Loading... Please wait...

AdAm and Hiromi

(AdAm talking) We met in 2001 shortly after 9/11. Hiromi and some
school friends were taking a tour of Boston. I was one of those cheesy
tourist trap tour photographers. Fortunately Hiromi and friends were
literally the only people taking a tour that day. So I had plenty of
time for my sales pitch and to meet Hiromi. Definitely on top of my
game that day. Sold the grossly overpriced glossy 8x10, 2 plastic
fridge magnets, and felt a spark with Hiromi. I got really lucky when
it turned out that Hiromi went to school just down the street and we
ate lunch at the same place. After many bowls of clam chowder we were
in love.

(Hiromi talking) AdAm has always been an artist, he draws all the time.
I’m not really an artist in a drawing kind of way. I have ideas and
sense of style this is what has made our partnership work. When we
first met he spent most of his free time painting colorful crazy busy
pictures of nothing. In Boston we were extremely BROKE. For dates we
did bargain hunting for vegetables/fish, walking (sometimes with dogs),
painting flower pots, and furniture shopping on Thursday nights (trash
day eve). We fell in love being crafty with our lives.

(Together) Boston was way too cold for us so we moved to Tokyo
(Hiromi’s hometown). Hiromi worked for a fashion brand doing office
management type stuff and AdAm as an illustrator/package designer. The
time in Tokyo was exciting and inspiring but we worked such long hours
there was little time for our dreams. Feeling there was something
better out there we quit our jobs, got married in a typhoon (very windy
video), and moved to Raleigh, NC (AdAm’s Hometown).  We started
Ahpeele in our apartment living room. Fast forward to 2010 and we have
a big studio with retail shop and gallery. Long hours are still the
norm but we’re together and doing what we love.