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'Hibi - A Crack' by Sonoko Obuchi I did not plan to write this book. It started with a feeling I could not ignore. Quiet, but persistent. I was still living my normal life. Teaching, making work, being with my family, doing everything I was supposed to do. But something felt slightly off. In Japanese, hibi can mean everyday life. It can also mean a crack. That word stayed with me. The story grew from that small shift. The kind you cannot easily explain. Nothing dramatic has

Separate Voices, One Story Recently, my child and I were interviewed by Asahi Shimbun , Japan’s largest and most influential newspaper. We were not interviewed together. We spoke separately, for ninety minutes each: My child's point of view ( Paid article in Japanese） My point of view ( Paid article in Japanese) While my child was interviewed downstairs in the living room, I waited upstairs. Two different spaces. Two different voices. One shared story. That distance mattere

This August, students across the UK received their GCSE results—and once again, I found myself reflecting on the deep flaws in the way...

I Was the Only One Trying to Draw Last month, I held my first children’s art workshop in Japan. It took place in a community centre built...

I recently had the opportunity to share my experience as a mother of a school-refusing teen in The Guardian. Our journey began in early...

Being an artist is about more than just creating art—it’s about sharing it with the world. But, as I’ve learned, showing your work in a...

Calling myself an artist comfortably for the first time... With over 15 years of experience in art and design, I feel incredibly...

Me covered in mess... My Life in Stitches is a deeply personal exploration of resilience and change, told through the medium of art. In...

This autumn, I decided to turn my living room into a gallery for my exhibition, My Life in Stitches . It was a personal and practical...