Artist Harumo Sato Turns Tragedy into Talent
Photo credit: Lanny Nguyen
Harumo Sato is a Japanese painter, illustrator, and muralist. Her remarkable tale began in January 2011 when her arm suddenly got swollen, losing all sense of it. Being paralyzed, over 30 doctors were seen but no medical professional was able to diagnose the problem. Instead, she was warned her condition would continue so she should be prepared to be disabled. With hope looking dim, Harmuo met with a designer who could not move half of his body caused by a stroke. He took her in as an apprentice, teaching her basic techniques to create art while learning how to use her body again. "Art was rehabilitation. Art may not always cure sickness but there's strong power in art and it gives positive energy to many people" Harumo explained.
Photo credit: Lanny Nguyen.
Photo credit: Lanny Nguyen
Harumo left her office job and continued rehabilitation. Although it was difficult to live a normal life, she appreciated it after experiencing the Tohoku earthquake in March 2011. She lived near Fukushima, a city housing a nuclear plant which exploded due to the earthquake. Instead of pitying herself for getting sick and experiencing the tragic disaster, she felt powerless for not being able to help the people around her. The eye-opening experience changed her perspective in life and she became grateful for what she had, even her physical condition. Her optimistic outlook with her new body helped diminish previous beliefs of art not being a career option due to the stereotype that art cannot provide enough money to live off of. Art was life saving and always gave her energy to live. It was a good enough reason to leave her family and home and move to the United States in 2013 to pursue art. Through education and dedication, Harumo refined her art skills. The result of the hard work paid off: getting multiple interviews, being featured on Content Magazine, and winning Content Emerging Artist for 2020 Silicon Valley Laureates.
Photo credit: Lanny Nguyen
Harumo's work is displayed in various locations in the South Bay area, Texas schools, and a mural mosaic in Washington DC. Her visual images are used to communicate with people, "For public art, it brings happy energy to the site so the place will be energized; people would be proud of living in that area and have (a sense of) community." Her artwork has a positive connotation and personal paintings are inspired by her daily life. Recently she started experimenting with clay work, exploring the combination of sculpture and painting. In the near future, she hopes to create a 12 foot clay structure with her new skills. Harumo's desire to think outside the box stems from the advice she received from her teacher when she began her artistic path. "Just try it out rather than think and eventually you'll figure out what you want to do". She advises picking five options and trying each option for a few months with 100% effort everyday and if it doesn't speak to you, move on to the next one. She explained, "if you think you're not good at doing it, try it for a year in every way and decide if it's not fitting for you. (For example) draw a box 365 days - is it true if you can't draw a box or not?" Harumo believes each artist has core values and as long as they're honest with what they create, it'll be shared with other people's values and bridge a connection between the artist and viewer through the art. For individuals who are unsure of their career, she states each person has their own talent and contributes their talent to make the society better. "It's a journey and you need to enjoy it.”