Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Matsushita-Beal.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Amy. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born and raised in Los Angeles, and like most illustrators, I was “the artist of the class” in grade school. I suppose it was only natural that I ended up attending an art high school and an art college. As much as I loved being in LA, having lived with my parents all my life, I felt like I needed to prove to myself I could survive away from them, and also travel some while I was still young. Which brings me to where I am now, a freelance illustrator based in Tokyo, Japan. I’m half Japanese so the majority of my mom’s side of the family lives just four hours away from me; so the move hasn’t been as daunting as moving to a foreign country would have been, but it is still a big jump. I’d like to think I’m doing pretty well on my own.
Has it been a smooth road?
I’ve been extremely fortunate in that my parents have been supportive of me in all aspects of my life. Unlike some of my peers who struggled to convince their parents to allow them to attend art school, for me it felt like a given to be able to go. I am always grateful to them for helping me take on the financial burden that is Art School before any of us were even sure what being an illustrator entailed.
After moving to Japan, my worries have shifted a bit. Where in Los Angeles I felt relatively comfortable being an out member of the LGBT+ community, here, I feel like I’ve taken a step back into the closet. As a teenager, I distinctly remember relatable content made by LGBT+ artists and writers being very important to accepting and understanding more about myself. As an adult and an image creator, I find it important and also exciting to support the next generation in the same way. While I am still trying to find a way to balance between risking my work and financial safety and creating that content, as I grow as a professional illustrator and Japan grows as a more accepting environment, I feel myself getting closer and closer to my goals.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
As a freelance illustrator and designer, I am open to taking on a range of different kinds of jobs, but most of my current clients are magazines and newspapers. To clarify, most of the time I am sent an article and asked to create an image that would intelligently summarize the article in an interesting way. While my main goal is always to fulfill the needs of the client and make visually appealing pieces, I also do my best to always think of how I can use my art to support and send love to marginalized people. From LGBT+ to disabled people to people of color, I believe it is important to see positive and normalized representation. I suppose this consciousness, along with the clients that I’ve had the good fortune of being able to work with, are the aspects of my work I am most proud of. That said, I still have a long way to go. I look forward to being able to work with more of my dream clients and, of course, better supporting the people I care about.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
The great thing about freelance illustration is that, with the advent of the internet, it can be done from anywhere. I would mostly recommend starting in Los Angeles to those who are more interested in animation, as many studios are based there.
If you had to start over, what would you have done differently?
I feel so privileged and satisfied with where I am in life, I wouldn’t have done anything differently.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://amymatsushitabeal.com/
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colorshelf/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/colorshelf
Image Credit:
Portrait photo by Lia Sato
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