New forms

an introduction

For me, illustration is a form of documentation. A way to archive memories, moments, and memorabilia that can live on in notebooks, napkins, hotel stationery, etc. I never end up posting much of it online because I never deem any particular illustration worth sharing due to the more rudimentary quality to most of them. I’ve also been feeling disenchanted by Instagram as of late, and TikTok always feels like its zooming by a million miles an hour. Substack has been my little pocket of zen on the internet. The longer form content forces me to slow down, think through, and digest what I’m consuming. I often find myself down a rabbit hole deeply absorbed within someone’s Substack, like a full immersion into their own little universe. When I emerge out of my “hole” I don’t find myself feeling the same icky feeling that I do with other socials. It feels like a more productive platform, where I genuinely sense more connection, and inspiration.

A little about me…

• I hate saying that I’m a multidisciplinary designer because I’ve always felt that it’s a bit too general to mean anything. But essentially, that is what I am. The most relevant titles I’ve had have been: working as an in-house brand designer, a product designer on a consumer-facing mobile app, and illustrator.

• I don’t go anywhere without my two pouches: one contains my pens/pencils and the other holds my on-the-go notebook, latest lip product, hair tie, and emergency-type-goods. A deeper dive into the former to come… but here’s a peek into the latter:

a. MD Midori notebook. The perfect portable size, smooth paper, and lay-flat! I loved the subtle artwork embossed on the cover in collaboration with Lindsay Arakawa (will be sad when I use this one up). b. Napure compact folding mirror. c. foldable hair brush. d. Eadem lip balm in Burnt Malai. e. cough drop and mini nail file. f. Midori mesh pen + tool pouch. g. hair tie. h. sample spray of Gaiac Flower by Nonfiction – always love keeping the test spritz around for a lightly scented pouch

• I hit my reading goal of 10 books last year, which was a huge feat for me. I’ve been riding off the momentum of last year, and have already finished four books this year! Here are my current in-progress reads:

On my Kindle, just finished Talking at Night by Claire Daverley, and about to begin I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

• I love to travel. A non-surprising take, is that I feel most inspired when traveling, and recently was fortunate enough to go back to Japan. I keep going back a) for the food and b) because there’s nowhere I else I feel quite the same caliber/nature of creative inspiration. It’s a culture that noticeably values the role of illustration across every facet of life. There are so many pleasant little surprises where a brand or basic experience is ameliorated by a simple illustration. Here are some examples of what I mean:

Photos taken from my recent trips to Japan

• I’m a Bay Area native, I grew up in the East Bay, lived in San Francisco for a few years post grad, and now am living in Sausalito (right across the Golden Gate in Marin). The Bay Area has changed a lot throughout my lifetime, and I’ve gone through bouts where I’ve succumbed to some of the doom spiraling. Ultimately, I love where I live. There’s an unparalleled magic to the Bay, and I have a lot of pride calling this place my home.

Home <3

That just about sums up the high level facts about me. More peeks into my sketchbook, travel diaries, and thoughts to come!

I’ll preface all my future posts by saying this now—I’m not a writer. So my posts might lean more visually heavy or a bit poorly written. Thanks for making it this far, and hope to see you around :)