over the years, and right now I am working 15ish hours a week as a receptionist at a local co-working office space in downtown Durham. I like having multiple income streams that require different amounts of brain and physical labor so I can pivot depending on what my mental health requires of me.
“Have hobbies and passions that are not tied to money and capitalism ”
4. Who are you most influenced by?
Real-life people doing lots of different things! I love having a peek into people’s work and creative styles. Of course, I am influenced by the women in my life I love and respect! I also get a lot of inspiration from artists from years past like Alexander Calder and Ruth Asawa, the Bauhaus Movement, and the Black Mountain College Movement- I am greatly inspired by artist groups and collectives
5. What was your first job and how long did you hold that position?
My first first job was helping my mom out at her after-school tutoring business- Kumon, which is a learning franchise, she had her business for 20 years! I probably worked there on and off from when I was 13 to when I was 25- I learned a lot about how to communicate with kids- something I’m always learning
more about. My first big girl job was working as a waitress in Chapel Hill, and then as a shop girl at a tea and cake shop in Tokyo. Both of those gigs taught me my social limits when it comes to serving people and how independently owned organizations rely on their hires, etc.
@shootwithbliss
6. Can you share one of your proudest achievements with us?
My most recent and proudest moment was completing my first ever crowdfunding campaign to purchase new screen printing equipment I am incorporating into future workshops! I have commitment struggles, so I’m proud of myself for completing it and acquiring this new tool by asking for help!
7. What were your initial goals with your work? How have they evolved?
My initial goals, which still hold true- are using remnant materials in my work- thus giving myself permission to constantly experiment and create low-waste products at an approachable and affordable price point. I started my business in 2007 after spending time living in Tokyo, wanting to emulate the creative street fashion of the time- reworked American vintage into something that screamed individual expression. At the time I was having a hard time finding funky clothes that were affordable. My goals have changed so much, mainly because I don’t think there is a lack of sustainable, creative clothing- in fact, there is an abundance in the current market!! Around 2016 I completely shifted away from making clothing and have focused more on home goods, like pillows, linens, sculptural mobiles, and my signature celestial calendar I make every year; and sharing my skills with people through teaching. Now I like to make my own clothing and teaching people how to sew, dye, and print their clothing for individual expression. So my goals look similar- creative expression is key, but how I practice and reach for that goal has shifted with my lifestyle.
8. What do you think is the most important life skill you learned through your work?
This one is tough!! I’m still learning every day! I think it’s: letting go of what I think people think about me and just listening to my inner voice when it comes to my creativity. I’m definitely not a commercial artist- I’m not in it for the money! In the past, I’ve tried to make things I think people will buy, mainly bc I was trying to make an income solely from my art- this was toxic to me and my mental health suffered- especially if said things didn’t sell (linking my self worth to money oh no honey). Over time I’ve learned to trust myself and make things I enjoy making, which means I have side jobs to help me stay financially stable and independent so I have the bandwidth to be creative on my own terms, and I can take breaks from making things when needed. I have also learned a lot about how my brain functions and how to work within my abilities and when to push myself beyond fear zones into growth zones, and when to listen to my body before I burn out.
9. Where do you hope to be in five years?
So many places and also right here in Durham! I hope to be able to invest in my family’s future by buying property, something I’ve been working toward for years. I hope this means I’ll also have the freedom to travel more- since I gain a lot of my energy from meeting new people and being in diverse settings, getting out of my comfort zone. I would also love to connect to nature more by having a garden (something I don’t want to commit to at my rental) and maybe chickens!? The list goes on!
10. What is a typical day like for you?
Coffee, light breakfast, light stretching, check my to-do list (I try to make one nightly while my brain is bouncing around), and knock out the most boring/ mundane things early on (fulfilling orders, running errands, emails)- then I try to do something creative (designing, sewing, printing, etc.). I schedule out my week out so I stack my chores/ errands on days I’m also working my part-time gigs, that way I have 2-3 days dedicated to studio time, and 6-8 hours of uninterrupted creative blocks. If the weather is nice, I try to do something outside like dyeing fabric or taking photos, etc. A big factor in what/how much I achieve in a day has to do with my body functioning- mainly how well I’m sleeping, how much I eat, and what I’m eating. Burning calories is a hobby of my body- so I try to eat like a Hobbit: Breakfast, Second Breakfast, Elevenses, Luncheon, Afternoon Tea, and Dinner. The combination of being Japanese and manic, means I have an overactive metabolism, and my body has preferred fuel- I try to feed myself things that will boost my energy and brain, but also sustain me, too many carbs will just make me sleepy, highly processed foods make me irritable, fried foods give me heartburn and slow me down, etc etc.
“ I have commitment struggles, so I’m proud of myself for completing it and acquiring this new tool by asking for help! ”
11. What was the biggest obstacle you’ve faced so far in the process of pursuing your goals?
Executive decision-making! I have millions of ideas and my emotions pull me in lots of directions, my self-esteem is constantly trying to sabotage me, my depression tries to drown me etc etc. Some days are a struggle of convincing myself that I’m doing okay and that whatever I get done is progress. I’ve stopped trying to schedule out my whole day, trusting myself to set myself up to succeed- like stacking projects and having them progressing at different rates so I never have too many deadlines at once, but always something to work toward. I have found that being accountable to myself is easier when I have accountable buddies, this sometimes means I set a public deadline- like a product launch, or I have my assistant do tasks I can delegate, or I enlist a friend to work parallel on projects together.
12. What is the best piece of advice you have received?
A friend and mentor, Steven Walls, who is no longer with us, who was an amazing painter and father, once told me, “ Figure out how much you need to live on financially, work a side job to pay for that minimum, and spend all your free time working on your passions.” As life goes on, our financial obligations evolve, and I have found that balancing my needs and wants hinges on making sure my basics for a living are covered, my creative work suffers if I’m living outside of my means, and my mental health suffers if I am depriving myself of my passions.
13. When do you get your best ideas?
When I’m bored when I’m taking a shower or washing the dishes, when I’m working on other things and my mind wanders when I’m listening to an inspiring book or podcast. When I’m taking care of my plants when I’m walking through a museum. I love getting new ideas while I am working creatively- evolution of ideas- inspiring myself is a huge accomplishment! When I am being creative in my homemaking- cooking, decorating, that often leads me to other creative ideas.
@shootwithbliss
14. Can you share with us one time that you failed and what you learned from that failure?
A few years ago I was offered a job to work as a creative consultant at Moogfest, a music festival held in Durham. I was blinded by the “coolness” of it all. I felt seen as creative, and lucky to be noticed, and I jumped on board before I knew what I was agreeing to. I should’ve pulled out after the first meeting with the directors, but I was blinded by the “coolness” and I wanted to work! Quickly the job position shifted into doing labor I didn’t agree to and wasn’t qualified to do, I learned that the organization was running out of money, thus they only agreed to pay me a part-time rate, but they expected me to work full time leading up to the event- falling back on the “luck of being noticed” and the “coolness” proximity to the brand would give me. They kept on shooting down ideas that we as a team had that worked within their budget, saying things like, “we want museum-quality” but never gave us a museum-quality budget, or any budget, expecting us to make samples out of pocket, which they would reject. They expected me and the other local creatives to tap into our own networks, ask for favors from our contacts to get the cheapest rate, and wanted us to work full-time to compensate for the lack of money they had poorly budgeted. I got in way over my head, I wasn’t qualified to do the job they needed to get done especially on a short deadline, I didn’t have the support or time to do all the work, so everything else in my life suffered too. This was a huge failure on my part to see and listen to red flags early on, and then feel trapped and committed where I couldn’t back out, and I was nowhere near compensated for the amount of labor I ended up doing. I got really burnt out and it took me months to recover… and That wasn’t the end of it… I held onto the shame of not being able to do the job well that I didn’t tell anyone about my failure. The failure, I feel, was suffering in silence because, a year later, the same event happened and I detached myself as much as possible. But afterward, I spoke to a close friend of mine, it turned out that they had been hired for the exact same position, and experienced all that same trauma as me! And was now trying to rebuild afterward, I felt like I had failed my friend and community by not sharing my toxic experience thus leading them into the same trap I had subjected myself to. It was a stack of failures.
15. How do you unwind?
Blanking out my brain, going on walks, cooking and eating nourishing foods, and watching feel good tv and movies. Listening to my friends talk about their lives and being with them, being outside in nature! Taking in art from books, museums, etc.
16. Can you share a sacrifice you have made in the pursuit of chasing your dreams?
I have been immensely privileged in that I haven’t had to sacrifice, in my eyes at least- maybe some people would think I “sacrificed” a conventional path to success, but what does success look like to me.. what I’m doing right now! Taking care of myself. Sometimes I feel very selfish bc I choose to spend time with myself over friends, over the years I’ve said, No, to many nights out, parties, trips etc, bc I wanted to work on my creative pursuits or I didn’t have the money to support a “going out” lifestyle. This has cost me sometime having Fomo, and I’ve lost connections with fun people who I had surface relationships with. But frankly, I’m not sure if that’s a sacrifice? I sometimes feel like I’ve sacrificed relationships in the pursuit of capitalistic success, and I’ve shifted my priorities overtime to make time and space for the people I want to sustain relationships with.
17. What would you tell someone else who is interested in entering your field?
Be flexible in your goals- let them evolve with you over time, set deadlines for yourself, Celebrate small wins and invite people to rejoice with you! Do more than you talk about doing publicly- keep things for yourself, not everything has to be shared. Don’t expect people to be as hype about your ideas as you are, don’t let their lack of hype discourage you. Track your progress and pat yourself on the back for seemingly small things that are big things for you personally. It takes time to get good at anything, start now if you want to do something new and be okay with being bad at it for a while, in fact- expect to be mediocre for a while. Don’t quit your day job- or find a day job that leaves you with enough energy to pursue your creative wants and needs.
18. What do you hope people take away from your story?
Bloom where you are planted, figure it out as you go. Ask for help. Failure is a part of the process. Rejection is sometimes a really good thing and a jumping-off point. Prioritize your mental health. Have hobbies and passions that are not tied to money and capitalism
19. What did you want to be as a kid?
A veterinarian when I was in elementary school, and a fashion designer from middle school on. I watched the movie Unzipped at some point and wanted that glamorous life. Now I know that that amount of stress would burn away my soul, plus I’ve achieved the goal of fashion designing. Now I’m on to other things.
@shootwithbliss
