We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Miki Kaneko. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Miki below.
Miki, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
I keep my creativity alive by experiencing new things and noticing how I feel. Examples of activities include watching movies, reading books, going to museums, traveling abroad, and so on. I went scuba diving for the first time recently. It was an amazing experience. I saw a whole new world and have never felt so refreshed before. If you experience new things and see things from a different angle, you will be inspired by them.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. I have loved live performances since I was a child but studied economics in university. After graduating, I started work in the entertainment industry. I dreamed both of living abroad and of building my career. I moved to Los Angeles in 2019 and started my LA life as an acting student. After finishing my program in 2020, I started acting again. After a couple of years, I left LA but didn’t want to settle down in Japan. Then I found a Game Presenter job in Malta. I thought it was perfect for me because I liked entertainment and wanted to get to know more European countries. Now I’m here in Malta, enjoying my work as a Game Presenter and traveling!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The three qualities that have been most impactful in my journey are authenticity, curiosity, and kindness.
Authenticity – When I moved to Los Angeles, I almost lost my identity. As an actor, I wanted to speak and react like an American, but my teacher said, “Don’t force it. You will change naturally as your English improves.” He saved my authenticity, and I truly appreciate it. Wherever you are, you remain who you are. Embrace your identity.
Curiosity – I always listen to my instincts and follow my curiosity when I make decisions. I lived in LA before, I live in Malta now, and I don’t know where I will be in the future. Curiosity leads you to special places.
Kindness – I always have had kind people around me. When people treat me kindly, I want to return the kindness to others. Those people pay it forward again, and the cycle of kindness continues. You should treat others how you want to be treated. Kindness improves relationships. Don’t forget to be kind to yourself as well.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
My challenge I’m currently facing is perfectionism. In my work as a Game Presenter, I care about getting a perfect score, and I think my minimum standards for myself are higher compared to other people. It’s good to push yourself in order to achieve your goals, but this pressure causes me distress. To resolve it, I’m trying to acknowledge imperfection and embrace myself. I know in my head that no one is perfect and you can’t be perfect, but it’s hard to really understand. So I’m trying to deal with it gradually. I list what I accomplished that day to make me feel more positive before going to bed and say something good to myself. That helps me a lot. You should never forget to take care of yourself first.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mik3i8/
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