Tsunami Hee Ja is a neurodivergent artist and illustrator living and working on Kaurna land, Adelaide. She has decidedly too many pets, a tendency to take on more than she can handle at once, and crippling imposter syndrome, yet her artistic career spans two decades during which she has worked on jobs ranging from flight patches to phonics book illustrations, constantly kept on her toes by a diverse range of client briefs. Storytelling through comics has long been a comforting activity for her.
Tsunami has a genuine passion for increasing the creative confidence of young people, and is often contracted by schools, libraries and festivals to host workshops teaching children how to draw characters in her style. One of her very favourite things is changing the opinion of kids who believe they aren't artistic. She volunteers at a local youth service, running an art program once a week, encouraging creativity for social engagement and wellbeing. Tsunami is best known for her anime and manga style artwork, which has appeared in several collective exhibitions across Adelaide, as well as several solo shows. You can find out more about Tsunami on her website www.tsunamiheeja.com