Words and Paints by Arteusse https://padlet.com/arteusse/works Creative-wanna-be jumbled, super raw thoughts of passion and love. en-us 2022-05-08 12:42:35 UTC 2023-07-02 12:38:28 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-uploads.storage.googleapis.com/1690771681/7b825eaf49bfec8d929bb2d28676f797/flower_girl_bluesque_1x1.jpg Music of the Moment arteusse https://padlet.com/arteusse/works/wish/2174399828 I discovered my attraction to classical (and diversely, instrumental) music since 13, when I listened to an album of a neo-classical-inspired singer and got so attached with its instrumental Intro and its songs' musical parts. But my love towards instrumental music might go down deeper than that, in the end it's all about loving the entirety of the different aspects of stage and dancing performances, and music is only one of them - but that will be another long story.

I guess I'd love to update my music-to-go - pieces I'd listen on countless repeat at a certain period of time until I move on to another ones - whenever I feel like I have majorly refreshed my repetitive playlist. Disclaimer that I have had soo many groups of music of the moment long before this, maybe I'd like to bring those back anytime later. :)

1. Eshkeri: Nureyev


X. ]]> 2022-05-08 13:06:39 UTC https://padlet.com/arteusse/works/wish/2174399828 A Journey to Hanyuism arteusse https://padlet.com/arteusse/works/wish/2194346602 Holy f*ck
This clip finally clears my memories on how I decided to follow his career.
Exactly because of this program, at this competition.

My first encounter with him (as like with lots of other people) is of course Pyeongchang 2018, someone in my IG Story posted his Parisienne Walkways Sochi 2014 photo with a congratulation to Hanyu winning in Pyeongchang.

HOWEVER
I got turned off by his Chopin, NOT because of his skating but the fact that they chopped Ballade no. 1 into an unrecognizable piece! Thought me. But that really ruined my enjoyment so I stop, didn't even bother to check his skating.

I also DUMBLY thought he's not from Japan, because his name is Hanyu and I feel like that's more of a Chinese name (because Han Yu means Chinese characters), so maybe a guy from Central Asia because 'Yuzuru'? And I wouldn't think of Japan as an 'ice-skating country' (how more wrong can I be)but maybe the people from Central Asia who have lots of cold weather. LMAOOO pardon and screw my ignorance.

(to be fair, I believe Hanyu is not a common surname in Japan)

Out of šŸ¤¬ nowhere, due to boredom or in search of distraction, months later (Oct or Nov I think?) I decided to randomly search about him. Then browsed through Youtube, etcetera.

Short story: and I got sucked into the black hole and never come back.

Long story:
I can't even remember what's my first video of him. But once I started, I seemed to just CAN'T STOP looking for another. I even watched his appearances in TV shows, and f*ck, how endearing he is as a person! But what bought me the most, as a glory lover that I am, was his video of compilations of him breaking 10 (or 12?) world records with their Kiss & Cry reactions. I thought, d*mn, how out of this world and confidently humble this person is.

Some first impressions and feelings I only vaguely remember:
  • still got turned off by Chopin because I was still bothered by the music cuts. (how dumb could I be, that is his most beautiful and perfect short program of all time (a tie with Rondo Capriccioso).)
  • watched young Romeo (Worlds '12), absolutely iconic step sequence out-of-nowhere fall), thinking how awesome the program is (didn't know he's f*cking 17 there.) Reading through the comments to find out he's asthmatic and has a serious one. So f*ck, he's incredible despite that out of breath ending.
  • Parisienne Walkways Sochi 2014, awesome suaveness, neat program, but most importantly, his Kiss & Cry reactions and "first ever to break 100 points"
  • why the hell there isn't a good footage of Prince short program?? (Turns out because the music is copyrighted by Youtube)
  • watched Pyeongchang 2018 Notte Stellata and cried shitless because wow... wow... that was PEAK beauty. (Some time later it was brought into my attention that the program is 'controversially girly' to some people. I will have my personal story of experience later)

The rest are fun times until one day...
I encountered Grand Prix Helsinki 2018's Short Program OtoƱal (at that time I don't know nor care when this was skated, no context understood). Wow, blue prince on ice with a beautiful program that broke yet another world record.

Next, I landed into THIS PROGRAM IN THE TWEET which was OtoƱal in Rostelecom Cup 2018.

And I thought: That's it. That's THE program.

I REPEATED IT TIMES AND TIMES AND TIMES. I decided that I HAVE to find the best footage of this exact program and DOWNLOAD it with the bestest quality so I can own it all the time.
The next day I downloaded it and the rest is history.

Between that time though, of course I searched for his other performances in 2018, watched Helsinki's Origin (free skate) with ZERO knowledge that he was injured in Rostelecom EXACTLY that day.

The next 2 days I found out about everything: I watched his press conference post-free skating, his medal ceremony the day after where he was wearing crutches to walk to the podium, and THEN the footage of him falling off a quad (loop) jump, hence breaking his ankle during practice before the free skate schedule (f*ck.). I was beyond fascinated with how he reacted as understanding hit him that his ankle was f*cked. With a content warning, I suggest you watch it yourself how he was able to think through multiple urgent plan Bs on the spot to score gold.

Because my first skating experience was him, it was really devastating to find out that a lot of other men (especially post-Pyeongchang) don't have the level of technique and perfection that he executed regularly. He became my standard and it really ruined your experience to enjoy skating as whole, for good or bad...

To this day, the only thing that makes me stay in the figure skating fandom is him. Waiting anxiously for a program he skate is ALWAYS worth it, because he will ALWAYS meet our expectations to skate the best that he can.
]]> 2022-05-22 07:46:58 UTC https://padlet.com/arteusse/works/wish/2194346602 Growing Flowers arteusse https://padlet.com/arteusse/works/wish/2195657957
I feel like this is an important root that gives me the will to start all over again, so here's a lengthy post of sincere gratitude.

I dedicate this drawing to Yuzuru Hanyu - for giving me the energy to being able to bloom again - in my arts, my creations.

Knowing Yuzu changed my view of life; I haven't touched art anymore since my high school and college years but because I discovered him, the ethereal beauty of his performances pushed me hard to grab a pencil and just. Get inspired and start sketching.

So many times I wrote that he makes me believe in dreams again, after years of no direction of where I want to go, what I want to be - losing all the creative side and the passion in it. I used to draw and write a LOT of fantasies and fictions before I was 15.

I don't even remember how I lost ALL of it after. My days revolved around short term targets and aiming towards... I don't know... unfulfilling achievements? I progressed but I found no meaning it it.

In 2018 I found Yuzu and, of course, it's not an immediate influence. But I found myself being able to "fantasize" once again. In 2020, I finally restarted making art, simple as it may be. But I did. Started that first rough sketch of anything in my mind.

I think, now most of my works are heavily inspired by him - even indirectly, might be through his programs, his words of wisdom, his program music. His performances build others; this, I want to thank him for making me able to express myself again.]]> 2022-05-23 10:30:20 UTC https://padlet.com/arteusse/works/wish/2195657957 arteusse https://padlet.com/arteusse/works/wish/2252033652 Just wanna let this out as this is an important thing to understand but Hanyu is the product of a loving, model family.

Of course, who the heck knows what's inside everyone's family except its own member, but as Hanyu repeatedly expressed, that "with his complete family he can be the doting little brother again" when he came back to Japan as the pandemic began.

He was not forced to continue skating. No one in his family judged him for bringing a plush toy everywhere, for idolizing Johnny Weir, for wearing 'girly' costumes - in fact it was his mother who made that 'strawberry' costume when he was 15 years old. No one judged him for his seemingly ridiculous dream of winning TWO consecutive Olympic gold medals, when he was still 9, when the only Asian man to ever medal is only one bronze.

A strong mother who said "Let's fix your skates," only days after the great earthquake disaster, when Hanyu himself doubted whether it's okay for him to continue skating. The mother who knocked every possible door so that he could continue his training so as not to get left behind in the field when his main rink was closed due to damage.

A mother who laughed and said to the coach, "That's okay, that's just the way he is," when little Yuzuru was acting exaggeratedly as if he was a main character.

An educated teacher father who taught him "education first, skating goes hand-in-hand," the father who helped his son in his stretching exercises daily.

A sister and a big family who make use of not even a single drip of public attention despite his crazy popularity, supporting him silently in the background. A family who accepts the way he is.

A person's personality is a product of many people and facets, but most importantly, the close ones.

This also brings another important anchor for his career: his first coaches.

Imagine having a first coach who taught you foundations with the WRONG technique. There you have the real example: Mao Asada, Shoma Uno. Because once it's etched into the muscle memory, it will be so hard to repair in your entire life.

Also important is the role of Tsuzuki-sensei, the very perfectionist coach who taught every skater he coached to dream the impossible - very much in line with Hanyu's line of thought. Also the man who taught beautiful, pure technique - especially in jumps takeoffs. The idea of jumping The Ideal Quad Axel is the product of his coaching.

He never ever forgets the privilege and unconditional support he receives from everyone, and that's why he is the person that he is now.]]> 2022-07-30 09:37:50 UTC https://padlet.com/arteusse/works/wish/2252033652