Today we’d like to introduce you to Yumi Sakugawa.
Yumi, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I am a second-generation Japanese-Okinawan-American comic book artist and illustrator based in Los Angeles. I was born and raised in Orange County, and as an introverted, painfully shy kid, writing and drawing from my imagination was my way to express my voice in the most authentic way. Having struggled with depression during most of my teens and early adulthood, I tend to gravitate towards stories that explore mental illness, self-care, mindfulness, and meditation but through a surreal, futuristic, and cosmic perspective that hopefully makes these topics playful and intuitive and magical for my readers.
I discovered meditation during a low point of my mental health in my early twenties when I was working abroad in Japan after graduating from art school and having no idea what to do with my life. Now that I have been meditating for almost a decade now, I can’t imagine making art or living life without it. Two of my books are about meditation, and I have also lead guided meditation rituals for connecting with ancestral spirits and made interactive art installations that inspire audiences to meditate with me.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I create comics, illustrate and write my own books, and draw. Every so often, I do meditative ceremonial performances and create multimedia art installations. No matter what the medium, what is most important to me is to create a safe space where people can be vulnerable and open to their own experiences and stories, and hopefully feel a sense of mindful, cosmic healing. I want to remind people of their own inherent divine nature and how we are all one interconnected energetic field.
Artists face many challenges, but what do you feel is the most pressing among them?
I don’t know, I feel like, at the end of the day, every artist is their own worst enemy and every day is a challenge to stay inspired and disciplined to create no matter what is going on in the world or their own lives.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
The easiest way to see and support my work is to buy my published books in independent bookstores and businesses. You can also find me on Instagram for my latest news and events.
Contact Info:
- Website: Yumisakugawa.com
- Instagram: @yumisakugawa
- Facebook: Facebook.com/yumiverse
- Twitter: @yumisakugawa
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