About
Gaman (我慢) is a Japanese term of Zen Buddhist origin which means "enduring the seemingly unbearable with patience and dignity". The term is generally translated as "perseverance", "patience", or "tolerance".
"It took over 50 years for me to piece together the stories, since the only time she would talk about all of the horror and atrocities was when we were eating." - Linda
Linda's mother, Kazuko Shinohara, was a young teenager during World War II in Japan. She survived starvation, being blown up, tortured, and four near misses of atomic bombings.
Many times Linda has told these horrific stories of strength, courage, bravery, and the amazing abilities humans possess... yet even after five decades has not been able to put them into print. The agony is raw and still ever present.
As a "Denshosha" (memory keeper), her passion is to keep these stories alive for others to learn from.
Linda is in the process of creating the art exhibit "Gaman" in which each of these stories will be illustrated so viewers can experience visually, and with the written and recorded word, these stories of hardship and hope.
Because of her mixed heritage of Japanese and American, Linda's art, poetry and philosophy are strongly influenced by the Japanese culture.
Linda is a mixed media artist, mostly using spray paint, recycled materials, photography, and often times food. As a Certified Mental Coach, she is an author and is a speaker on the topics of creativity, innovation, human potential, resilience, perseverance and success.
She is a member of the Asian American Women Artists Association, the Asian American Arts Alliance, the Haiku Society of America, and the International Shakuhachi Society.