Have you ever heard of decoden? It’s a trend that started in Asia in the early 2000s, a Japanese craft related to Harajuku culture in which you decorate things with a colorful, creamy glue that looks like frosting, and then stick charms to the glue before it dries. This is not a craft for children; it takes a lot of patience and precision and it is very, very messy.
The word “decoden” comes from “deco,” or decorated, and “den,” an abbreviation for “denwa,” the Japanese word for phone. I wouldn’t suggest anyone under 12-years-old try decoden, but the experts of this advanced craft are teenage girls and young women who embrace femininity with lots of hugs and kisses.
It’s an expression of “kawaii,” the Japanese word for adorable that really has no good English translation. Kawaii is an energy, a sound, a facial expression, a mood.
And in decoden, like Harajuku, more is more. More color, more joy, more parties, more ribbons and bows! More! More! More!
The effect of this abundance of cheerfulness and girlishness is, in my view — pure delight.
The craft expresses a rainbow of young-woman energy that feels like glittery unicorn balm for my soul. It’s art therapy for the pervasive hyper-masculine, aggressive mood dominating the United States and many other parts of the world now.
Of course I am not saying that young women are never aggressive, never rude or brash. I am not talking about girls vs. boys or women vs. men, a truly limiting dichotomy. I’m talking about the Eastern principles of masculine energy and feminine energy. The Yin and the Yang. The solidness of earth and the airyness of sky.
Donald Trumpism goes far beyond expressing Yang. It is also dread, fear, darkness, discipline and punishment. The world Trump is making is heavy and harsh and suffocating — the opposite of what the these young women create. They make things that are light, airy, fun, silly, beautiful, artistic, and celebratory.
This culture inspired me, but I wasn’t going to go into full Harajuku mode (yet), so I decided to try decoden. It has been a strange and sweet adventure. I bought glue on Etsy, then I tried to make it by watching YouTube videos and using silicone from Home Depot, and then I bought different glue on Amazon. All of it is difficult to work with, despite the ease displayed in the videos.
I became obsessed with slime charms and cabochons. I dipped myself in a tub of sprinkles and glitter. (No, not literally, but I’m not against it, depending on how bad things get.) I have wreaked havoc on the kitchen for days — my poor dog thinks I’m cooking, and she’s very disappointed that the stuff falling on the floor is not edible.
It has been challenging, and wonderful. It’s not a substitute for voting, organizing, donating money and hugging your friends. But it has lifted me out of the murky, heavy cloud of hopelessness that is an effective strategy and tool of the Trump Administration.
As far as the outcome, well … I’ve had some hits and some misses, but all of it has been therapeutic. Here’s an example of one my messiest and one of my neatest creations:
I plan to keep on going, to get better at it and to make things for my friends and family (so look out, everybody!)
We all need a little Art Therapy these days.