yukamasamura.com
Pollinate Together, 2025. Riso, photography, poster, 11 x 17 in.
name tags and goodie bags.
Pollinate Together Workshop, 2025. 14 pollinators in the workshop!
My parents named me 優果, meaning “kind fruit” in Japanese,
hoping I would grow into someone who embraces and shares
kindness. As a child, I made crafts with my grandmother, who
shared her warmth through handmade gifts. Watching her create
and give with such thoughtfulness showed me the emotional
power of art to bring people together, sparking my own interest
in art as a powerful connector.
Rooted in nurturing, Fruit of Kindness forms meaningful
relationships through design by exploring emotions, personal growth,
and multicultural experiences with a metaphor of cross-pollination.
Pollinators transfer life between ecosystems—much
like the sharing of ideas, values, and stories across cultures and
disciplines. My cultural heritage, and love for collecting memories
inspire me to share narratives that foster empathy across com-
munities. Design is a bridge between individual and the collective,
reflecting the interconnected biosphere, where each organism
shapes its environment.
Using nature as a collaborator, I combine science, culture,
and design to create interdisciplinary solutions that speak to
both logic and heart, encouraging reflection and growth. Through
emotionally driven storytelling grounded in the natural world,
I offer new ways to engage with each other. I challenge rigid
expectations of linear success, celebrating non-traditional paths
and embracing the unique journeys each of us takes.
I hope to empower individuals—particularly multicultural
children and those facing emotional challenges—to create
meaningful change. Ultimately, my work highlights that design,
like nature, can be a space for growth, exploration, and shared
connection—fostering an ecosystem where we learn from and
support one another.