MY STORY
Welcome! I am Eiko (pronounced “A-Ko”), the Founder of House of Serendipity CA. I am a photographer based in Toronto, Canada that specializes in the creation of fine art photography prints, wall art and luxury greeting cards featuring my distinctive images from the worlds of florals, nature and travel.
After 10 very challenging years in the media and entertainment industries, I decided that some changes were necessary in my professional life and I launched House of Serendipity CA with a limited number of photo greeting cards. With the goal of hoping to add some joy, light and vitality to people’s lives one product at a time and with aspirations to encourage people to celebrate and mark life’s special occasions with some style, flair and joie de vivre, House of Serendipity CA gradually expanded its product offerings to include original paper goods, photo greeting cards, image licensing products and fine art photography prints.
True to its name, the vibrant and expressive products from House of Serendipity CA are brimming with life. This passion can be seen most vividly in my photography products. My photography prints are well-known and distinguished for their ability to brim with life. I also strive to create products that are elegant, stylish and have flair.
MY PHILOSOPHY
We are a brand that strives to express itself through both the written word and visual means. As a result, I have taken the time and care to carefully curate and create products that reflect the dual working philosophies behind my company.
Having a background in media and journalism, I have always had an affinity and deep-rooted love for the written word. Letter writing was another passion of mine and with such an interest in writing, it was no surprise that I would eventually develop a fondness for stationery and paper products.
Along with my affinity for writing, I am also drawn to the creative and artistic side of life. However, while the gravitation towards the written world came naturally, my path to the visual world would take a little more time. That serendipitous moment finally came when I decided to take a trip to the Andalusian region of Spain and purchased a new camera for the trip. The only goal I had at the time was to hopefully take some souvenir worthy pictures of myself and the region. Up until then, I had barely used a camera in my life. Indeed, with a background in media and journalism, developing any kind of artistic and visual skills let alone a career in such a field was the furthest thing from my mind.
MY SPANISH JOURNEY
However, the trip to the Andalusian region of Spain totally transformed me. Indeed, it’s difficult to imagine how anyone can be immune to the magic of the region. Despite being fortunate enough to have travelled to quite a few places already in my life, I was totally unprepared for the beauty that the Andalusian region of Spain offered on so many levels: The people. The food. The architecture. The cultural treasures. The history. The region and country were unlike any place that I had ever visited before. A quick glance at its architectural treasures alone would reveal the magnitude of the historical, religious and cultural events that had taken place in the region. I was fortunate to be able to capture even just a fraction of some of the magic of the region in my pictures.
Back in my hometown and even to this day, the influence from my Spanish trip continues. There are still few things that delight me more than catching a live performance of flamenco, especially if it features one of Spain’s world class flamenco dancers. I am just fortuitous that these artists, musicians and performers have chosen to travel the globe to share and showcase their performance art with the rest of the world.
I earned my B.A. in Anthropology and Sociology from Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan.
