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A shining example of this is Mr. Andrew Tsukahira – CEO of CelebrAsian Inc. Andrew has taken his dream and fashioned an on-line store that, like it’s namesake, “Celebrates Asian America”.
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I do what I do because… I love it! Not only getting positive feedback on my products, but I also like the independence, being able to do something creative and, hopefully, making a difference in the community. Through the website I hope to connect people, educate them and lead them to sources that will make "Asian America" stronger. Asian descent? What nationality? Japanese American Languages spoken / Fluency level? English, baby. Have taken Spanish and Japanese, but rudimentary level at best. Plan to take more eventually. What generation are you? Half third (Sansei), half fourth (Yonsei) generation
Has the Asian culture influenced you and your life? If so, how? I think Asian culture has definitely influenced me, but in more of a subtle way. I think I have absorbed some of the niceties of Japanese culture, for instance. Politeness and humility has been ingrained in my life. So much so that sometimes it becomes somewhat of a problem. In interviews, for instance, I sometimes have trouble promoting myself to the level of some of my peers. Also, on dates, the politeness gets in the way and my "true" self may be hidden a little too much. There are also other influences that may or may not be taken positively, like guilt, wanting to not “shame” people you care about, worrying about what others think (too much), focus on education/grades, focus on money (e.g. the practicality of it), etc. Some of these may just be my family, however. Does your race signify an essential part of your self-image? Why or why not? Growing up in an environment where I was exposed to a lot of Japanese Americans, it gave me respect for the "customs" and "culture" of Japanese Americans, which is, undoubtedly different from Japanese nationals. I guess you could say that I absorbed a lot of the giving and community aspects of JAs I witnessed around me, so if that’s what you mean by my race “signifying” something, I guess it does. Also, since I can recognize JAs and I identify with them, I guess it means that my ethnicity must signify something essential about my self-image. Hmm, sorry, not a clear answer for this one.
What are your best and worst attributes? Interesting question. I think my best attribute is that I have a great imagination. This may be called a lot of other names, based on context. In business or organizationally, you could call it vision. In design you could call it creativity. In play or in jokes it could be called inventiveness. I think my worst attribute is that I’m terribly impatient. I can’t wait in lines, they make me sick. I can’t drive in traffic, I go nuts. I can’t bear the thought that my business isn’t making me enough money to retire on. I want things done and I want them done quickly. Ironically, this happens to clash a little with another problem that sometimes rears its ugly head: I’m a procrastinator. As an example, I was supposed to have this questionnaire done a long time ago and it’s just because Larry wrote me that I’m finishing it. Oh, I guess that leads to a positive though -- since I’m under the gun, I perform great under pressure. What is the most important aspect of your life and why? I think my family is the most important aspect of my life. Why? Because I think people need something to ground them. Something that no matter what happens in their lives will be stable and consistent. My family has certain traditions: we all go out to celebrate birthdays, we go on vacation nearly every summer to Mammoth (at least most of us can usually make it), we gather for the holidays, and we go to the cemetery to visit my father’s and brother’s gravesite. This stability has enabled me to devote more time, energy and money into doing things that I want to do. If you could send a message to the world, what would it be and why? To all Asian Americans: Don't be afraid to do what you want to do in life (esp. regarding career decisions). I think in a sense Asian America has built itself on a level of stability that has been passed down from generation to generation and that's seen as a positive (in many ways it is). However, the negative side of that phenomenon is that it leaves out a whole spectrum of other opportunities to be explored. I believe far too many AAs become so concerned with what their parents want or how much their friends are making or what they think is the "right" thing to do that they forsake what really moves them. Instead they become doctors, lawyers, accountants, or engineers (i.e. what is acceptable). Those careers are great for those that find these fields exciting (and believe me, I admire people who love and excel in those careers), but more people than admit to it probably do it for the stability and money (and for their parents). I think this is a mistake both from the standpoint of cheating themselves and also cheating the world. I believe to change perceptions of Asian Americans and just to personally be happier, people should seek out their passions. I'm not advocating quitting these high paying jobs immediately or jumping into anything without the proper research, but at least start researching, take classes, learn. Then act. So you earn a little less money at the start, if you love it, the money will come. Don't let yourself look back when you're old and regret not taking the chance. I believe that part of the beauty of this country is that freedom. We (as Asian Americans) can do anything we want, so let's show the world (and ourselves) that we can. Your URL? http://www.celebrasian.com People should visit my site because… (or) People who visit my site should expect… Cool products, a pretty comprehensive listing of Asian American sites and resources. Why did you start your site? I originally started it to sell and support my products. I then thought that it could be SO much more and started adding to it. My vision was and is to provide an Asian American portal so that all resources, all knowledge and all products that an Asian American could ever want could be found on my site. It’s not there yet, of course, but that’s the direction. My intention was never to visually blow people away. Some of my favorite sites aren’t like that. Take http://www.mareciless.com. Visually, a bomb. Content-wise, THE bomb! Another example? CNET and all related sites. What a tremendous benefit to the web community! Anyway, I guess I answered the question (and then some). Purpose / Motto of your site? Celebrate Asian America! I made my company and my site for Asian Americans, not to capitalize on the “Asian trend” or any of that. I wanted a place where Asians or Asian Americans could learn about, explore, take pride in, connect with, and strengthen this thing we’ve agreed to call “Asian America.”
What kind of tools do you use to create your site? How did you learn these skills? Oh, I’m a basic kind of guy. I use HTML, Java Script, Photoshop, Illustrator and some cheap graphics program that I bought on sale. Skills? What skills? I’ve learned everything from books or other people’s code. Being a computer science guy helped, but only in the Java Script stuff. What are you most proud of on your site? Why? I’m most proud of the links section. I think this affords visitors the greatest opportunity to get to know the Asian American community around them. They can look at all the great non-profit organizations, the record companies that have popped up, the celebrities that are in movies or sports, personal websites, etc. Oh, it’s just great. I wish there was something like this when I was growing up. Of course, I wish the web existed when I was growing up… What are some of the URLs of sites that you visit on a regular basis? http://www.mareciless.com
I honestly don’t visit too many on a regular basis. I do surf and search a TON though. What attracts you to these sites?
Mareciless has great content. You learn from her references to other sites, you become connected with other people through what she talks about, you learn about great deals or products, or festivals, events, TV programming. Truly, it’s amazing. Daily updates. Incredible.
Builder.com is just the best for people who build websites. Great topics, great interface.
Web Marketing Today is a great free resource and very helpful. The newsletter is also really helpful. First time on-line? Are we talking about cyber sex? Or are you asking for when I first was online? Well, I was a computer programmer, so I’m not sure which on-line you’re talking about. E-mail was in ’86, Usenet was in ’88 or so, Web was way in ’91 or ’92. Mosaic. I didn’t play with it as much as I should have. On average, how much time do you spend on-line? On average, 1-2 hours/day. Not that much compared to you guys, huh? Keep in mind that’s an average. Some days will be all day (literally), some days will be not at all.
What is your long term vs. short term goals for the site? Long term, I have many goals for the site, but the main vision is to enable Asian Americans to fully embrace their heritage and express it in a way in which they are comfortable. The key is not defining how to do that for them, but to give them access to options. Options could mean products (apparel, gifts), entertainment (music, film, tv), events (dances, benefits), organizations (nonprofit, other companies), political/social/cultural discussion, etc. So, I have big plans for the site and for the company long term. Short term, I intend to expand the product selection and to continue expanding the resources. Are there any new products / designs or surprises we can anticipate from CelebrAsian in the near future? We should have new shirts and some new Christmas cards out by Christmas! Possibly other gifts as well (like a bunch of new designs in key chains, caps, baby bibs, and more)! Who would you credit (besides yourself) for a majority of fuel for your vision to create CelebrAsian? I credit my friends. The ones that have supported me have really pumped me up. Frankly, I think the majority of Asian Americans are still conservative. They still want to do "what is right" and please their parents. That's fine for them, but what happens is that some of them also impose that on me (I also impose that on myself sometimes). This can become really discouraging. So, the ones that stick by me and push me and don't get disappointed by my occasional slips are vitally important to my psychological well-being. Also, people in community service organizations I have been in have been instrumental in giving me ideas to incorporate in my vision. What would be your advice to other 'cultural entrepreneurs' such as yourself, who are starting up, or have been in the game for a few years? My advice, and I know it's hard, is to really stay true to why and for who you really started the company. For me and CelebrAsian, it was really to impact the Asian American community, give them products that they wanted but didn't know they wanted, but more broadly, give them something to latch on to, to show the pride in their heritage or background. I think it's great if you want to make money and everything, but I think to a certain degree doing "cultural business" carries with it a level of responsibility. You have to be careful what you put out there because it will represent you and Asian Americans. Also, if you cater to mainstream America (Caucasians and other non-Asians), you run the risk of trivializing Asian culture and making it a trend with no meaning, especially to this mainstream population. What are the things you find hardest about running Celebrasian? The most gratifying? The hardest is probably delegation. Since I don't have a lot of money to throw at employing people, I rely on volunteers a lot. It turns out that many times you get what you pay for, so I end up being unsatisfied with delegating and end up doing so much by myself. The most gratifying is being able to create new products and have people spend their hard-earned income on them! To hear the compliments and the encouragement really drives me. Also, the hope that long-term, I can really affect life for Asian Americans. I am not doing this solely for money, believe me. If I was I wouldn't be doing it. Knowing what you know now (i.e. - School vs. Life Experience) would you believe someone if they told you 5-10 years ago that you would do what you do now? Yes and no. I would believe that I would have my own business but I would not in a million years imagine that I would be making and selling T-shirts and cards with an Asian American theme! |
What was it like growing up of Asian descent? Most of the time it wasn't any big deal. Of course, growing up in West Los Angeles, it may have been easier than in other areas. West L.A. always had a decent number of Japanese Americans and had a JA community (including sports leagues, churches, investment clubs, etc.) within which my family was involved. There were always cultural things to do, so I was deeply ingrained in the "Japanese American" culture (which is a blend of Japanese and American cultures). I had insecurities about being different, however, and sometimes it bothered me. It was difficult, just like some movies I’ve seen. You know, you don’t like hanging out with the FOBs or the foreign born Japanese, but you don’t quite fit in with the Caucasians. It’s that whole in-between thing. It’s kind of embarrassing to admit, but I used to always try to make sure I talked when I went into a store or something so that everyone knew that I spoke English, and without an accent.
How would you describe yourself? I hate this one. I think I would describe myself as fun loving, sarcastic, humorous, somewhat cynical, sometimes very moody, pretty intelligent, quasi athletic, half modest, creative, with a short attention span. Next question! 
What was your inspiration to step away from a 'corporate / suit' job
and found 
The idea to sell Asian-themed T-shirts isn't original, but what puts
There may be others, but I think those categories fairly cover the space. The problem is that missing from these options is the option of
style and subtlety in many cases. I designed all the T-shirts myself and tried to keep in mind the Asian mind-set of being different but subtle. Sure, I have silly shirts too (like the picture of a glass of half drunk milk with the caption, "got gas?"), but what I'm seeing is a desire to show heritage, but subtly Would you like to be featured on this site? Click here for more info.
The A-Profiler is brought to you with the extreme dedication of Jules and Larry. Their energy and work should not go unnoticed. AArisings merely houses the project while Larry and Jules are the heart, soul, and minds behind the A-Profiler.