Creating the Intersection of Creation and Life / TSG Creative-LAB. Phase 3 DAY 1 Lab Joint Kickoff

On January 18, 2026, we held a joint kickoff event for the third cohort of Creative-LAB. at the Tokyo Innovation Base (TiB) in Yurakucho.Creative-LAB. is a two-month inquiry- and practice-based program operated by the NPO ETIC. and ASIBA in collaboration with Tokyo Startup Gateway (TSG).

Creative Lab. – Creating is living.

Let’s Get Our Hands Dirty Right Away

The theme was “Creating Is Living.” Rather than
simply being a place to learn skills, participants began working with their hands, starting from the question of how they want to live their lives. It was a day that laid the foundation for the two-month program.

We kicked things off with “WANKOSOBA,” a lightning-fast self-introduction

The first activity was the “WANKOSOBA” 60-second self-introduction.
Participants split into groups of three or four and took turns sharing their names, affiliations, what they’ve done so far, and what they’d like to try over the next two months.

The session really came alive during the time we spent sharing our “LIFE GRAPH” and “MY COMPASS,” which we had prepared in advance. We listed at least five turning points in our lives and reflected on the struggles we faced at the time and what helped us bounce back.

Looking at the tables during the workshop, I could see each person’s unique, bumpy journey—the kind that wouldn’t appear on a polished resume—visualized right there on the paper.Later, as we shared the journeys we’d written down, people nodded deeply in agreement with others’ stories, and laughter broke out as people said, “I get it—that might be me too,” and I could feel the atmosphere in the room becoming more relaxed.

In everyday life, we rarely have the opportunity to reflect so carefully on our own lives or listen to the stories of others, do we? By writing, participants reaffirmed the connection between their past and present, and by listening, they recognized how someone else’s turning points and moments of uncertainty overlapped with their own.

Incidentally, this process of moving back and forth between introspection and sharing is a practice that parallels the studio-based education in design and architecture, where students repeatedly engage in creation and dialogue in response to questions with no single correct answer.

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In the second half of the session, we worked on creating “GOAL SKETCHES” in preparation for the public project fair scheduled for March 15.

Ultimately, in what form will we present this to the public?
Will it be an exhibition, an experiential event, a sale, or a performance?

We asked participants to produce as much output as possible based on what they could envision at the moment, even if the details weren’t yet concrete. In terms of giving shape to ideas while they’re still in a rough stage, this approach is similar to prototyping.

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The sketches were posted on boards, and using a “silent gallery” format, participants walked around viewing others’ sketches and attaching comments on sticky notes. It was impressive to see everyone so intently examining the sketches and carefully reading the comments they received.

There is no “right answer” to this exercise. The goal was simply to visualize the contours of who they are right now.

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At the end of the program, we were also introduced to “MEs,” a 3D digital collaboration tool.

We briefly learned how to place images on the platform provided within MEs, and were assigned homework to arrange images representing the things that have influenced us.

https://note.com/o_mes/n/n8b9de36b4a44

The Reason for Creating a Intersection Between Making and Living

Regarding the design of these workshops, Nihei made the following remarks at the beginning:

“I strongly feel a disconnect between the world of creation and the world of living, and I created this program in the hope that it would become a space where these two worlds intersect smoothly.”

The act of “creating” can, before you know it, become an activity confined solely to one’s inner world. It remains locked away in one’s heart or studio—never shown to anyone, never released until it is perfect.

On the other hand, activities and work directed toward society can sometimes proceed without connecting to one’s own self-expression. By prioritizing the roles and results expected of us, the sense of “Why am I doing this?” gradually fades.

Neither of these situations is unusual. For this session, we asked participants to share their personal “way of living” through LIFE GRAPH and to reflect on “creating” through GOAL SKETCH. I felt that the intersection—the very point this lab aims to create—emerges when participants move back and forth between “living” and “creating” while sharing them with others.

In this way, Creative-LAB. seeks to confront the state where “creating” and “living” pass each other by without intersecting, and aims to be the place where these two worlds—or paths—intersect.

Trying a Slight Shift with a New Medium

The first direction presented that day was to “try expressing your own worldview through a new medium.” It meant deliberately letting go, for a moment, of the forms we’ve grown accustomed to. For example,

an artist who has been painting might try their hand at a workshop format
reimagining something originally built as an app within the space of an exhibition
Someone who has written prose might try designing a space for dialogue

By changing mediums in this way, elements that were previously invisible—or values you hadn’t even realized you possessed—can come to light.
This practice isn’t limited to art or design; it applies to any field where thinking tends to become fixed.

Reaching Out to Society

The second direction involves sharing this work with society and receiving feedback. The goal here is not merely to receive evaluation.

Someone stops and listens to what you have to say. They ask questions. You receive perspectives you hadn’t anticipated. Through such interactions, your own thoughts may shift slightly, or you might gain insight into what you’d like to try next. The moments when
creating connects with the act of living may lie within these small exchanges.

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A Place Where Works-in-Progress Meet

Creative-LAB. is not a venue for showcasing finished works. Rather, it is a place where works-in-progress meet. Ideas that haven’t quite been put into words yet, vague concepts, or feelings you don’t want to let go of. We set these things out into the open, just a little bit. Someone who sees them sheds light on them from a different angle. Through that exchange, the next step becomes clear.

An intersection isn’t a place where finished works collide; it’s a place where works still in progress pass each other and blend together.
It’s a place you can simply pass through, but if you consciously pause there, it’s also a place where you might notice the existence of another path you hadn’t seen before.

I myself have observed many different settings over the years. In most cases, people first try to be “proper” or “respectable.” They seek to define themselves through titles, achievements, and a clear sense of identity. It’s almost as if they believe they have no value unless they can state how many milestones they’ve reached or where their destination lies.It might be a kind of anxiety stemming from the feeling that one must prove “who one is.” While that in itself is natural, I believe the Creative-LAB. intersection became a place where, by sharing the process itself, people could temporarily accept themselves as they are along the way—and have others accept them as well.

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Finally

The final project fair is scheduled for March 15. It’s the day when each participant will present to the public what they’ve been working on over the past two months.No one knows yet what form these presentations will take. But it’s okay if some ideas haven’t taken shape yet or haven’t been put into words. This isn’t a place to bring finished, “correct” answers; it’s a place where you can freely share your trial-and-error process, even when it’s still too early to put it into words.

First, let’s try throwing our unformed ideas out into the world. That’s the kind of two-month journey we’re about to embark on.

Creative-LAB. Joint Kickoff
Creative-LAB. provides experimental learning opportunities and a space for dialogue for young people and students (approximately ages 15–25) interested in creative fields such as architecture, design, and art.With the goal of “confronting the questions within oneself about ‘why we create’ while shaping one’s own ‘way of life,’” this community offers, for a limited two-month period, mentoring opportunities with young creators; workshops designed to broaden perspectives and refine questions; and a series of lectures by young creators who pose their own questions and put them into practice.
Details:
Date & Time: January 18 (Sun), 1:30 PM–5:30 PM
; Venue: Tokyo Innovation Base (TiB)
; Format: In-person
; Organizer: Creative-LAB. (TSG Community)