Insect Repellent and the Stars

It is the smell of a certain kind of insect repellent that takes me to the stars. It takes me back more than ten years; takes me to a riverbank kilometres away from home. I was there in a place just outside of some cabins, surrounded by strangers that accompanied me on that rusty old bus that took us there. It was the place where all that was familiar were my sketchbook, my flashlight, and myself. No buzzing and no troublesome bites – it was only the serenades of distant crickets and the laughter of unfamiliar children from metres away. On those few Spring nights, I lay alone.

THERE WAS ONCE A YELLOW HOUSE

One of the places on Earth that I felt about most fondly was the house placed at 23 Dudley Avenue. The address still exists, and you can find it right now if you wanted, but know that the house there now has nothing to do with me. Our old house wasn’t two-storied, nor was it so boxy and sleek. Instead, it was amusingly “L” shaped, and dressed in soft, cheerful yellow panelling. 

It was nearly the end of 2009’s Winter when my family and I started living in that yellow house. Especially for me, this was very exciting. We’d only just come from somewhere a couple of flights away, and for the first time in a while, we stayed at a house that was ours – as in “just for us” – meaning we were relieved of the concern of having anyone else around. 

I live by myself. Metaphors for the imagination.

You live alone. But, at the same time, you are also constantly in the presence of your loved ones. How is this possible?

First, you still are being sheltered under your parents’ roof, enjoying their company. You’re also not the type who coops up in your room for much of your day. But still, you live alone. If not your home where you physically spend most of your life, where do you live? The answer is easy. 

Where you live is in your mind.

Writing and Composition: Daisuke Amaya’s Cave Story (2004) and its impact on my life as an artist

Introduction

Throughout my life, I have always been interested in hobbies that involve expressing my creativity. Due to this, it would be inevitable that I would seek other art in all forms for inspiration such as visual art, literature and music. I have appreciated all sorts of creative media including many forms of visual art, literary works, and music. However, of all the art that I have experienced, the one that would inspire me the most would be in the form of a video game, being Daisuke “Pixel” Amaya’s solo project Cave Story (2004).