Mike Watanabe

Where do I know you from?

You've seen me on zoom, you've seen me at art openings and startup pitches and riding my bike around town. You've seen me in comic shops and art supply stores. Maybe you've been to a drink & draw party I've hosted, and probably at my mom and dad's house once or twice.

Perhaps I should introduce myself. I'm Mike. Chief Creative Officer and very very early employee at BrainPOP. I work from Honolulu, and mentor at Blue Startups, and serve on the advisory board of MakeUsVisible and the board of trustees of the Honolulu Museum of Art. I say yes to a lot of things.

My hair is grayer now, and less predictable

Mike and an orange robot known as "Moby" give thumbs-up signs with their hands, indicating that everything is going to be all right. It should be noted that the photo was taken nearly 10 years in the past, and neither Mike nor Moby could have known what was to come. Could they have guessed? Maybe. But both are known to be wildly optimistic. Would the duo give a similar "thumbs-up" today? They might! It is impossible to say. Mike is wearing a name tag with his name on it.

And if you're here looking for BrainPOP content, here's one of me and Moby from a few years back

I've done two more series of Startup Cat for subsequent shows at Fishcake. I'll post them at a later date!

Startup Cat holds a broom, inspecting the nearly empty interior of a brick and mortar store. A "for rent" sign is visible in the window.

Startup Cat stands in front of a whiteboard displaying a graph with the Y axis showing money and the X axis showing time. A very short green line angles up into the right. The cat looks disappointed.

As startup cat receives a very important phone call, he slowly closes his laptop and stares off, wide-eyed, into the white. The series ends.

I didn't intend these to be a linear story when I made these; they were just scenes from a startup. But a story presented itself. A story always presents itself.

Startup Cat works late. Notes, papers, Kanban board, tea, moon are visible.

Startup Cat considers smashing a Maneki Neko cat piggy bank to continue to fund his enterprise. The smaller ceramic cat waves at him.

It rains on Startup Cat. Startup Cat accepts the drenching.

I put descriptions in the alt text, probably giving too much away. It's tempting to explain the intentions of characters, and a lot easier than getting their expressions just right.

Startup Cat works on his laptop at a coffee shop. He reaches for his coffee.

Startup Cat stands on the street, staring up at a tall, successful building

Startup Cat stands in front of a product comparison slide while giving a presentation into a microphone. His hand is outstretched in the classic Maneki Neko pose, beckoning investors

This is a series of drawings I made in 2019 for a Maneki Neko-themed show at Fishcake, a Kakaʻako arts venue. Maneki Neko are those ceramic cats you see in shop windows, placed for good luck in business (thread).

Well, heck, now I have to post something else

If there’s anything to be learned here, it’s got something to do with the fact that I wanted to start this post with “Guess what”

I realize this account is new, and I’m running the risk of people thinking this a cooking account, or a health food account, or something like that.

Quinoa, farro, black rice, wheat berries; cooked and mixed together

Guess what, I just cooked all the quarter-full bags of leftover grains in my pantry, and mixed them together with some chicken stock from the freezer and it turned out pretty good.

Hello there