Painter, Illustrator and Comic Artist Sketch pads and easels had no place in Matteo Ceccarinis life until the day he stepped into a bookstore near the University of Florence and saw an ad from a local magazine seeking comic artists. Something elemental clicked into place, and the bookish computer science major abandoned his studies for a life of drawing. In 2008, Matteo won two Kodansha Awards for his work as an illustrator and comic artist—the first non-Asian in history to do so—and last September garnered another huge honor in Europe, taking the ENI Award for Best Emerging Artist of the Year back home in Italy. After creating content for Shogakukan, he is now taking commissions from major Japanese firms such as PASONA for his paintings. Everybody can be an artist, Matteo says, because basically being an artist means discovering a truer yourself through being passionate about what you do, whether youre a musician, a chef, a scientist or otherwise. tedxtokyo.com About TEDx, x = independently organized event In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self