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What is Shizen Style?
NATURAL. MODERN. CREATIVE
ShizenStyle is a guide to designing your own lifestyle of bringing nature and creativity into your modern life. Photography, Japanese garden design, and home décor and interior design 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.
