1983
Natsumi Akaike was born in Kofu City, Yamanashi, Japan
ABOUT
A person — creating across whatever medium feels right.
I've worked as a designer for almost 20 years.
For the longest time, I ignored a tiny voice within telling me to make a living by freely creating what I want.
To be honest, design “as a job” had become a way of proving my worth by solving other people’s problems.
But design itself was never the problem.
It gave me a deep love of typography, color, space, and visual language — all of which are now part of how I express myself.
I no longer want to separate myself into neat categories like artist, designer, photographer, or creator.
I want to follow whatever feels alive in me — whether it comes out as art, words, images, movement, sound, or something I haven’t discovered yet.
I’m here to create from what feels true, and to let that keep changing.
My Story
1989
Discovered texture art in preschool through painting with paint and starch paste
1999
Discovered the internet and Home Page Builder, and became immersed in creating my own website
2000
At 17, discovered web design as a career and decided to become a designer
2004
With no web agencies in my hometown, I started my career as a jewelry designer straight out of school
2007
Landed my first job as a web designer and moved to Tokyo, spending the next 11 years at various web agencies
2018
Inspired by a quote from Milton Glaser in the DESIGNER says, I went freelance and began working fully remotely from my hometown
2021
Moved to Shizuoka during the pandemic, in search of a place where I could truly feel at peace
2023
At 40, I suddenly discovered a passion for making art
2025
Realizing that my core had always been that of an artist, I built this website and launched it on my 42nd birthday
2026
I have been working hard to remain a good web and graphic designer for as long as twenty years, But I found it hard to do.
So I decided to make a living through creation. I’m now preparing for that next chapter
To be
continued
WHAT I VALUE
-
01
Every piece is a snapshot of who I am right now.
So I follow wherever my body, mood, and desire lead me.
-
02
Seeking liberation. Creating liberation.
Because art is the ongoing process of untethering my suppressed self.
-
03
I create for myself first.
Without that pure desire, the work loses the inevitability of my touch.
When such work touches someone else, it is a beautiful serendipity.