Harvard College '12
B.A. Psychology
General Assembly, '14
User Experience Design Immersive
Smartly, '17
M.B.A. (Currently Enrolled)
I've always loved to make things. It started with writing my first thirty-chapter novel when I was 13. I thought it was a good idea to make a website for my novel, so I learned a bit of HTML/CSS. Then, I decided I needed art for the book cover. I improved in art, and eventually that became my main hobby. When I was 16, I started drawing a webcomic and selling my art to commmissioners online. I have also made and sold an original artbook.
At Harvard, I took CS50, which introduced me to basic programming. Here, I realized that coding induced flow just like drawing did. At my first job at Rakuten, I joined the Smart Device team, where I coded for the mobile website. I learned JavaScript from existing code, and practiced by creating HTML prototypes for my team. I became interested in UX during this time, and I decided to take the UX course at General Assembly. I'm still learning, dabbling in business and getting better at UI design.
I love a team that is essentially a group of smart friends. I love it when we can learn from each other, have a great time, and also have the maturity to point out each other's mistakes and help one another. I am so grateful to my leader at my first job in Tokyo. He helped me into a position to use my skills and really have an impact. I look up to him, and I too want to be the kind of person who identifies others' good qualities and helps them thrive. I have been very fortunate in having good people around me, and am excited to meet more.
I've studied a lot of unrelated subjects, and am always learning something or another. I love trying to connect the dots between seemingly disparate things. (After all, isn't that what liberal arts education is for -- to be able to produce ideas at the intersections?) I think problems are great opportunities for innovation, and hope to tackle more of them!
I tend to have many side projects at a time, but here are some that are public.
Artastic Art Books help undiscovered artists find new fans by featuring their art together with those of popular artists. The first book successfully raised $7,841 on Kickstarter, and a second book is in the making. Artastic is housed under Izumy Enterprises, LLC, owned jointly by myself and my father.
Mike-san the Cat, sold in the Line Creator store. A bit of doodling on a Sunday.