Imagination, Art, and Music: Finding Wonder Through Creativity

One of my favourite painters is Henri Rousseau, a self-taught French artist whose work continues to inspire me. I especially love his painting The Sleeping Gypsy. Rousseau’s style is characterised by flat, bold colours, simple shapes, and a childlike sense of wonder — often described as Primitive art.

What I find most fascinating is that, even though Rousseau never travelled outside France, he became famous for his richly detailed, dreamlike jungle scenes. His ideas came not from direct experience, but from books, botanical gardens, and his vivid imagination.

Like Rousseau, I often escape into my own fantastical world of imagination. I’ve created dialogues that a butterfly might say — such as the Mysterious Butterfly from my Fly High album — or wondered what our family’s goldfish might have been thinking. I’ve invented stories about tomatoes and cucumbers growing in the garden, imagining their conversations under the sun. Some nights, I took time to watch the stars and the moon with my stuffed animals before we all fell asleep together.

I love watching the sky and the clouds, finding the shapes of animals drifting above. I adore picture books where humans and animals are friends — or stories about animals alone.

Many of my musical compositions are inspired by imagination. During the pandemic in 2021, I imagined walking through Claude Monet’s garden — feeling the air, smelling the flowers, seeing the colours, and hearing the sounds — which led to my Imagination Canvas album. I also imagined Japanese birds meeting American birds in Los Angeles, which became Japanese Bush Warbler from Fly High.

For me, creativity has always been playful and full of wonder — a world of “What if…”. When I taught piano, I encouraged my students to create their own stories, draw pictures, and compose their own songs whenever we took a break from the lesson books. I never truly felt like a teacher; it felt as though we were exploring creativity together.

These days, when I notice self-critical thoughts, I ask myself, “What if there were an energy made only of love — what would it say?” When I shift my focus, I begin to listen to that loving voice within.

What if every leaf were a symbol of love and support?
I am deeply loved, simply because I exist.