Education is Freedom
Paulo Friere
Starting Point: 1979 ~ 1996
by Hayao Miyazaki
“I think my films are not inside my head, but are in a space above my head. The films already exist. It sounds impressive when I say I’m being creative, but that’s not what’s really going on. There is only a single best solution given the combination of my present abilities and the objective conditions in which I am placed…My work consists of nothing more than discovering how I can get as close to that direction as possible. The relationship is not one of me creating the film, but rather of the film forcing me to create it.”
The power of imagination is no more on splendid display than through the unforgettable collection of animated films produced by Studio Ghibli. Hayao Miyazaki has had a role in personally producing, directing, writing and animating these movies; expertly layered with emotional depth, and handrawn with Hayao’s signature passion and tenacity.
His unrelentless love for storytelling awakens a hidden world within us, our mind’s eye submersed in fantastical surroundings that paradoxically feel grounded and ‘real’. As such, it is Hayao’s unwavering devotion to his creative (he would say, divine) vision that pulls us in and has a way of quietly speaking to our subconscious dreams and desires that oftentimes lie dormant throughout our everyday lives.
His deep love and respect for Nature is an ever prominent undercurrent that admirably flows through his works, the thematic expression of which portraying ourselves not as separate or distinct from it, but a unique expression of it. Conveying this fundamental truth in such an entertaining way through the relatable experiences and emotions of his characters frees us from the often inept moralisation that the natural world needs saving from human affairs, but rather that humans need to realign themsleves with the natural and inherent rhythms of nature if we are to live in harmony and, indeed, thrive.
Starting Point elucidates Hayao’s own journey in mastering his thoughts and ideas, and provides insight into precisley how he developed his skills to embrace his destiny and start bringing these creations to life. Reading this collection of interviews and musings, you will come to understand, among other things, the greater motivation behind seemingly insignificant creative choices that mysteriously linger and make a home in our hearts forever.