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What is Shizen Style?
NATURE. NATURAL. SPONTANEOUS
ShizenStyle is a guide to designing your own lifestyle of bringing nature and creativity into your modern life. Photography, Japanese garden design, etc. can all be forms of self-expression.
I explore various Japanese aesthetics like Wabi-sabi, Yugen, and Shizen and how they help balance a natural lifestyle in our busy modern world.
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Shizen (自然) is the Japanese aesthetic concept of “nature,” “naturalness” and the "spontaneous," There is a creative design and purpose behind Shizen. It is not raw nature, or wilderness, but a style with artistic intent flowing with nature.
ABOUT US
My name is Joshua Smith, PhD. and I am a photographer and small business owner. My goal is to inspire others in their search for their own Shizen lifestyle - that's a modern life filled with creativity and nature.
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I received my Master's and Doctoral degree in Cultural Sociology (Japanese Studies) from
Osaka University, in Japan.
Having lived, worked and studied in Japan for many years, this is the inspiration I draw upon for this melding of styles.
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I appreciate and explore Japanese aesthetics (like Wabi-sabi and Yugen) in my photography and videos, discussions on Japanese garden design, interior design etc.
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My family and I split our time between Buffalo, NY and Japan.
