Daily Inspiration: Meet Megumi Naganoma

Today we’d like to introduce you to Megumi Naganoma.

Hi Megumi, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, you could tell our readers some of your backstories.
*Trigger Warning: Rape and Trauma*
My art practice focuses on rape and mental health awareness, notably Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Within the first year, I was attacked and struggled a lot internally and academically. I met someone who shared their story with me, and I remember feeling immense relief knowing I was not alone, but also deep sadness for them, myself, and anyone else who was hurting. In 2014, as I approached the first anniversary of my attack, my mind became louder. As an art student, I decided to use course projects as an outlet. At first, I was private about it, but I realized I began to feel better. By the time of the first anniversary, I briefly shared what my art pieces were about. Then that summer, I was diagnosed with PTSD. I began to read more about this disorder and understand what I had been through on a deeper level – it lit a fire within me.

More and more of my work became about my pain and healing, it started to focus on statistics, and then it began to focus on the community of survivors. One in every five women is sexually assaulted in her lifetime; think about those numbers – we’re an army. The art I create is still helping me heal, but more importantly, it’s to raise awareness. Thankfully, sexual abuse and mental health have been talked about more in recent years, but we as a society still have a long way to go.

In – Rage is the validation of anger; often, victims of sexual abuse are seen as defeated, broken, sad, etc. Yes, I get sad and have PTSD, but I am also mad. I have been mad for (almost) 10 years – constantly in a rage. With that, I have directed it healthily. The feelings are valid, but it’s what we do with them. That leads to another point. I strongly believe artwork that focuses on hard topics and represents communities needs to be done with empathy. That’s why In-Rage has warning labels, and pieces are obstructed or angled intentionally so a viewer can avoid them. I want those that aren’t very informed to gain perspective and for survivors to not be triggered and know they are seen and not alone. One thing that much of my art has in common is that it has intention – I try to make each decision have meaning and carry weight. One of the metaphors I often revisit that I feel strongly about has to do with me hand-stitching my work: Each stitch takes time, healing takes time, and there are no short-cuts.

You wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been smooth?
Haha – yes, I have obstacles. I have PTSD, which means I have anxiety, depression, nightmares, etc. – and triggers that can make those happen. Other obstacles, I would say, are societal such as catcalling, rape jokes, random victim-blaming when a story is in the media, etc. I don’t feel mainly held back by them, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that it does make those moments gray. I will say that I am incredibly fortunate to be able to go about my day-to-day and have a slew of grounding techniques.

Thanks for sharing that. Can you tell us more about your work next?
Much of my work is soft sculpture, and all those pieces are hand-sewn. I also draw and have a few video pieces. Thus far, my entire practice conceptually focuses on Rape Awareness and Mental Health Awareness. I don’t see myself going in a different direction, at least any time soon. These are relevant topics, and everyone is affected by them, whether they know it or not. I am most proud of my resilience – maybe that sounds silly, but I was in a dark place and had a lot of climbing to do. Now, I am an advocate and help those that are also climbing. A special thank you to the loved ones that made the climb easier.

Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I have had a few pieces in the works, and then the world happened. By that, I mean some of my art predates the #MeToo Movement, so creating artwork about rape made the ice thinner. One of my bigger pieces became extremely political when it was never meant to be; I had already been researching rape cases in the 1990s and early 2000s. I could have thrown it out, but I took a gamble and thought maybe the political climate would settle a bit. I am not a betting woman, and that proved it. But honestly, I don’t regret going forth with it. To a degree, I get it. Rape is a hard topic to discuss, and people don’t always understand mental health, so in both cases, it can be uncomfortable, and people can get confrontational. The way I see it, though, it doesn’t get better unless we face these things.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.meguminaganoma.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megumi_naganoma/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Megumi-Naganoma-Art/100063689462802/
• Other: IG – @megumi_naganoma

Image Credits
Photos of the installed show are credited to Todd Jones, Art Gallery Director at Meredith College