The first thing any successful business creates, even before the business itself, is a business statement. The goal is to outline what your business is and what you intend to accomplish as a company. In the same vain, I figure my first article for this blog should be some form of mission statement for why I'm here, what the purpose is, and why you should keep listening...
The problem is, I don't truly know why I'm here. I've had the idea of starting some form of media outlet swirling in my head for years in varying different styles for varying reasons. The common thread throughout all the ideas I've had has been an overwhelming desire to create something...
My inspirations for my own voice have been formed from outlets such as The Chronicles, JuiceBoxForYou, Narita Dogfight, and Street Track Life, mostly due to their honesty. Despite being held in quite high regards, they never seem to take themselves too seriously or consider themselves of the ranks many of their listeners do. These outlets have always portrayed car culture in their own spheres how they see it, and share what's important to them, without pushing an agenda or trying to make a profit off their viewership in the predatory manor many fly-by-night outlets have done before them and continue to now...
For the direction of my personal outlet, Kotodama, the main aim is to showcase car culture through my own eye and share it with whoever may be reading. I don't necessarily believe I have any sort of special viewpoint or credentials, but I do believe in the modern era, with the death of print media and even many blogs looming due to the rise of YouTubers and quick-fix Instagram "features," there's room for another outlet for people to get their fix of something more substantial than a quick caption for a square cropped Instagram post or H2Oi burnout compilation...
My personal preference in automobiles varies greatly, but focused primarily in Japanese and German cars, especially those in the "golden years" of the 80s-early 2000s. That said, I will without a doubt be sharing much more varied content than that. From vintage racing to overlanding, I plan to share whatever I can from the often poorly represented North East corner of the United States and wherever else . I myself am Boston based but I travel as much as possible for events in order to indulge in as much of my car culture obsession as I can...
For the time being the blog as a whole will be featuring film photography I dabble with, although as the blog evolves, so will the content. Again, I don't have much of a direction so nothing is set in stone. That being said, I have been messing with digital photography and I hope in the future to use my platform to give friends and others a voice for their own art and viewpoints.
Whether I'm projecting to an audience of millions, or shouting into the void, I will be here producing content as long as I still have the drive to create.
Congrats! Can’t wait to see more content.