Author: Emilio López

こんにちは！My name is Emilio and I talk about learning Japanese! I also create Japanese-inspired clothing at https://atomicatsuki.com/.
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Atomic Atsuki: Japanese-Inspired Clothing

Kiyozumi Dera Kyoto Japan

I have been obsessed with business and entrepreneurship all my life.

From an early age I had ideas and side businesses or “hustles” so I could successfully make money to help my mom with the groceries buy Nintendo video games.

It was around when I was in my early 20s or so that my brother and I were one time joking around about “how cool it would be to sell stuff online”—and I am talking about back in the now prehistoric years of 2002-2004 or somewhere around that time!

Yikes.

Business Fail

I believe it was a few years later that I decided it was time to “play the big leagues” and went to the bank and got myself a $3,000 loan—I guess they didn’t trust this face for more!

Oh well…

I went ahead and bought a bunch of used video game consoles and with that I began my first “official” business selling them on eBay for profit. I pretty much thought this was going to be me within a few months:

Little did I know that I was not going to make a dime and it was hard as fuck to sell those pieces of junk: thank you Liquidation.com!

Thirst for More—Burritos?

In 2008 I quit my last, boring, I-ate-too-many-burritos-during-lunch-time corporate job, and with about $2,500 to my name—if my mind does not fail me, I started the business I still run today*.

The Gods have been on my side (thank you, really).

Despite all the success I’ve had, I have always had that same “it would be cool to sell (tangible) stuff online” thought in the back of my mind and it wasn’t until I began to work with eCommerce exclusively back in early 2019 that I realized it was time to make my dream a reality.

*Started as a web design company but morphed into a lot more over the years!

Enter Atomic Atsuki

I believe it was sometime around mid-2018 when I shared with my brother during one of our WhatsApp conversations about “this crazy idea” I had.

I wanted to combine my obsession with Japan and eCommerce: to create a clothing line that would emphasize on funny or irreverent designs based on Japanese culture and writing.

We call it Atomic Atsuki and it is what we are working on (here’s a preview of the homepage):

What the Future Holds

Even though I have put a lot of effort and time into what you see, Atomic Atsuki is just barely starting!

There is a lot more to do and I am working towards the company’s next goal which is to have more cool products and to connect with people who like what we are doing because that’s what it’s all about it.

さようなら！

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Japanese Kanji Calligraphy Practice

Japanese Storefront

I don’t know what it is about Japan and its language that I LOVE so much.

Whatever it is, I am—and have been for a long time—in complete fascination with it and for a while I studied a lot of Japanese, twice in the past (or what I call the “great periods of Japanese learning” [GPJL for short]: once around 2002 and a second time around 2017.

Like all Japanese language learners out there, I studied A LOT and for months and then I stopped—and yes, I have done that twice! Knowing how I approach things, I go ALL IN, I spent WAY too much time focusing on too many details, like how to write each and every kanji out there during my second wave of learning in 2017, and that ultimately wore me up.

See, I knew that knowing how to write each and every kanji I was learning was NOT the right thing to do (I should have listened to the advice I got from Niko from NativShark a few years ago).

Like a Japan native I started following on Twitter recently asserted regarding learning kanji in Japan:

My Japanese Calligraphy Practice

This post isn’t about what I did or didn’t do in the past (I will talk about that on another post as the 3rd “great period of Japanese learning” [GPJL for short] has already started!), but about a couple of calligraphy videos I recorded while I geeked out for HOURS—man, I honestly MISS those days!

So, without further ado, here there are for your enjoyment! ?

How to Write the Kanji for “Actress” in Japanese or 女優

First, let’s start with a short, short video showing you how to write the kanji for “actress” in Japanese:

How to Write the Kanji for “Love” in Japanese or 愛

Even though I practiced for SO many hours, I only recorded 2 videos from what I remember. Here’s the second one where I show how to write the kanji for “love” in Japanese:

What did you think? I think my calligraphy has improved over the past 2 years since I recorded these videos even though I have a long way to go!

さようなら！

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Lesson Learned: My BeerOwl Startup Project

Beer Glass Foam

I LOVE craft beer! BeerOwl was a project I created a few years ago sparking out of the love for this delicious drink—some wise men and women out there say it is what the Gods themselves drink!

“I have been more successful thanks to what I went through to get this thing up and running!”

The idea was to create a smartphone app to connect breweries with craft beer enthusiasts (fancy lingo for “beer nerd”) but it was easier said than done.

This gargantuan ambition of mine to create the best app for the craft beer industry took its mental toll and after a few years working on it, I decided to shelve the project.

Mental Health

Lesson Learned

I unfortunately made the mistake of not renewing the BeerOwl domain and someone else ended up buying it—way to go, dude—so this is why some of you are finding this post instead of the beautiful WordPress website I had designed. :'(

It sounds like a sad story but I have moved forward* and I learned A LOT about business and the startup world. This experience has also made me a way better entrepreneur and I have been more successful thanks to what I went through to get this thing up and running!

*I admit it would have been SWEET to have kept MY domain!

さようなら！

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Hi! I Am Ellium Effect

If Not Now When

Hello there and welcome! My name is Emilio López and I like to talk and write about a bunch of things including—but no limited to—travel, food, craft beer, anime, k-drama, languages, music, business, and humor! I also create Japanese-inspired clothing which you can check out at https://atomicatsuki.com/.

I hope to connect with all of you out there via social media! Follow me on the following platforms:

Twitter @elliumeffect
Instagram @elliumeffect
YouTube @elliumeffect
Twitch @elliumeffect
Facebook @elliumeffect
Patreon @elliumeffect
My Anime List @elliumeffect
Reddit @elliumeffect

You can also find me on Medium, Quora, Stack Exchange and Unsplash!

さようなら！