What brings you happiness? What brings you joy? For Kristi Sakaguchi that happiness and joy looks like bright colors and fun art to share with the entire world.  What started off as a small business, evolved into a world wide venture amassing over 80 thousand followers on Instagram. From early mornings to late nights full of designing, packing, and working with her team, the life of an entrepreneur is not easy.But through passion and creativity comes success and the will to keep going for another day. 

For one Kalāheo alumna, Kristi Sakaguchi, this is a daily reality. As a business owner and artist of online kawaii merch shop– Riskit Designs, she creates designs of items and packaging the product. Sakaguchi gave insight on the journey of her business and life from the top down.  

Graduating from Hawaii Pacific University, Sakaguchi recalls being engulfed in the importance of grades going all the way back to high school. “In highschool, I was really focused on my academics,” she explained. “Even though I got where I wanted to be, there were many parts of growing into adulthood that I feel that I missed”. 

“But I would look at the art students and see their work  and be inspired by what they were doing.” Later it would be a growing passion for art and creativity that would be the inspiration for Riskit Designs. As an illustrator of Japanese / Korean descent, Sakaguchiʻs designs fuse together mixtures of modern and traditional aspects to create something that is relatable to others. Her brand Riskit Design is inspired by a mix of cultures and communities. "It's about taking risks and pushing the boundaries of the traditional status quo to show that it's truly possible to design your own life,” she told Mori Hawaii. 

Again looking back on the aspects of high school, Sakaguchi shared advice to students, especially those wanting to make art their full time career. “Overall, I wish that I focused more on my social life than being so into my grades. I want students to know that there will always be a monetary need for art and creativity. And that is what will bring you the most success in your life.”