Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kevin Nakagawa. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kevin, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I went to school and graduated with an illustration degree. I did some freelance illustration work for a time but went back to what I had been doing as a part time job while in college which was rubber stamp designing and manufacturing. But, in order to do so, I had to start my own company to make it viable as a career. Being a business owner was great in that, from the creative side, I could illustrate anything that I wanted to and make it into a product. But, at times early on (usually when I was working 100+ hours/week), I did ponder what it would be like to work in a standard company with co-workers and not have to be responsible for everything that went on in the running of a small business. Overall, however, I’ve always felt that I was the luckiest person for being able to do what I loved to do as, in my particular genre of stamping, I was able to combine a lot of my interests into one entity –Stampscapes inc..

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I was an art student going to school at California State University Long Beach and specializing in illustration. During that time, I had looked for a part time job at the career center and one job was for an art rubber stamp company called A Stamp in the Hand Co. This was in 1987 and the hobby of rubber stamping was largely unknown at the time and I had never heard of it myself. I worked in production and sales for them and started designing my own line of stamps for them at one point when they found out that I could draw. Then, after about 3-4 years of working for them, my designs were the top sellers in their line including this niche modular line of nature stamps which spawned this new genre of rubber stamping called “scenic stamping”. Upon graduating with my degree, I didn’t intend on continuing in the rubber stamping field but going into commercial art. I did that for a while but I had this nagging feeling that I should investigate where that scenic stamping genre could go so I decided to start Stampscapes. What set me apart from other companies was that I specialized in this one genre and that seemed to resonate with others as most people enjoy looking at a beautiful natural location and what Stampscapes provided was a way for people to create their own scenes (locations). From an emotional standpoint, what scenic stamping can almost provide, is this transportive type of experience into those locations that we’re creating for somewhat of a “micro vacation”.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Rubber stamps are a printing/replication device. Stamps provide a quick way for the user to create a creative work whether they can draw or not. The thing that I find the most rewarding is that I can use my creativity and drawing skills to provide others with the ability to express their own creative impulses (in their stamped works) and share them with others (as most stampers are card makers and give their finished pieces away). The stamps provide the fans of the line something to look forward to using in their spare time and to always be looking forward in the spirit of creativity/learning.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I’m not a firm believer in inherent creativity. I think some might have a little more propensity for it but it’s not as much as most seem to think except for those extreme examples. Many of my peers in art school happened to be the youngest in their sibling birth order(s). So, spending a lot of time drawing as kids and into their teens was probably fine with their parents unlike what it might not have been for their older siblings where it might have been seen as frivolous and impractical -especially to make it a college major. But, by the time us babies of the family come around, those same parents might be more inclined to say “study whatever you want”. So, what I’m getting to here is that creativity is like muscle development. The more you practice at something the better you’ll probably be at it just like any endeavor. People tend to associate creativity and the arts with inherent abilities it seems more than other fields and not the time it took to, acquire/maintain/grow the skills. If people want to be more creative they can do it but it’s just a matter of if they want or have the time to invest in it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.stampscapes.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stampscapes/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Stampscapes/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-nakagawa
• Twitter: https://x.com/stampscapes
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@stampscapes