Photo-Artist Arisak Creates Her Own Universe as Cool as Ice - Field, Frustrations

Hi, my name is ARISAK.

I'm a Photo-Artist.

Thanks for having me.

Check out these 5 Frames of love for me and you.

What words describe you best?

First, "photography."

"Photo-Artist" is a title I created for myself.

I'm a photographer but I'm also
the art director of my projects.

People say my ideas are pretty intense.

I have a variety of clients, such as fashion
magazines, sports brands, car brands, etc.

It doesn't matter the genre, if the job
sounds unique, I'll take it.

Also, "figure skater," which I did for about 10 years.

So,I use my skill to shoot skaters on ice.

Today, we're on set to shoot for our portfolios.

The theme is "Cyber Punk."

For the hair, let's make it spiky.
Like, really punk style.

The props are cyber style, so I think
it will all balance out well.

Together, it will all look futuristic.

Yes, so let's go with the punk style hair.

Got it.

I have a monthly digital art project.

The images I take are edited to
look like an imaginary magazine.

ARISAK produces a
photography project in
which she collaborates with unique models and
upcoming artists and is
published monthly online.

- What are you doing?

I'm trying to figure out how to make
a giant human-sized bubble.

So, the model will stand in the pool,
and there will be soap in it.

And then we'll lift the hoop... like this.
You see what I mean?

- Yes, I do.

Whoah, look at that!
-It's so cool.

This is freakin' awesome.

- You like it?

Yeah, of course!

It's amazing.

I'm very into her style and
wanted to work together.

So, when I saw she was looking for a model
for today's shoot, I was like, "Let me!"

Here, I got some laundry starch,
glycerin and liquid soap.

I'm not sure if this is gonna work.

If I fail, you can laugh at me.

LOL.

OMG!

It's amazing!
- This will work.

Yeah, wow!

Ok, time to lift it up.

Go!

Fantastic!

So cool!

It looks great!

It's really futuristic!

ARISAK is totally an artist.

She directs how to design the space
and chooses the clothes, too.

The way she works creatively is so organic.

Whenever an idea pops up in her head, she says
to me, "Hey Jiro, let's try this next time!"

So, working with her is exciting, and I can
always expect something good from it.

If it's a commissioned job, then I can't just go
300% into my own world because honestly, not every client is gonna appreciate that.

But for my self-sponsored projects,
I can go all-out, right?

So, I create those pent-up ideas
and unleash them on the world.

That's great!

Look, you've got a twin!

That looks super cool.

Look at these.
- Yeah, it's neat.

It's like from a movie.
- I like this one!

People contact me through social media.

I'm gaining more clients that way, little by little.

Even if one of my pieces doesn't
garner lots of attention online, as long as I create more, one of
them will certainly hit.

It's a wrap.

Thank you so much.
- Thank you, too.

Let's do it again!

To me, my field is...

The energy I use to live.

What kind of kid were you?

I was bad at putting my feelings into words.

When I was crying, I couldn't
describe why I was sad.

I really struggled with communication.

So, I just kept everything bottled up
inside until the feelings went away.

I didn't know why I couldn't communicate,
and I was afraid to be ostracized if I told anyone.

It was a mixture of anxiety and self-doubt.

My mom worried about me a lot.

She was afraid that I wasn't progressing
like the other kids.

One day she took me to an ice-skating school.

Apparently, I turned to her and said,
"I want to skate!"

ARISAK learned figure skating from the age of 6,
fully embracing her new passion.

When you're skating, you don't have to talk, right?

It's all about body language.

For me, it was the perfect way to express myself.

- How do you feel?

Great!
- Really?

At the age of 16,
ARISAK fell and hit her head
hard during practice.

Her 10-year figure skating
career was over.

The fall was a truly traumatic experience.

I couldn't jump anymore after the accident
so my passion for skating faded away.

I thought, "What am I without skating?"

I wasn't good at communication
nor was I smart enough.

I'd lost my tool of expression,
my personality, everything.

I felt that I was in a black hole again.

2014
ARISAK picks up
photography.

Through photography, I felt I could finally
open the door to the outside world again.

I went to visit one of my teachers
from primary school.

Long time no see!
- Indeed.

I'm already crying.

But why? Don't cry.

Thank you for coming. Thanks.

Mr. Shimura taught me the power of
communication and expression.

And even though he's not teaching at school
anymore, he educates children with his horses.

Wow, this is quite some talent!

I never thought you would turn out like this.

Me neither!

Yeah, but I knew you were just
the quiet, analyzing type.

When your classmates were in a debate,
you never joined the discussion.

Instead, you listened to everyone's opinions intently.
Then, sometimes, you'd speak up.

That's true.
- Right?

And the opinions you expressed were quite deep.
- Were they?

Yeah, everybody was impressed.

In a rarity in Japan,
Mr. Shimura’s lessons were
mostly open discussions.
This encouraged the young
students to have opinions
and share them with others.

Taking your class was a turning point for me.

By listening to what others had to say, you were
able to better form your own opinions.

Even though you were quiet, you were
learning by observation.

You're still doing that now, through
the lens of your camera.

Thinking back to you as a child, I had a feeling
that's what was going on. It all makes sense now.

You encouraged me to speak up.

It gave me courage.

Yeah, so keep at it!

I really appreciate all that you did.

Now I'm able to express myself
using photography, and your class was an integral
part of me getting here.

When I see someone blossom like you did, it makes
me so delighted to have been their teacher.

Every person and child have a power within them,
and I'm so happy you've embraced your possibilities.

Let's stay the course, together.

We'll do our best.

I might need to go to you for advice, too.

To me, frustrations are...

Chances, in a way.

There are people like me who struggle
to turn feelings into words.

And others are struggling
through hard times in life.

But these frustrating obstacles are a chance
to regroup and build a bridge to success.

Yes, everything will be alright.

That's awesome!

If not for photography, I wouldn't have met
so many amazing people like this.

I love who I am now more than before.

It's not about profit, it's about creating
something to believe in.

I love her creative style, and I've always wanted
to be a part of it. I had a great time!