By Shinya Takahashi

Graduate of English Dept., 2000

It has been six years since I moved to the United States, and the time has gone by quickly. Enrolling in the exchange program at Sapporo University six years ago led me to become a resident of the United States. I wanted to accomplish something other than a bachelor's degree before graduation; something to make my life richer before I graduated and began working. I have been interested in arts and crafts since childhood, so I decided to enroll in art classes while attending the exchange program at Ball State University (BSU). I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to enroll in it's art department. Meeting my mentor, Patricia Nelson, changed my direction. She encouraged me in my studies and helped me uncover an aptitude for metal working during my studies at Ball State. At that point, however, I did not consider the possibility of returning to the graduate program or to pursue the study of metal working and art seriously.

I returned to Sapporo University after a year of studying art in the United States in order to complete my degree in English. After my graduation, I married my wife, whom I met while studying at BSU. We decided to move to the United States and lived in Muncie, Indiana, which is close to BSU, while she finished her degree. We soon had a daughter, and I was employed as an import and export operator by a Japanese trading company in Indianapolis.

To be employable in the United States, you must, of course, have a skill other than speaking English. A foreign student advisor at BSU told me this when I was an exchange student, but I didn't fully pay attention until I actually tried to find a good job. Of course, everyone in America speaks English. It is a disadvantage to speak less than fluent English. Fortunately, speaking Japanese became my advantage as I searched for a good job.

After three years of working at the company, I decided to go back to BSU's graduate school in 2003. One of the reasons for my decision was to obtain a master's degree from an American school. Another reason was to develop skills that would allow me to acquire a creative job. Ball State University rebuilt their Art building and program at that time and had the best facility for art studies in the American Midwest. Besides my interest in the facility and the new art equipment, I was interested in continuing my studies under the Metals Department professor who had been my mentor. My focus of study was to create jewelry by combining machine-made objects and techniques with hand-fabricated objects and techniques. I spent two years as a graduate assistant of Professor Pat Nelson and completed the program.

After my graduation in 2005, my family and I had no reason to stay in Muncie. Muncie is a small city and a very conservative environment for artists. Living there was inexpensive and convenient, but jobs were scarce and art-related jobs even more rare. We decided to move to Seattle. Seattle is known as a good environment for working artists. Galleries are everywhere and the city as a whole takes a great interest in supporting the arts. Also, I grew up by the coast in Japan and missed the ocean. In addition, there is a large Japanese population in the Pacific Northwest. It is possible to purchase most Japanese foods and books and generally live in greater comfort, culturally speaking, than in the Midwest.

I currently work as a CAD jewelry designer for an independent jeweler in Seattle. Designing jewelry with a 3-D program while working with customers to create an original design is a challenging and creative job. I am so delighted to have my present job. I am now doing the work that I love and making a living at it. My present position is not, I think, my permanent position, but a step in the right direction toward my goal of being a successful independent artist. It is important to have a vision of your goal, just like having a roadmap when you go on a journey.

During my six years of experience living in the United States, I have found that living in a foreign country has been very different from my expectations. Each country has advantages and disadvantages, and you can't really understand them until you live there for a while. I still am constantly discovering new things and realizing that I am still a foreigner here. I see Japan from the outside now, and I may not be solely Japanese any longer. The wave of globalization has washed away my nationality away.