05/08/24 - People I admire. People I chase after. - Jig Young
Dianne said that these portraits are more like love letters to my friends.
They are. I think this is the best one yet.
Niko is the samurai Musashi and Alex is the first Geisha Samurai.
I was afraid to capture Niko’s essence.
Because to capture his essence is also to attempt to capture his life partner’s essence.
I will fail to capture Alex and Niko both but I will try.
Because I love them. Because I admire them.
Because I want to be like them.
I looked for inspiration so I popped open Niko’s playlist as I write this.
The rebirth of the slick - a chill yet powerful and hypnotic playlist centered around Japanese hip-hop
That’s who Niko & Alex are.
They’re chill. They’re creativity is powerful.
Their creations are hypnotic.
They keep rebirthing themselves. They keep reinviting themselves every day.
They go from photography in the morning, to making world-class coffee & tea in the afternoon, to intoxicating cocktails in the evening.
They reinvent their menu every two weeks. They’re rebirthing themselves.
But they’re rebirthing into “slick”. I never understood what this playlist meant until I thought about it.
They’re rebirthing into something smooth and apparently effortless. That’s what mastery looks like.
Like the great samurai warrior Musashi, Niko carries many swords. He carries many tools.
He’s not afraid to change his tools and reinvent himself to deliver the right blow, the right piercing slice, the right tasting note.
Musashi was known to have killed another samurai with a paddle to catch them off guard.
He used any tool. He learned any weapon. He mastered the art of battle.
Tiuts gives me too much credit and thinks I somehow made him. He made himself. He keeps rebirthing.
I simply opened 1 door. It was all him. I opened many doors for many people. He rammed straight through.
He was my creative partner. He kept up to my pace. I kept up with his. We were in constant battle.
Two samurais besting each other in friendly competitive love.
I asked him to keep up, he asked me to be better.
I was sad when I lost Niko to the ways of the world. I called him stupid for wanting to be a Ronin.
I was sad I lost my sparring partner. I admit it. I missed my playmate.
But since rekindling our friendship with the release of their powerful concept, Ito.space, I now know the error in my ways and am beyond thankful that he became a Ronin.
It’s because it’s in his time as a Ronin that he Met Alex, where he met his true creative partner. His true creative sparring partner.
Alex didn’t only keep up with Niko. Alex made Niko better. Alex gave Niko love. Alex gave Niko’s darkness light.
She had the same learning tenacity & spirit for technical mastery that I never had — that I thought only Niko had.
They are two. I fear that a Geisha is too sexist for this imagery. Alex is a female samurai in her own right.
But I believe it. I believe she’s a Samurai Geisha. Both! This is true but mids will never understand. They don’t have the imagination.
Alex is a Geisha to Dianne and me because she makes the best tea. She serves her patrons with elegance. Her blade is grace.
Her tasting notes pierce in silence. It brings tranquility in death.
In between mastering their multiple crafts, they’re running around the world - patronizing the arts.
They’re conceptualizing new concepts — exploring the outer limits of F&B so they can break its barrier.
They’re patronizing other masters of their craft. They’re sparring with others to be better.
How many people do you know do this every day?
I only know two in my life for now - The Samurai Musashi and The Samurai Geisha.
They actively find inspiration. They actively seek inspiration. I want to be like that. I am like that now.
I’m inspired every time I see Alex and Niko. I seek them out. They make me want to be better. I want to be their friend. I am
Thank you for your friendship and for inspiring me!
P.S
I am their number 1 fan. I fucking know it. I know I’m a bigger fan than their rich client who goes every week.
I just can’t afford a weekly visit (in time and money) just yet but I love supporting my friends!
I want the whole world to know about their creativity! I want the whole world to know their power! I will be their largest megaphone!
They will find me embarrassing. They will hate the attention but I will do it because mastery deserves attention!