"We need talent that doesn't get crushed" - Professor Heinetsu discusses how to find your child's "uniqueness"

The currently ongoing art exhibition "HERALBONY Art Prize 2024 Exhibition." A talk session to commemorate the opening was held in Tokyo on Saturday, August 24th. Appearing at the event were Mr. Hirane, who has 95,000 followers on X (formerly Twitter) and has been a teacher at a "special needs school" for over 10 years, mainly for children with intellectual disabilities, and Takaya Matsuda, co-representative of HERALBONY. The moderator was Yuko Umino, editor of HERALBONY JOURNAL.

We bring you a report on the talk session, which was held on the theme of "Thinking with Professor Heinetsu about how to find your child's uniqueness."

The real thing is 5000 times better

Matsuda: I'm very excited to be able to talk with Dr. Heinetsu today. Just now, when he suddenly called out to me in the elevator hall, "My temperature is normal!", I got excited and thought, "Oh, it's this person!" (laughs).

Heinetsu: I don't usually show my face, so people will think, "This guy!" As you can see, I'm a gal, so when you post on social media, please write things like "The blonde looked great on you" or "Your red nails were cute." Please don't just say, "He was just a normal old man" (laughs)

Matsuda: Hahaha. Professor Hirane also visited the exhibition before the event.

Hirane: Yes. I saw the Grand Prix winner. It's 5000 times cooler than watching it on a screen, so I recommend seeing it in person.

Umino: First, let's take a look at Professor Hirane's works. I'd like to introduce two of the exhibited works. The artists of these two works each have a story about how a certain incident led to the emergence of their unique style.

Umino: The Grand Prix winner is Haruka Asano's "Hyouka." Painted on a 30kg rice bag, the piece has the theme of coral spawning on a full moon night. The piece was inspired by Asano's memories of being in her mother's womb, her father who is a coral researcher, and her precious parents.

Matsuda: It's a really big piece. It took seven months to make. I imagine working steadily on something so intricate for seven months, and you can really feel the weight of the time that's accumulated. In fact, this piece, along with the many corals, is filled with the artist's passionate feelings for his father, who is currently battling an illness, and "father" is hidden in the piece.

Heinetsu: Do you have a secret father?

Matsuda: That's right. If you open the rice bags a little at the bottom of the picture and take a peek, you'll find it there, like a Hidden Mickey, so please try and find it.

See the person before the words

Umino: Asano, who developed schizophrenia at the age of 20, has been in and out of hospital, fighting the disease. He started painting seriously at the age of 29. The title of his award-winning work, "Hyouka," comes from Asano's ability to release his pure emotion of wanting to be appreciated. Mr. Hirane, in your daily interactions with students at a special needs school, how do you deal with the children's desire to be appreciated and praised?

Hirane: This may not be an answer to your question, but I try to be conscious of not giving compliments easily. There are a lot of "100 compliments" out there, aren't there? I don't think it's good to memorize them all from 1 to 100. I think it's important to know that some people will be happy with those words, and some people won't.

Think about when the person in front of you wants to be praised and what words they want to be praised with. After thinking about it, there may be times when it's better not to praise. Including those, think about "how can I make this person happy?" or "what kind of feelings does this person want to receive?" I think it's important to look at the person properly.

Talent that doesn't waste talent

Umino: Thank you. Now let's take a look at the second piece. The piece I'd like to introduce is "A Herd of Whales" by Daisuke Shibuta, which won the Toyota Motor Corporation Award.

Umino: Shibuta-san started his creative endeavors thanks to his homeroom teacher in his first year of high school. Although Shibuta-san was not good at expressing himself through words, his teacher was considerate of his unique qualities of drawing pictures and writing.

As for drawing with oil-based colored pencils, his teacher praised him for his ability to draw lines without making mistakes and for the stability of his pen pressure, which is what prompted him to start using those materials. Through communication through art, Shibuta says that drawing eventually became a place of peace and solace for him.

Matsuda: There are actually many of the award winners who say that their school teachers gave them the opportunity to create. Looking back at their previous encounters, this is also the case. For example, the artist Satoru Kobayashi draws letters by connecting them together.

Matsuda: Rather, he couldn't draw normally without connecting the lines. When he was in the junior high school for disabled people, the teachers were struggling to find a way to fix that, but then one of the teachers he met in the senior high school said it was "interesting." After being encouraged to draw freely, his writing became known as "Satoru Moji," and he began to take flight in the art world. That's what happens.

Heinetsu: When I started art class, there was a girl who was extremely slow at drawing. The other kids could finish in two hours, but she couldn't even get halfway through. What's more, she used a lot of paint. To me, that seemed very inefficient. But the art teacher said, "This girl is going to think a lot and start layering her pictures, so we won't tell her about the time or paint for our convenience." In the end, she took four or five times longer than the others to complete a picture of her favorite dinosaur. And the following year, she was featured on the cover of a magazine for people with disabilities. A national newspaper.

Matsuda: Wow!

Heinetsu: I think it also relates to the question of whether to correct the "Subtle characters" or to let them be free to think they are interesting, but ideas like "no good" or "useless" and social significance are nothing more than a person's prejudice... I think we need to have talent that doesn't crush talent. That art teacher's words helped me realize that I too have a twisted, stubborn way of looking at things, that "this is useless, worthless," and it was a learning experience for me.

The reason why "Isai" was born

Umino: I felt that it was important to have a good environment to grow up in and to meet people with talents who don't crush their talents. From here, I would like to think about "uniqueness". First of all, could you tell us the definition of "uniqueness" for HERALBONY, Takaya?

Matsuda: Yes. Heralbony's mission is "Let your uniqueness shine." It is written as "different colors." Living with my brother who is four years older than me and has autism with severe intellectual disabilities, I had many questions from an early age and wanted to change the image of disabilities. Then, when I was 24, I had the opportunity to see art works by people with intellectual disabilities and I was really moved.

I was fascinated by their unique works, and the fascinating power of immersing oneself in something and repeating it over and over again.

However, when I was trying to spread the word about this, I thought, "Let intellectual disabilities out into the world." When I thought about how I could change the word to something that would make society want to take up the issue, the word that came to mind was "unique."

Heinetsu: It's not about talent, it's about color.

Matsuda: Yes. This is not a bad analogy, but if the same work is displayed in a corner of a government office alongside works by kindergarten children, or in the middle of a department store, the meaning will be a little different, and the value to the recipient will also change. If there are things that change depending on how you look at them, then I defined it as, if a great work is released into the world in a great condition, it will bring more color than just talent.

Too much spotlight on disability

Hirane: I see. Personally, I think this phrase is beautiful, and it makes a great catchphrase. On the other hand, I think it would be good if it became less conspicuous. Different colors would be accepted by society as a matter of course. I hope that there will be a mood where differences are considered normal. In order to bring about this change, I think it is important that we have the message "Show your uniqueness" now.

Matsuda: That's right. I think that nowadays, the spotlight is too strong as soon as someone is diagnosed with a disability. For people who don't have children or adults with disabilities around them, it feels like they're far away. When they are featured on TV or something, the spotlight is on them like, "Bam!"

Heinetsu: Without fear of being misunderstood, it's easy to make it into an "emotional package"... I feel uncomfortable about that. I work at a special needs school, so there are hundreds of children with disabilities when I go to work. To be honest, I can't shine the spotlight on each one of them.

Matsuda: That's certainly true.

Heinetsu: They each have their own "uniqueness," but we try not to shine too much of a spotlight on them. We just think, of course, that there are kids like this, and kids like that. Maybe they don't even think about it. That's how I feel.

How can I discover my child's uniqueness?

Umino: The next theme is "How can I find my child's uniqueness?" Dr. Hirane, how do you deal with this difficult issue when you are interacting with children on a daily basis?

Hirane: Yes. The role of a support school is to acquire techniques, skills, and wisdom, such as "solving problems," "making it possible to do things that are difficult to do," and "making it possible to do things that should be possible." This is the core, but if you focus too much on it, you tend to eliminate things that seem meaningless.

Matsuda: Even if that were possible, you would wonder what would happen next.

Hirane: Yes. But that's where their "uniqueness" lies. As a supporter, I want to help them find that balance when I interact with the children.

Matsuda: But as someone providing support, you can't just ignore what you want and keep drawing circles with a ballpoint pen...isn't that a dilemma?

Hirane: Of course, that doesn't mean you can do whatever you want. So it's really about balance. For example, "If you work hard enough on this, let's draw a black circle." I encourage them every day, being mindful of finding a compromise.

The question is, "How do you find what is unique?" Rather than seeking short-term results such as something that has social significance or earns money, I think it is good to notice the "uniqueness" in activities that a child enjoys, is happy, or feels relaxed, even if it is something that cannot be seen.

Matsuda: That's right.

Hirane: But to find that, the supporter needs to have the time. I understand the feeling of being overwhelmed when you don't have time and you need their help and they keep drawing the circle. In that sense, I think it would be good if we could create a system where adults have the mental and time to be able to do things.

Umino: I also have a 6-year-old daughter, so I know how difficult it is to have some free time. What can we do to have some free time?

Hirane: It's very difficult. To be honest, I can wait because I work. The meaning of "waiting" for us is different from that of parents. So, I find it hard to say "Please wait. Please don't take away what this child can do." With that in mind, I try to play games to change the child's mindset so that waiting becomes fun. For example, when it takes a long time to put on shoes, I try to make it a game for myself, thinking to myself that this child will surely put them on in 40 seconds. Anyway, I try to turn waiting into content for myself. I'll try to call out to them five more times, change the content of those five times in various ways, and see which reaction seems to be good. Instead of just waiting, if I'm going to wait, I try to wait in a fun way.

Matsuda: That's a good idea. Recently, my older brother has been opening and closing his car door so many times that I wonder if this is a factory for testing the durability of cars. Bang, bang, bang. My mother, my siblings, and I can wait because it's a normal sight, but other people might find it a little scary. So I think it would be good to take action to eliminate the "not knowing" so that people can wait with peace of mind.

What do adults do when their child says, "I want to be a YouTuber?"

Umino: I want to help my child develop his interests and curiosity, but I sometimes get lost in what he is good at and what extracurricular activities he should take. What can we do to ensure that we do not miss out on our child's interests and sensibilities?

Hirane: I think it's good to dig deep into what they want to do. I wrote about this in my book, but one boy said, "I want to be a YouTuber," and when I asked him why, he replied, "Because I love watching YouTube." But there's a lot of work that goes into that, isn't there? Planning, filming, editing, and so on. But that's something that kids don't see from their perspective, so they end up saying they want to be a YouTuber too easily.

So, adults can break it down for them. You can shift the focus by saying, "Maybe you could find a job watching YouTube." By digging deeper and shifting the focus, I think it would be good to help them find what they really like and what they're good at.

Matsuda: When working in a business like Heralbony, I worry that the idea that "everyone has something that shines" is becoming like a curse. When we sign contracts with artists, we have a museum curator check the work, and we create a fair environment in which the artistic value is guaranteed and the work is evaluated according to its ability, but since it's not a system in which everyone can sign a contract, I feel that there is a competitive aspect to it.

We receive many heartfelt voices saying, "Please take a look at my child's work." However, I think that if adults are too caught up in the idea that "I definitely want my child to shine" or "This child is definitely talented," the child may feel pressured. My older brother doesn't have any outstanding skills, such as drawing pictures to sign contracts, being extremely fast at calculations, or having an amazing memory. But he feels that he is living a fun life and that it is rich. I think we should share such feelings.

Free admission: 62 unique works on display until this Sunday (9/22)

HERALBONY Art Prize 2024 is the first international art award established by HERALBONY. 924 artists from 28 countries around the world, including Japan, applied, with a total of 1,973 works submitted. At the HERALBONY Art Prize 2024 Exhibition, which Hirane also saw, a total of 62 works by the Grand Prize and other award winners selected after rigorous screening by the judges, as well as 58 artists who advanced to the final round, are on display. The exhibition will run until this weekend, September 22nd. Please come and experience the energy of these unique artists firsthand.

＜Exhibition Overview＞
Exhibition title: "HERALBONY Art Prize 2024 Exhibition"
Period: Saturday, August 10th - Sunday, September 22nd, 2024
Time: 10:00-18:00
Admission: Free
Venue: Earth Garden, 1F, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation East Building (1-3-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo)

>> Click here for the special exhibition site

[Speaker profile]

A teacher who has worked at a special needs school for over 10 years, mainly for children with intellectual disabilities. His kind and slightly funny tweets about special needs education have become popular, and he has 95,000 followers on Twitter (as of August 2024). He is in charge of all departments in the elementary, middle, and high school divisions, and interacts with children and parents of a wide range of ages and needs. He is passionate about special needs education that is effective not only for children with developmental disorders or in the gray zone, but for all of humanity, such as "visual support," "breaking down the problem," "small steps," and "thinking about what is invisible." He values ​​"what kind of child is this?" regardless of the type or degree of disability, and does not use "scary teaching" that controls children through fear. He is searching for a way of working that meets the needs of children and the adults involved in "an environment that is not tiring for teachers or children. " His books include " Let's talk about difficult things in difficult everyday situations " and " How to raise a child with developmental concerns ." SNS: X (old twitter) / Instagram