The Beauty of Narrative: Told by Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson

With roots in Angwin, Pacific Union College was no stranger to ‘97 alumna and passionate children’s author and illustrator, Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson, who grew up witnessing the early-morning fog over the valley, the sound of the Paulin Hall fountain, and the winding roads adorning the hill. Having been inspired by these experiences, Fujimoto-Johnson said it was during her time at PUC that she tapped into some of her most significant and creative projects, which, to her, marked the roots she is pursuing all these years later.

In her early years, she recalls writing poetry at the tender age of six, which grounded her in a love and fond appreciation for expression. She said, “The truth is that I feel most alive when I am creating, and I have circled back to that truth many times in my life so far. But really, I create in the hopes that my work will outlive me and continue to make an impact for many years. I am committed to making space for diversity, beauty, and kindness in my work.”

Her family moved to Japan when she was nine, which exposed her to her cultural and familial roots, and her passion for writing grew while being homeschooled there. Fujimoto-Johnson returned to the United States a few years later to attend Rio Lindo Academy, and then continued her education at PUC, where she majored in international communication, French, and graphic design.

Being deeply involved in her love for writing, Fujimoto-Johnson maximized her five-year experience at PUC– studying abroad through Adventist Colleges Abroad in the Adventist University of France - Collonges, and editing both the yearbook and Campus Chronicle. A memory she holds deep, all these years later, is her multidisciplinary senior honors project, in which she translated her grandmother’s written biographies and tanka poems from Japanese to English, wrote a personal commentary, and compiled three handbound books for display. Since then, she has circled around books and publications for years, preparing to begin writing her own.

“Professors from the English, history, art, and honors departments supported me in mapping out and producing this project, which held the threads of work that are just now coming to fruition many years later,” said Fujimoto-Johnson. “I’m so grateful for the time and space to work on this project that held such deep meaning for me in my current work.”

It was at PUC that she had the opportunity to meet people who would have a lifelong impact on her, including Jeremy, her husband of almost 28 years, whom she met on campus; friends; and professors who were mentors and are now friends. Fujimoto-Johnson also reminisced about her spiritual life blossoming while on campus, as she felt grateful to have professors who allowed her to ask questions about life, God, and herself, further shaping her belief that faith is organically cultivated.

After graduating in 1997, Fujimoto-Johnson worked as an assistant editor and designer at Spectrum. These experiences instilled a deep fire in her heart to create her own books, and since then, she has been endlessly inspired by other writers and poets as she has begun to compile her own works, feeling whole as she savored the creative process.

“It is the feeling of knowing that I am doing what I was meant to do in this life. I’m deeply committed to living a creative life and to creating books that I believe should exist in the world. I believe that the stories we live and the stories we tell to children matter,” she passionately said. “Children need to see themselves in stories, and children need to see children who are unlike them in stories. This is the space in which empathy can grow.”

Fujimoto-Johnson believes that stories inform worldviews, life philosophies, and theologies that speak to who people are as human beings, and immersive and transformative experiences in the ways people choose to live.

One of her children’s books, Shell Song, was inspired by her grandfather, Shigeki Fujimoto’s experience in Japanese American incarceration camps in Hawai’i during WWII. At the time, he was a young and innocent husband and father who was mistaken for the enemy. Fujimoto-Johnson inherited her grandfather’s shell collection and incorporated it into the book's artwork, which also features color and textures from her grandmother’s wedding kimono. Her hope is to preserve and share her stories for generations to come while celebrating diversity, beauty, and kindness.

“Our lives are all stories, and we live out our stories, not as singular threads but as interwoven stories in the fabric of history. When we understand that our stories are all interwoven, we can claim our roles as both storytellers and story listeners. Stories connect us with each other, with those who came before us, and with the generations after us.”

If you are interested in reading more of Fujimoto-Johnson’s work, visit https://www.sharonfj.com/.