Ten to Maru Logo Art Series NEWSPAPER This piece is inspired by the international movement "Project Semicolon"—a symbol for people who have experienced personal struggles, representing the choice to continue their story rather than end it. The background is crafted using an actual newspaper published on the artist's birth date, featuring headlines from a pivotal historical moment as the Vietnam War era shifted. Combined with the mindful breathing philosophy of Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh and the Japanese punctuation marks 「、」 (comma/ten) and 「。」 (period/maru), this artwork bridges personal history, global movements, and the present moment. In Japanese, "Ten to Maru" carries a double meaning: "Points and Circles" (punctuation), and "Ten, Tomaru" (a point where you pause and breathe). - "Maru (。)" represents the end of a sentence—and the inevitable end that will one day come to us all. - "Ten (、)" is the moment to pause, take a breath, and remain in the present moment. Not to erase past pain, but to carry it and take the next step forward. Part of the Light Up Project. ─── [ Light Up Project ] "Toward a world without conflict." Light Up is a creative project expressing ideas through music, art, words, photography, and outfits. We don't create this world by changing others, but by noticing the light that already exists within ourselves. When something moves us, a light turns on. This artwork is one piece of that journey, created as an icon and a gentle switch to light up your daily space. ─── Ten to Maru Logo Art Series NEWSPAPER (Newspaper Edition · Ten to Maru) Inspired by "Project Semicolon"—an international movement and symbol of the will to continue one's story for those who have faced great personal struggles—this logo artwork brings together the Japanese punctuation marks「、」(ten/comma) and「。」(maru/period). The artist sought out and acquired an actual newspaper from the day they were born. The headlines captured a moment when history was shifting dramatically—the waning era of the Vietnam War. That imagery was then deconstructed and rebuilt using AI, forming the textured background of this piece. A deep encounter with the teachings of Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh—his philosophy of returning, breath by breath, to the present moment—brought everything into alignment: history, philosophy, and the artist's own path converging into a single line. "Ten to Maru" holds two meanings in Japanese. The first: 点と丸 (ten to maru)—the comma (、) and the period (。) as punctuation marks. The second: 点、止まる (ten, tomaru)—a point at which you stop, and breathe. "Maru (。)" is the end of a sentence—a symbol of the death that will, without exception, come for us all. "Ten (、)" is the moment of pause, the intake of breath. Not to forget or resolve past wounds and memories, but to hold them fully and, from right here, right now, draw the next breath and begin a new step forward. Part of the Light Up Project. ─── [ About the Light Up Project ] "Toward a world without conflict." The Light Up Project is a creative endeavor that gives form to ideas through music, art, words, photography, fashion, and more. The world doesn't change by changing others—it begins to change when we notice the light that already exists within ourselves. When something moves your heart, a small light switches on. This artwork is one form born along that journey: an icon, and a gentle switch to illuminate the emotions within you in the spaces of your everyday life.