【奥田浩美ブログ】
SFプロトタイピングワークショップ
今日は、朝から晩までどっぷりと、未来を作る若者たちのエネルギーに満たされた一日でした。
経産省の「AKATSUKI」プロジェクトの一環である「全国FROGS」。そのSFプロトタイピングワークショップの熱気は、本当にすごいものでした。
私の担当は、まず午前中のトップバッターとして、基調講演「ワクワクとグラグラが未来を創る」で口火を切ること。そこからは、まさにノンストップ。若者たちは「不思議な言葉」から未来のサービスを考える「ショートショート発想法」に始まり、息つく間もなく1分ピッチ、メンターからのフィードバック、そしてチームに分かれてのグループワークと、夕方の成果発表まで、なんと5時間以上も思考と対話を続け、未来のサービスを形にしようと駆け抜けていきました。
オンラインとはいえ熱気とエネルギーの渦。チャット欄が止みません。未来への希望と野心に満ちた彼ら・彼女らと向き合っていると、私自身も心の底から揺さぶられます。
『絵本』の読み聞かせ？？
そして、私が担当した講演の、最後の5分間。
SFプロトタイピングという最先端のテーマを扱う場で、私が語ったのは…自作の『絵本』の読み聞かせでした。
なぜ、そんなアナログなことをしたのか？
私は、ずっと疑問に思っていることがあります。
小難しいカタカナを巧みに並べ立てて、もっともらしく見せるプレゼンテーション。それらは一体、どれだけ人の心を本当に動かしているのだろうか、と。
複雑な概念や難解な言葉の煙に巻いて、賢く見せることはできるかもしれません。でも、本当に大切で、心から伝えたい想いほど、子どもにも分かるくらいシンプルで、まっすぐな言葉で語れるはず。私はそう信じています。
今回、私が絵本にしたのは、まさに今、自分の情熱をすべて注ぎ込んでいるプロジェクト「TechGALA」の物語です。小手先のテクニックではなく、その根底にある想いを、一番ストレートな形で伝えてみたかった。若者たちの真剣な眼差しに、私の言葉が、物語が、少しでも届いていたらと願うばかりです。
さて、これを読んでくださっている、あなたに問います。
あなたの今の仕事、5分間の「絵本」にできますか？
その仕事の本質は、小学生にもワクワクするような物語として語れるものでしょうか。
小難しい言葉の鎧を脱ぎ捨てたとき、そこに何も残らない…なんてことは、ないですよね。
自分の仕事の「本質」と向き合う、一つの問いとして、ぜひ考えてみてください。
（ちなみに、今回の絵本の挿絵はGEMINIに描いてもらいましたが、こうなると自分で描きたくなってウズウズしてきました。新しい挑戦の始まりかもしれません）
Today was a day thoroughly saturated, from morning till night, with the energy of young people creating the future.
The excitement at the SF Prototyping Workshop for “Zenkoku FROGS,” a part of METI’s (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) “AKATSUKI” project, was truly incredible.
My role was to kick things off as the morning’s top speaker with a keynote lecture, “Waku Waku and Gura Gura Create the Future” (Excitement and Instability Create the Future). From there, it was non-stop. The young participants started with the “Short Short Idea Generation Method,” where they devised future services based on “mysterious words.” Without a moment to catch their breath, they went through one-minute pitches, feedback from mentors, and then team-based group work, finally culminating in the evening’s results presentation. They ran through more than five hours of continuous thought and dialogue, rushing to give form to future services.
Although it was held online, it was a vortex of enthusiasm and energy. The chat section never stopped. Facing these young men and women, filled with hope and ambition for the future, truly shakes me to my core.
And in the final five minutes of the lecture I was responsible for…
At an event dealing with the cutting-edge theme of SF Prototyping, what I shared was… a reading of a picture book I created myself.
Why did I do something so analog?
I have always had a question in my mind.
How much do those presentations—which skillfully string together complicated, foreign-sounding technical jargon to appear plausible—actually move people’s hearts? You might be able to appear clever by clouding things with complex concepts and difficult terminology. But I believe that the truly important feelings, the core messages we genuinely want to convey, should be expressible in language so simple and straightforward that even a child can understand it. That is what I believe.
The picture book I created this time was the story of “TechGALA,” the very project into which I am currently pouring all my passion. I wanted to convey the underlying emotion—not through superficial techniques—but in the most straightforward way possible. I can only hope that my words, and the story, reached the earnest eyes of those young people, even just a little.
Now, I ask you, the reader:
Can you turn your current job into a five-minute “picture book”?
Is the essence of your work something that can be told as an exciting story, even to an elementary school student? When you strip away the armor of complicated language, I trust there won’t be nothing left… I encourage you to use this as a question to confront the “true essence” of your work. (By the way, I had the illustrations for this picture book created by GEMINI, but now I’m itching to draw them myself. This might be the start of a new challenge!)
The Earth’s Feelings (Chikyu-chan no Kimochi) by Hiromi Okuda
The little Earth, Chikyu-chan, used to have a perfectly round, blue body and smiled happily.
The sunlight was warm and cozy, and the sea was full of colorful fish. In the forests, all sorts of animals and plants lived together peacefully.
“Oh, I’m so happy. Everyone is different, and everyone is wonderful.” The little Earth squinted its eyes happily. The greatest joy was seeing all the creatures thriving and being true to themselves. The little Earth was very proud of its excellent eyesight, which allowed it to see even the distant stars twinkling. “The universe is truly beautiful,” the little Earth murmured, gazing up at the sky.
But, then, black smoke began billowing out of buildings, and the sky gradually turned gray. “Oh dear? It’s getting hard to see my beautiful stars…” The little Earth started to feel a bit sad, wondering how it could protect the clean sky, the delicious air, and the beautiful nature.
So many things and buildings were created on its surface, and its body felt heavy somehow. “I wish I could spin around more lightly!” Is there a freer way for everyone to enjoy going out and about, a way that would make me happy too?
The little Earth was also sad about all the organs and liquids being taken out of its body. “It hurts me a little bit when everyone takes so much of things called ‘coal’ (sekitan) and ‘oil’ (sekiyu) from inside my body.” Is it possible to create new treasures, new “materials,” that would enrich everyone’s lives without hurting me?
The little Earth was also sad to see the humans fighting among themselves. The little Earth prayed in its heart: “I hope everyone can live together peacefully, recognizing and accepting each other’s differences.”
Then, the little Earth found a light of hope. It was the sight of humans joining hands, coming up with amazing new ideas and technologies to restore the little Earth’s health. “I see! Everyone is thinking about the future too!” The little Earth felt a warmth spread through its chest. “A little bit of chaos is actually interesting, because that’s when new things are born,” the little Earth said, smiling mischievously.
The little Earth felt hope when it saw the humans cooperating, developing new technologies, and trying to make the Earth better. It knew that no one technology alone could save the future, but resolved: “Let’s work together, think together, and try everything.”
The little Earth, carrying so many feelings, journeys through space, today and tomorrow. And it always wishes: that everyone living here can be true to themselves and get along well with other creatures; that they can continue gazing at the beautiful universe. “I know the hints for that future will be found right here!”
【The Festival of Technology that Paves the Way for Earth’s Future】