Divya Marie Kato’s Blog

Love. Peace. And other meaty words.

22nd August 2016 By divyamariekato

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes…including you” –Anne Lamott

In the mountains celebrating my love’s birthday, our second anniversary and unplugging.
Drew this as a present for our favourite place: Coco Farm & Winery. A place started in the 1950’s by a group of students, who’d been categorised as ‘underachievers’, that has grown into a world class winery. “The days of working closely with nature made the children once called intellectually handicapped into skilled farmers.” And many of them are still here. A truly beautiful place with beautiful people.

Every month we have a theme that we write on our calendar at home. This month’s theme is celebrate everything. This month, we celebrated our anniversary and my husband’s birthday on our favourite mountain.
A great man with a great heart. Full of love. (think he stores extra in his legs) We celebrated what we’re grateful for and our hopes for the future. We celebrated giving each other a chance. Our work a chance. Mostly giving practice a chance.

Then he sat on one bench and drummed.
I sat on another and drew.

He started with a beat. It built into a rhythm that sang out across the mountains.
I started with a line. It built into a drawing that played out across the page.

One beat. One line. Small ways to start and see.

Love. Peace.
BIG. WORDS.
In a big world with big issues.

So, in this month of celebrating, I celebrate the many small ways to explore and experience both.

The many ways to start and see. The many ways to keep practising.

One beat. One line. One smile at a time.

I fall and fail often. And so I keep practising.
To give that a chance. And celebrate the hell out of that.

Love, peace and practice.
Ever draws,
DMK x

Rise Retreats Japan 2016

“Stay with us and listen to the grapes grow” – Coco Farm & Winery, in the mountains of Ashikaga, Japan

Looking forward to heading out here again, with my partner, coach Sarah Furuya, for our upcoming Rise Retreat in October. For women. For one thing. To be yourself. Here in these mountains. Unplugged. Details here

“Come for the mountains, the trees and the time. Stay for the the learning, the friendships and wine.” – DMK x

Brave Work

22nd August 2016 By divyamariekato

SEF Class 2

This is brave work. There’s a deeper happiness that isn’t shiny and loud, an inner kind that fills you up; heart to head, tummy to toe. Love this work. Bearing witness. Watching it happen. Seeing unknown unfold.

Love my clients. The trust in the process and courage in seeing it through, after years and years of having never picked up a pencil, moves me. This is brave work. “Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen” – Brene Brown.

Sarah, thank you for showing up. So fully. You worked hard yesterday. I saw how deep you went and how far you reached. Our second class. Seeking. Stretching. Source. I see you. Looking forward to our retreats together. And so much more.

Big Love, Ever Draws, DMK x

Sarah: “Oh what treats we have for our retreats. I’m going through the processes, learning from the brilliant Divya and just trying everything. No “is it good or bad?” No “do I like it?” Just do the work, follow the process and make a mark. No talent required. Just take action. My head hurts because I’m going places I wouldn’t usually and because I’m thinking about the incredible paintings in galleries. I can’t even. Much much much respect to artists.”

For further information on working with Divya click here

1-1 Drawing Classes, Tokyo
Group Classes, Afrika Rose, Hiroo.
Rise Retreats for Women, Japan.
Online Course. Part 1 free. Link in bio.
Book. When in doubt, draw. Coming soon.

Celebrating New Life. Pregnancy Art.

22nd August 2016 By divyamariekato

Beautiful mama. Joanna Mary Pearce. An incredible woman who teaches meditation, prenatal yoga, crystal healing and spiritual workshops for women, who also spent two years living in India. Blessed to share a little of this magical time with her and her lovely family. Celebrating life with creativity. Otsukare for braving the heat of Japanese summer – and a big thank you to my husband for diving into bushes!

Joanna wrote a beautiful piece, about why she wanted to celebrate in this way, called Making Peace with my Belly. Open and vulnerable and about choosing to push yourself out of your comfort zone. You can read it here.

With love and thanks, DMK x

More on pregnancy art painting here

Birthday 2016. How I celebrated my 34 years.

22nd August 2016 By divyamariekato

My birthday 2016. 34 years on planet earth. Birthdays always make me reflective, so thought I’d get a few words down during my early morning drawing.

Birthday Drawing & Peace Poem 2016

I knew peace once
Long before
I could crawl
Or keep a score.

So close to Source
So far from doubt
Nothing I felt I was without.

The all you see,
Now that was me!

Wide awake
Divinity.

I knew peace once
From where I came
Long before
I had a name
Before all labels and seeking proof
Scooped up from one
Great Well of truth.

Before the school
And spools of rules
A soul that knew no bounds.

Before human twists and turns
A story’s ups and downs.

But one day
A time will come
Break itself upon your brow
Have you bend
Make you bow

To all that brought you
Here and Now.

The world cracks open
Wide once more
As it was
Once before.

Every where we look we see
Me in you
You in me:

Waving fields and lapping shores
Whispering trees, floating spores
Planets in motion
Shifting tides
So far removed from yearning strides
To have
To be
When it was always
Simply
Me.

Things we do
To prove value!

So to Success
A different kind
Leaving all thought behind
Now here, true treasure we can find
An evolution
Out of mind.

We once more dare to seek
To go
To the place we somehow know.
Remembrance embedded in our bones
Like a compass gently hones.

I know peace now
As long before
And watch in awe
Life unfold
Walk a path yet untold

Back you see
The place
The space
Where
We.
Are.
Free.

The All we are
Is not so far:
The flower
The wave
The nest.

And suddenly we see of course,

It’s all a journey
Back to Source.

With great love & thanks,
DMK x

My husband and I celebrated by the sea. Close to the sea’s music. Full moon that night. Full heart too. We talked about how we’ll move forward. What to let go of. What to start. What to invest more into. The projects that mean most to him. The projects that mean most to me.

My book, When in doubt, draw, is already a year in the making. An idea to gather together and share the best of my work, in one, place, really took off during my birthday month last year. I invested in many things; writing partners, groups, software, writing spaces and most importantly, time and a book proposal course; to learn how best to get my book out in the world. The course was created by Linda Sivertsen, aka you can read more about the book here.

When in doubt, draw

Drawing. Done Differently, an online course that I also began work on last year, grew out of wanting to share drawing with those I couldn’t see in person. I absolutely loved every part of the process and packed it full of tips, ideas and ways to access countless benefits drawing provides: relieving stress, sparking ideas, processing experiences, connecting with children, clarifying purpose, discovering new things about yourself, making changes, moving forward, expression, reflection and presence – to name but a few. Part 1’s free and yours for immediate download right here. Try it out and let me know what happens: info@divyamariekato.com

Divya’s Online Course

Drawing Classes at Afrika Rose started up because of one meeting, exactly one week before my birthday, on June 14th 2016. I came to visit the shop after hearing the founder, Megumi Hagiuda, come to speak about social entrepreneurship at a More on the Afrika Rose story and classes here I got to know the roses better by sitting on a stool in the shop and drawing them. While I was drawing, Megumi approached me and said it looked as if we were having a conversation. I told her that she was right! As she wanted to find out what the roses have to say, I started teaching her. She couldn’t believe how drawing had opened the door to so many different way s of seeing things and asked whether I could begin classes there later this year to share drawing with more people.

Rise Retreats Japan came out of mastermind sessions with my friend and creative partner, coach Sarah Furuya. We wanted to take women out of the city and into nature and combine drawing and deep work focusing on one thing: to be yourself. This retreat, in the mountains of Ashikaga, Japan, sold out quickly and we can’t wait to head out there with 8 incredible women this October. More on our retreats here

Wow. Grateful for all of this. And for another year here.

Big love, DMK x

Drawing for Peace at Afrika Rose

27th June 2016 By divyamariekato
We’re approaching summer. And I’m only too aware of being halfway into the year. Six months have passed and it’s a reflective time. Not only in terms of our carefully laid plans. Or timing. In terms of news. News that breaks your heart. Pulls on your soul.

We feel it collectively. We yearn for understanding. For healing. For peace. For love.

And so, as we prepare for the holidays, I want to share with you one way that helps. All you need is time. And a flower.

Drawing for Peace at Afrika Rose

Journey to the heart of a rose. Journey back to Source.

“Look at where you come from. How could you ever not be enough?”

Notes from my sketchbook:

Went to meet the roses, at Afrika Rose, after hearing Megumi Hagiuda’s inspiring story at our recent FEW (For Empowering Women) meeting on social entrepreneurship. Sat on a stool on the street and got to know them better by drawing. When asked about drawing, I replied:

“For peace. With so much happening in the world, it’s sometimes hard to find. We need more and more ways of cultivating inner peace, so when we open the door each day, we take it out into the world. Combat unconsciousness. Contribute to the collective. So many ways to choose from. Drawing’s one way to peace. And connection. Flowers as teachers. Each time we look, really look, we can remember where we came from. That we’re part of something so much bigger. When drawing, I recognise lines in the flower as the same lines found on my own body. It’s a true meeting. We look at each other till I don’t know where I end and they begin. And then there’s a stillness. Peace.”

And you can guess what happened next.

We sat down to draw.

Megumi: “I haven’t drawn since the third grade!”

Afrika Rose

Peace. Presence. Purposeful Business.

What’s the purpose?

Love.

Always. In all of our many, many, rich, colourful, diverse ways. If we’re disconnected it can’t come in. Got to keep plugging in. Plugging into nature. Each flower a constant reminder.

Loved every minute of time shared with Megumi and the roses. We relax. We laugh. We swap stories.

Megumi told me about her purpose and business model – a love business model – from the happy Kenyans who grow the roses to the smiles of her customers in Tokyo. 80% of the employees in Kenya are women. Through the money they earn they now have clean, filtered water and a hospital. Every person who walks into her shop in Tokyo walks out with a smile. The roses speak for themselves. She takes some of her customers to Kenya with her each year.

“People call me a social entrepreneur, but I feel I’m just doing what I want to do. We often think about the product and the price. Not enough about the people who made it. In my opinion all companies should be social companies. Donation and circulation in the business are very different. Not making a donation to them. Making them a part of it.”

Incredible story. Importing fresh roses from Kenya every week. Founder & CEO, Megumi Hagiuda, went to Kenya in 2011 to help build schools. “Would it be sustainable to just donate?” She asked herself what was the best way. Her answer was to import roses to Japan, expand the market and create job opportunities in Kenya. She started Afrika Rosa in 2012 as soon as she came back from Kenya and after 3 years of online business, has opened a store in Hiroo, where Kenyan roses are available anytime, as well as flower arrangement classes and events. Stop by and say hello.

Afrika Rose.

With peace and love.
Ever draws,
DMK x

Online Course, Classes & Retreats

Online Course
For those of you who would like to find out more about drawing for peace and discovering something new, Part 1 of my online drawing course is free for immediate download for you to try out at home. Head over here to download your free copy

Classes

For more information on drawing classes at Afrika Rose, click here for dates and details. 5 Class Course & Final Group Exhibition Party

Retreats
To work with me in person, come join one of our exclusive retreats – run with my friend and partner, Sarah Furuya, Coach, More info click here

Drawing Classes at Afrika Rose

Sarah Furuya & Divya Marie Kato Retreats & Workshops

DMK Online Course Part 1 Free

Drawing A Day For May 2016

13th June 2016 By divyamariekato

Brought back drawing a day for the month of May.

This time, an invitation to draw together:

“Draw with your kids, with friends over beers, scrawl on the newspaper, draw what’s on your mind, what’s on your plate, doodle on the phone, chalk on the street, what’s weighing heavily today, what’s got your soul ablaze, out at the park, back of the bus, in the cover of your book at school, the back of a photocopy at work…”

Deepak Chopra:

“In reality there is only one victory. The victory of consciousness.”

Happy June from Tokyo. Thank you to those of you who joined me last month. Loved seeing your drawings and hope you’ll keep exploring the space that opens up when pencil hits paper.

Wonder. Magic. Connection. All the good stuff.
For me it’s always about one thing – getting that little bit closer to that something bigger.

Saying hello. You see me in you. I see you in me. Waking up and walking up to that.

One drawing at a time.

Ever draws,

DMK x

Drawings from Drawing A Day For May 2016. To read the full write ups of each drawing, please visit my home on Instagram: @divyamariekato Click here for Divya Marie Kato on Instagram