Why is it that some works, the moment you see them, you immediately know they were “not made casually”? Over these years of creating paper carving art, I have found myself thinking more and more about one thing. 

Even though they are all works, why is it that some things are forgotten after just one glance, while some works make you stop and look at them carefully for a long time? Afterwards, I realized that the real difference is actually not only whether the craftsmanship is good or not. It is about how serious the creator truly is.

Did they really spend time studying the details?
Did they truly place their thoughts into the work?
Did they genuinely take seriously the thing they created with their own hands?

Because there are some works where, with just one look, you can tell that it is not simply “completed.” But that someone truly created it with great care. Only then can a work with its own soul truly stay in people’s memories.

Sometimes I ask myself: “If the logo were removed, would customers still recognize this as a Kamicarv work?” This question is actually very important. Because if your work looks almost the same as everything else in the market, then why must customers choose you? Just because it is slightly cheaper? Or slightly faster? If those are the only things left, then the work will very easily become just another “product.” But what we have always hoped for is that what Kamicarv creates is not merely a product. But a piece that will be collected, remembered, and even many years later, when seen again, will still carry feelings and beautiful memories. That is why I have always cared deeply about the “details” of a work.

Why do we spend so much time adjusting colors?
Why do we continuously study the layering of paper?
Why am I even willing to repeatedly test the changes in the shine of gold leaf and burnishing foil?

Because in the end, all these things become the “character” of the work. Just like between people. Truly refined things are not necessarily the most expensive, but rather, you can feel that: “It was made with care.”

Sometimes I also like to quietly hide meanings, blessings, and even emotions inside the work. Some details may not be noticed by customers immediately. But when one day they truly notice them, the feeling becomes very different. Because they will know that this is not something made on an assembly line. But something that someone genuinely spent time and emotion to complete.

I have always felt that the truly fascinating part of art is not showing off techniques. It is whether it carries warmth. Whether it allows people to feel: “So there are still people willing to do one thing seriously.”

This world does not actually lack products. What it lacks are people who are willing to slow down and create seriously. So even until today, my team and I still insist on one thing: We do not want to only create things that “can sell.” What we want even more is to create something that, many years later, when customers see the piece again, they still cannot bear to throw it away. Because truly valuable works have never been valuable simply because they are expensive.

【It is because they have been given meaning.】

( Translated from the original Chinese text )

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