Meet Akari Kaneshiro

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Akari Kaneshiro. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Akari, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

I believe the creatives, the artists, the feelers, are uniquely talented at transforming the deepest pains into something truly beautiful. I started modeling in the Pacific Northwest in 2010, I was 21 years old when I first started modeling, I felt too focused on school at the time and was craving a creative outlet. I yearned for a challenge. Modeling was a world I assumed would never be a place I could fit into solely because of my height. I was lucky enough to work with another freelance model who introduced me to the platform Model Mayhem. From there I was able to start networking with the photographers in the area to begin building my portfolio.
My modeling career over the last 14 years gave me a unique way to look back and view my experience surviving domestic violence. Photographs reveal how my self-esteem and self-worth was affected, as well as how my creativity fostered my own resiliency. Early in my modeling career I can see how I was becoming more comfortable in my skillset, learning how to pose and growing my own confidence in the industry. From the beginning I had a general comfort being in front of a camera, but the more photoshoots I did the easier it became to know what angles I needed to highlight or slight movements that needed to change between each camera click. I have heard the same feedback from photographers over the years, that the best models instinctively know how to make slight changes between each camera click. Looking back to my earlier shoots you can see how my confidence grew with each opportunity I had. Similar to developing other skills, practice makes perfect.
As I gained more experience in public forums, such as, on the runway, for webinars, videos for products etc. It is interesting to look back and see how my posture improved and the power facial expressions had in changing the mood of the photos.
I remember one runway show in particular that took place at the beginning of my abusive relationship. My ex and I got into a fight before the show, I had been upset he was not coming and was essentially gaslit into believing I was asking for too much. When I watch the video of that show now, I see how my posture was so different compared to previous runway shows. I look so deflated and defeated. That was my last runway show.
I moved from Washington to New Orleans after that show and it was more difficult to find opportunities to model in the south. I never stopped trying to find photographers to work with though. Modeling evolved from a hobby into a means for survival. Although modeling has historically been associated with a lot of negative body image issues and solely based on external validations, it really facilitated my own survival during seven years of abuse. My self-esteem was taking heavy blows from the abuse I was enduring but modeling provided me with a way to maintain my own identity. I was being diminished, I lost who I was incrementally over the years. I lost confidence in my appearance, my own decision making, and lost my sense of self. When I was able to model, it was very grounding to go back to those skills, focusing on fashion, makeup and creating something beautiful when internally, I felt so ugly.

Modeling was a skill that I was naturally talented at, I didn’t have to study or take lessons, I was able to use my own instincts to create beautiful art with fellow creatives. During the darkest times, times when I felt defeated. Modeling gave me moments to escape and validated my creativity. Without the expression of modeling, I wouldn’t have had the confidence, motivation, and resiliency I needed to escape.
After seven years in that relationship I had enough and made the decision to escape. I was forced to overcome every emotional, financial, and legal barrier survivors of domestic violence face. There were so many moments of deep sorrow that I can still remember so vividly. Intertwined with that sorrow there was always the urge to give up, to stop fighting. So how was the root of my resiliency growing during such a devastating storm? There was a singular part of me that has always and will always, hold onto hope. I believed that as difficult as it was to close this chapter in my life the days ahead had to be better. That even though it felt like the entire universe was against me, the light at the end of the tunnel was worth the fight. Grief, trauma and loss have been lifelong companions of mine. I believe people that carry these negative experiences, especially from a young age, inherit a natural resiliency out of survival. I also would not have made it to today without the loving support from my family and friends.
So where does my resiliency come from? My family, my friends, hope, a history of trauma, grief, loss, and a seemingly endless amount of creative energy that can’t be stifled.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

My newest passion during this new age of freedom has been poetry. I self-published my first poetry book – The Beauty in Resiliency. My therapist was the first person in my life to suggest I start writing because I love reading poems so much. Poetry really became a healing practice over this last year. It started with finding poems that so perfectly described the grief and loss I was going through. Evolving into writing my first poems that I would share with friends. I am not sure I would have kept writing without the support I received from my friends during that time. I realized my writing brought out such strong reactions from people, that maybe if I self-published I could have the same effect on others that other writers had on me. My hope was to help others going through similar situations to not feel so alone.

I will add the preface of my book here as well as one of my favorite poems:

Preface: I never thought of myself as a writer, a poet, or an artist. When I finally did start to write it was never with the intention to write a book to share my inner most thoughts with the world. It began as a first step towards survival, an attempt to heal from the pain caused by an abusive relationship. To recover from the loss of self. The more I opened up and let others read my journey, I realized my words might be able to help heal others too. That is my hope with this book. Hope that I can help lead you to brighter days filled with laughter and love. To be there in words so that even in moments of great trauma and suffering, you know that you are not alone.

Self-Portrait

She writes stories into her smiles
And hides all of her happiness in
The rare glint that shines in her eyes
She wears grief like makeup
And treats trauma like her favorite t-shirt
Full of nostalgia… and so difficult to let go of
You can even see her scars just by the way she walks…
But there are rare moments
Split seconds
When she will let you close enough to see it all
The confusing combination of a lifetime of inconsistencies…
And she wonders if you will be brave enough
To try and survive the storm

Along with poetry, I will continue to model for as long as I can. I have met so many amazing creatives over my 14 year career that I will never stop being involved in the industry whenever I have the opportunity. During a recent solo trip to Paris and Edinburgh I booked photoshoots with amazing local photographers. I am most passionate about modeling during my international trips, combining my love for travel/fashion and photography is a dream come true.
I have also started volunteering with the Seattle Theatre Group, the Seattle Symphony as well as major music events and conventions like Sakura-con, and Bumbershoot. I am a clinical social worker by background and wanted to give back to a community I love. The performance arts and music are a major part of my life and I am so thankful I can volunteer now and support in any way I can.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

The first area of knowledge that has served me well is my work as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). This fancy acronym indicates I have a clinical license that took 4 years of post-Master’s degree work to get. Social work is my full-time career that I have poured my life into. I come from a family of caretakers, my father is a pediatric nurse practitioner and my mother is a licensed clinical social worker. Growing up with a family of healers I discovered my own passion to heal as well. My focus in medical social work is rooted in both of my parents’ chosen careers. I spent a lot of time in the hospital setting with my father growing up, I still remember practicing how to intubate infants for a class he was teaching at the University of Washington. When I started classes at South Puget Sound Community College back in 2009, the only class I felt truly passionate about was Sociology. My core values of acceptance, compassion and care aligned naturally with social work. My teacher incited such a deep motivation within me to help others and change the world for the better. Starting with the study of systems theory and person in environment, focusing on how larger interconnected systems, such as communities, families and societies impact individuals well-being. I decided to do the mental health track and my first job was at the state psychiatric hospital. For many years I worked in the hospital setting providing case management to clients going through the most difficult medical hardships of their lives. I worked in the emergency department, the intensive care unit, the neonatal intensive care unit, telemetry and medical/surgical. My clinical history honed my communication skills and gave me a unique understanding of human behavior. The modeling industry is heavily based on networking, my social work skills really helped me develop a strong network of support over these last 14 years.

The second quality that impacts my journey is my tenacity. I was always drawn to the fashion industry but lived under the assumption I was too short to model. I was able to connect with an amazing community of artists, photographers and designers in the Seattle area, whom I still work with 14 years later. The more I heard “you’re too short” from modeling agencies, it motivated me to keep reaching higher.

By sticking with it I was able to get chosen for multiple RAW runway shows with local designers. As well as getting connected with Gary Manuel Salons and their amazing runway shows, I was able to model at Bellevue Fashion Week, standing at a very tall 5’3”. I learned quickly that the presence and confidence I needed to be successful as a model had nothing to do with my height. Being tenacious and motivated by being told “no” by the majority helped me develop my skills and presence with my own power of diversity, by focusing on what sets me apart from the rest instead of trying to fit into a mold of something I am not. I am a firm believer that everyone can and should model. There is untapped beauty in diversity.

The third skill that impacted my journey was my creative talent. My natural instincts direct my body and facial expressions during photoshoots to tell a story without having to say any words. I am most drawn to editorial style street photography because they have the most dramatic styling. It has felt empowering to bring drama and thought provoking storytelling to seemingly average locations like parking garages.

For the social workers, my advice would be to remember to take care of yourself first. The social work industry is prone to burnout and exhaustion because we are a community of caretakers. It feels selfish sometimes, but you have to put yourself first. You can’t save the world if you don’t prioritize your own self-care.
For the models, find comfort in your own beauty. It was difficult for me not to compare myself to others, even though I work to fight it, I engage in negative self-talk to this day. Whether it is feeling too short, getting older, or feeling ordinary, I get caught in those familiar loops from time to time. It can be difficult to move past and focus on the positive, but my resilience and tenacity help me hang in there. When I get stuck, I remind myself there is beauty in being unique so I am able to move out of that rut of feeling ordinary. So, harness all of your uniqueness and artistry and let them shine in your photos. You will be amazed by how much your body language shifts when you feel comfortable and confident.
For the writers, just write. Your story is important. Everyone should write their story. If not for yourself, for others because we all have something to learn from each other. Through my career, I am lucky to hear life stories from so many different walks of life and I have grown because of it. No matter what you write or how you write it, it is a deeply healing process to get it out there.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

I am always looking for photographers to shoot with! Literally worldwide because I travel as much as possible. I look to tell a story through the more editorial styles, the artists that have something more unusual and eye-catching to draw you in. Feel free to contact me through instagram: akachankana as well as email too: [email protected]

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/akachankana/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/akachankaneshiro/

Image Credits

Brittsmith Photography
Altin Muharremi
Alfie Goodrich
Christograph3r
Vera Pashkevich