STORY

AI KABASAWAのストーリー

北海道札幌市生まれ。4歳から水泳をはじめ、小6で北海道チャンピオンに輝く。腹筋は8つに割れていた。笑 強靭な体力と精神力は水泳で身についたもの。

小さい頃から絵が好きだったものの、両親に「絵で食べていけるわけがない。あんたより絵がうまい人は五万といる」と言われ、体育大学に進学。体育の先生を目指すも興味が湧かず、“お金持ちになれば幸せになれるはず！”という思いで、東京のベンチャー企業に就職。

営業職で早々に結果を出し、24歳で年収2400万円を超える成功を収めたが、トップ営業マンたちの比較競争を見て、次第に「お金だけでは幸せになれない」と感じ、結婚を機に退職を決意。

大分県別府市へ嫁ぐ。ウエディングプランナーに再就職し、働きながら平穏な日々を送るが、退屈と物足りなさを感じる。“本当の幸せとは何か？” “私は何のために生まれたのか？”という疑問が頭をよぎるようになる。

ブログを書き始めるが、思うような反応は得られず、子育てをしながら人生模索の日々が続く。ブログを通じて少しずつ絵のオーダーが入り、絵を描く楽しさを思い出す。会社を辞めて「画家」として生きる決意を固め、2016年からはカラフルでポップなだるま「ART DARUMA」を制作し、大ヒット！ ウェブショップは即完売。

勢いに乗り、抽象画制作もスタート！ プロのアーティストから「嫉妬するほどのパワーを感じる」と評価され、自信を深める。2020年には渋谷西武のポップアップショップで、7日間で4000万円近い売り上げを達成。

アート作品を表紙にしたオリジナルノートを販売し、ポルシェを購入するという大胆なチャレンジを実行。ノートは飛ぶように売れ、ポルシェを手に入れた。しかし、ポルシェを手に入れても期待していた「幸せ」は感じられず、「お金や物を持つこと＝幸せではない」と実感。

声帯溝症という難病を抱えており、カスレ声に悩んでいたが、この声を何度も褒めてくれる人たちのおかげで、「この声は、唯一無二の自分の個性なんだ」と受け入れることができ、2019年からはオリジナル曲の制作やライブ、ミュージカルにも挑戦。オリジナル楽曲は20曲以上となり、歌手・Ai Kabasawaとしての道を確立。今では、自分の声が大好きになっている。

2022年、年上の仲間たちの健康を守りたいという想いから、一念発起！ 実は、20代営業マン時代の仕事は“健康アドバイザー”だったのだ。

東京に拠点を移し、東洋医学や予防医学の知識を活かし、サプリメントを中心に健康事業をスタート。熱量高い配信でファンの健康感を底上げし、健康事業は会社のメイン事業へと成長した。

2024年、発信を始めて10年が経過。人生の棚卸しをするため、ハワイ島に長期滞在。そこで、心に纏った鎧が剥がれ落ち、ナチュラルな自分を取り戻した。

売り上げ、人気、フォロワー、見栄、プライド…そんなものに囚われなくていいんだと気づき、最も大切なものは“家族”と“仲間とのつながり”だと実感。帰国後、すぐに別府へ拠点を戻し、家族を第一に大切にしながら、やりたいことを追求していくことを決意。

2025年、身体の健康に加え、心の健康・平安を根ざすために“坐禅配信”をはじめる。さらに、自身のマルチな才能を活かして、100人のアーティストを養成する「100 ARTIST PROGRAM」を準備中！

新たな挑戦に向けて、乞うご期待！

AI KABASAWA

The Story of AI KABASAWA

Born in Sapporo, Hokkaido. AI KABASAWA started swimming at the age of 4 and became the Hokkaido champion in the 6th grade.She even had an eight-pack! Her remarkable physical and mental strength were developed through swimming.

Choosing Stability Over Passion for Art.Although she loved drawing from a young age, her parents discouraged her, saying, “You can't make a living from art. There are countless people better than you.” Following their advice, she chose to attend a physical education university.She initially aimed to become a PE teacher but quickly lost interest. Motivated by the thought, “If I become wealthy, I’ll be happy!”, she joined a venture company in Tokyo.

She excelled as a salesperson, achieving rapid success and earning over 24 million yen annually by the age of 24.However, witnessing the fierce competition among top salespeople, she gradually realized, “Money alone doesn't bring happiness.” This realization, along with her marriage, led her to make the bold decision to quit her high-paying job.

A New Chapter in Beppu, Oita Prefecture.After getting married, she moved to Beppu City in Oita Prefecture.She resumed work as a wedding planner and enjoyed peaceful days, but soon began to feel bored and unfulfilled.Questions like, “What is true happiness?”and “Why was I born?”began to haunt her.

She started writing a blog but didn't get the response she had hoped for.Days of self-discovery continued as she balanced blogging with raising her child.

Rediscovering Joy Through Art.Gradually, she began receiving small art commissions through her blog, which rekindled her love for painting.Determined to live as an “artist,” she made the bold decision to quit her job and pursue art full-time.

In 2016, she began creating colorful, pop-style daruma dolls called “ART DARUMA,”which became an instant hit! Her online shop sold out immediately. Riding this wave of success, she also started creating abstract paintings.

A professional artist once told her, “Your work has a power that makes me envious,”which greatly boosted her confidence.In 2020, her pop-up shop at Shibuya Seibu generated nearly 40 million yen in just 7 days.

A Bold Challenge: Buying a Porsche with Notebooks.She launched a bold challenge: selling original notebooks featuring her artwork to buy a Porsche.The notebooks sold rapidly, and she achieved her goal of owning a Porsche.However, despite her initial excitement, she found that owning a luxury car didn't bring the happiness she had expected.This taught her a valuable lesson: “Happiness is not found in money or possessions.”

Embracing Her Unique Voice.AI was diagnosed with a rare vocal condition called sulcus vocalis, which made her voice raspy.Initially, she struggled with self-consciousness about her voice.However, the constant compliments from others helped her realize, “This voice is my unique identity.”

In 2019, she began writing original songs, performing live, and even participating in musicals.She created over 20 original songs, establishing herself as the singer **Ai Kabasawa**.Today, she proudly embraces her voice and loves its uniqueness.

Launching a Health Business.In 2022, inspired by a desire to protect the health of her older friends, she made a bold move.Interestingly, in her 20s, she had worked as a “Health Advisor” during her sales career.She moved her base to Tokyo and leveraged her knowledge of Oriental medicine and preventive healthcare.She launched a health business centered around supplements, using her energetic online presence to raise her followers' health awareness.This health venture rapidly grew and became the company’s main revenue stream.

A Transformative Journey in Hawaii.By 2024, she had been sharing her journey online for 10 years.To reflect on her life, she took an extended stay on the Big Island of Hawaii.During her time there, she felt her emotional armor peeling away and reconnected with her authentic self.

She realized she didn't need to be bound by sales figures, popularity, followers, appearances, or pride.She came to understand that the most important things in life are “Family”and ”Connections with Friends.”Upon returning to Japan, she immediately moved back to Beppu, resolving to prioritize her family while freely pursuing her passions.

Spreading Health and Peace.In 2025, she expanded her mission to include mental health and spiritual well-being by starting “Zen Meditation Streaming.”She is also leveraging her diverse talents to launch the “100 ARTIST PROGRAM,”aimed at nurturing and inspiring 100 emerging artists.

Looking Forward to New Challenges.AI KABASAWA continues to evolve, staying true to her passions and embracing new challenges.Her journey is far from over.

Stay tuned for what's next!

AI KABASAWA