Lessons from the Yuba Pot
— The Finitude of Creative Energy and the Value of Silence —
A lesson encountered over a steaming pot of “Yuba.”
Recently, at a dinner, I encountered Yuba-nabe (Tofu Skin Hot Pot). For those unfamiliar: a square pot is filled with soy milk and gently heated over a low flame. As the heat works its magic, a thin, delicate film forms on the surface. This is Yuba. You gently lift it with a bamboo skewer and savor it.
It is a delicate experience. However, I noticed something. The first few sheets burst with the rich, pure sweetness of the soybean. But by the fourth or fifth sheet, the flavor begins to decline. Perhaps as the soy milk boils down, a certain bitterness takes over, and that initial, noble fragrance vanishes. The supreme umami of Yuba exists only in those first few sheets—where the nutrients of the soybean bind to the surface in their purest form.
先日、会食の席で「湯葉鍋（ゆばなべ）」に出会った。
四角い鍋に並々と満たされた豆乳を、弱火で静かに温める料理。熱によって表層に凝固した薄い膜（湯葉）を、竹串などでそっと引き上げて食す、繊細な趣向である。 最初数枚は芳醇な大豆の甘みが広がるのに、四枚目、五枚目と進むにつれ、どうも味が落ちていく。湯葉として至上の旨味を湛えているのは、大豆の栄養がもっとも純粋な形で表層に結びつく、最初の数枚だけなのだ。
The “Dregs” of Creation.
Watching this, it occurred to me that creation follows the same structure. If we view the overflowing soy milk as “ideas” or “creative energy,” then the exquisite Yuba harvested from it represents a handful of finely selected works. Everything after that is merely a “Yuba-like substance” forcibly peeled from a liquid that has lost its concentration. In form, it looks the same. In reality, it is nothing but “dregs”—a product tainted by the bitterness of the creator’s soul, lacking any true beauty.
I often see people making grand New Year’s resolutions: “I’ll post on social media every day!” or “I’ll update YouTube daily!” As a Structurer, I must say: that is a precarious vow to make.
創作における「出がらし」の正体
並々と満ちた豆乳を「アイデア」や「創作エネルギー」とするならば、そこから生まれる極上の湯葉とは、一握りの精選された作品のことである。あとは、濃度を失った液体から無理やり引き剥がした「湯葉らしきもの」――。創作者の魂の苦味が混じった、およそ美しさに欠ける産物だ。 「SNSへ毎日投稿します！」「YouTubeを毎日更新します！」と高らかに宣言する者をよく見かける。だが、構造家として言わせてもらえば、それは実に危うい宣言である。
The Scorched Pot of “Daily Posting.”
Is not the act of creation the process of slowly heating accumulated ideas and skimming the slight “essence” that rises to the surface? Focusing solely on the volume of output is equivalent to relentlessly boiling a pot of diluted dregs. The result is far from art; it is merely a “bitterness” that forces the audience to endure something neither worth seeing nor hearing.
To gather ideas and store energy, absolute “time” is required. Walking the streets, observing, reflecting, waiting for the light at a shoot. Only when the source of creation is sufficiently replenished should you slowly begin to heat the pot. Only then should you offer the world your finest Yuba—your finest work.
「毎日投稿」という名の、焦げ付く鍋
創作とは、蓄積されたアイデアをじっくりと熱し、その表層に浮かび上がった僅かな「本質」をすくい取る行為ではないか。 アイデアを溜め、エネルギーを蓄えるには、絶対的な「時間」が必要なのだ。日々街を歩き、観察し、考察し、撮影地で光を待つ。そうして創作の源泉が充分に満たされた時を見計らい、ゆっくりと結実した、最良の湯葉（作品）だけを世に問うべきなのである。
Professionalism and the Choice of Silence.
For the past six months, I completely stopped updating my YouTube channel. Not only that, I hardly developed any of my fine art photography. I shot occasionally, but even that was perhaps once a month at most. Why? Because every drop of my creative energy—my “soy milk”—was directed toward my primary profession: Sound Design.
Arriving at work earlier than anyone, weaving sounds in the silence. At night, I ate, bathed, and simply slept to replenish energy for the next day. In such a life, it might not have been impossible to squeeze out a photo or a video during the limited hours of the weekend with an exhausted body and mind. But without a doubt, it would have been a “bitter Yuba.” It would not have been something fit to serve to others. That is why I chose to “go all-in” on my main profession.
Human expressive energy is finite. It is not an inexhaustible spring. Because I know this all too well through years of activity, I chose to pour 100% of my energy into my professional work. “Shoot every day! Post every day!” Creation is not that simple. Rather than stacking up 365 mediocre works, one should pour their passion into creating a single piece of true value.
By the way—what happens when you keep heating a Yuba pot until it’s empty? Nothing remains but the foul stench of a scorched pot.
プロフェッショナリズムと、沈黙の選択
私はこの半年間、YouTubeの更新を完全に止めていた。なぜなら、私の創作エネルギー（豆乳）のすべては、本業であるサウンドデザインへと向けられていたからだ。 週末の限られた時間に、疲弊しきった心身で写真や動画をひねり出すことは、間違いなく「苦味の強い湯葉」になったはずだ。到底、人様に供せるようなものではない。人間が持つ表現のエネルギーは、有限である。 「毎日撮影！ 毎日投稿！」 創作活動とは、そんな単純なものではない。365枚の平凡な作品を積み上げるより、たった一枚、本当に価値ある作品を創り上げることに情熱を注ぐべきなのではないだろうか。 ところで。 湯葉鍋を、空になるまで熱し続けるとどうなるか。 そこには、ただ焦げ付いた鍋が放つ、不快な悪臭が残るだけである。
I am a Structurer.
