I have always admired those individuals who, despite having adversity placed upon them, still have the motivation and determination to continue and progress through life, no matter how hard it becomes.
Margate resident, Mia Watanabe, 32, is one such individual, discovering that she has suffered from bipolar and ADHD from an early age. She has worked as an artist, a health practitioner, an urban farmer, a barista and a waste management supervisor, to list just five of the many jobs Mia has had in her working life.
In 2012, she opted out of a university degree and used her savings from working as a part-time waitress in Redcliffe’s Jetty Cafe to travel to Europe and the United Kingdom, where she continued working in a variety of jobs. Continuing her travels, she worked in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Indonesia, always seeking the reason for her mental imbalance.
Professional Growth and Passion Projects
In 2018, back in Australia, she became a Zero Waste supervisor, managing a team of 30 people. Although the work was challenging, she loved it and in 2019 became a Lead Urban Farmer with a company named Farmwall. Here, she learned about and then hosted workshops on how to cultivate microgreens, as well as on permaculture and raw food cooking. In 2021, she studied and qualified in the ancient holistic Hawaiian body massage skill of Kahuna, which she now practises at Vibe Wellness, Margate.
Her continued passion for urban food production and aquaponics has prompted her to develop workshops on these subjects so that she can show Redcliffians how to produce fresh nutritious food in their own homes. She is an acknowledged visual artist, having recently sold 30 of her artworks for a handsome sum. Wishing to pass on this creativity to others, she is currently working in Gabrielle Turnbull’s Art So Lively Art Academy, where she is learning the skills involved with teaching art to children.
Mia has a simple life philosophy: ‘Love is loving yourself enough that you can give and receive that love to and from others.’
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