Dialogues Log

Vivian: Okay, so first question, could you please introduce yourself and then also any sort of like, freelance work or anything you're doing right now…what jobs you have…stuff like that? 

Ire: Oh, wow. Okay. I'm Irene. I go by Ire, and I'm from Italy. Umm, What jobs do I have right now? I mean…so I am currently teaching. That's my main source of income. And I'm in grad school. So I've been working on a lot of my grad school projects lately. On the side, I also do posters for events and like concerts for my friends and people I know, and sometimes I do them for some businesses at VCU.  One tricky thing about me is that I can't technically work in the U.S. outside of my, outside of the university. So it's more of like…freelance?

Vivian: Projects?

Ire: Yeah, projects. 

Vivian: That makes sense

Ire: Because I was actually asked to do a whole brand identity for a coffee brand and I had to deny it because-

Vivian: Is it something to do with a VISA or something? 

Ire: Yeah, my VISA only allows me to work in the university. 

Vivian: That makes sense. 

Ire: So, that's like, my main source of income. I also am going to be tabling at the Richmond Zine Fest. 

Vivian: Oh, wow!

Ire: So I've been making work for that, and I'm doing a workshop at the Richmond Zine Fest the day before the Fest. So I've been planning and prepping for those. And for an independent thing, I have this project called Pressed Poetry, which is a letterpress poetry printing.

Vivian: You said earlier you were talking about, like, collecting poems. 

Ire: Exactly. I can show you. It's an independent project where I collect people's poems. Pressed Poetry (@pressed_poetry) • Instagram photos and videos

Vivian: Oh, wow that's cool. 

Ire: Yeah, and then I like, we paste them around the city. And I haven't done it in a while, but I just started printing a new poem. So people send them to me anonymously. And I just print them in the letterpress or I screen print them sometimes. But these are all letterpressed. 

Vivian: I’m so excited to try to find one of these now. 

Ire: Yeah! I mean I'm going to print more and hang more. But for a while, they were like, some people would just send me photos when they would see them. And like some of them, especially where we pasted them, they lasted so long. 

Vivian: And I would think this isn't a thing that people would, like, I feel like flyers sometimes people tear down. I don't think people would tear those down. 

Ire: It depends. They definitely get torn down, but, I think it's the beauty of the ephemera. The ephemerality of this project. So I don't feel bad. It depends on the areas like, in Carytown, they tear things down so easily. 

Vivian: Really?!

Ire: You would think! Yeah, right?

Vivian: Carytown is so, like, small business. Yeah, no, that's wild. 

Ire: But then in other areas, stuff will stay for a long time, which is really interesting, because people don't care as much I guess, about aesthetics. Yeah, so this is an ongoing project that we're working on, and I really want to get back on it. It's just like school has been so busy for me. 

Vivian: I can imagine.

Ire: Yeah. So. Yeah. And I have recently made a poster for my friends for a show that happened, and my partner is a musician, so I make posters for him, and I'm currently making his business card. 

Vivian: Yeah that's all my friends too are like…Hey, since you do art…and I'm like, okay. So yeah, I get that.

Ire: It's good. It's just difficult, especially working with like, broke artists because I feel like I really don't want to have to charge them. I don't know. It's weird. 

Vivian: Yeah. Yeah. Makes sense. I did want to ask, where in Italy are you from and how did you end up in the United States, like, why VCU? 

Ire: Yeah, it's so random. So I'm from Florence. So I was born there, grew up there, and I came to VCU in undergrad, actually, back in 2016. It was a very random thing. I actually studied abroad in Indiana when I was in high school. 

Vivian: Oh?

Ire: Yeah, it's very random. When I was a junior in high school, and my host father was the head of the printmaking department of Indiana University at the time, he introduced me to a lot of students at IU, art students at IU, and I was struggling with, not struggling, but I really didn't like the teaching system in Italy, the creative teaching system. It was just very strict, very, very strict, not very creative. And there's not a lot of funds for the arts where I'm from. So I decided to apply and my host father is the one who recommended VCU to me. Cause he told me there was a good school, and I applied to a few other schools and then I decided to come here in the end for many different reasons. For the funding, and I really just like Richmond, and I liked that it was warm. Because I liked a lot of colleges in the north…and I was like, I don't want to be in the cold. So I decided to come here and then I went back, I graduated and I worked here for a year and then I went back to Italy for four, three years..And I worked there, and then I decided to come back for grad school for many different reasons. One of which was the funding thing again. And they had the assistantship, the teaching assistantship program, which basically…it allows you to start teaching, which is something I was really interested in. And I also just really missed Richmond and my friends. So I decided to come back and it was like, you know, two birds one stone, because I love VCU and I love Richmond. 

Vivian: Yeah, I'm so glad that this just got like, recommended to you and then you ended up loving it.  That's so cool. 

Ire: It was so random. The whole time in undergrad  I was like, what am I doing? Because I was one of the few like international students. But especially I didn't know anyone else from Europe that didn’t have dual citizenship. Yeah, so I was like…Why am I here? Like literally, we have public education where I'm from, but I loved it, and it worked out, and I’m still here, but it's getting harder…to do… 

Vivian: Like, all the laws and everything government…?

Ire: Yeah..So far so good. 

Vivian: I did want to ask…I mean, like, not related to this, just personally. I think I'm gonna try to study abroad next fall in Florence. They have, like, VCU as a partnership with a school there. 

Ire: Yeah, SRISA! I used to work there!

Vivian: You used to work there? 

Ire: Yeah! 

Vivian: Oh my gosh!  I was going to ask, is there anything specific about, like, Italian art or Italian design that I should look more into that's cool? 

Ire: I don't know…

*There was visible excitement here*

Vivian: I mean, not to open, like…a huge box... 

Ire: No, no, no. So, in Florence, there are actually some really cool studios. So there's this one that's right in Florence called Monogrid. Which is a really, really cool creative agency. And they work a lot with the brands, with fashion brands. But they do a lot of really cool interactive…I'm talking more about like design more than, like, history of design…but…and also another really, really cool thing is called C O L L A (@colla_colla_colla) • Instagram photos and videos. And they do like screen printing design. They do, like, designs, but it's a studio that's in Florence, and I totally recommend checking it out when you're there. 

*I included this part of the conversation so you guys could get access to these links!*

*a lot about Florence*

Ire: …There are a lot of students, like American students. And you’ll be fine like a lot of people speak English…*more about Florence*

Vivian: Yeah. That'll be helpful. 

Ire: You should totally go! It's cool. 

Vivian: Okay, well, a couple more questions I have to ask you just for this. 

Ire: Yeah, yeah, yeah. And is that recording?

Vivian: Yeah, it still is. 

Ire: Okay, perfect. 

Vivian: A couple more questions. What advice would you give…and I guess this could be like, for Italy, for the United States, or for both. What advice would you give young people starting out in graphic design? Like, kind of career direction? 

Ire: Yeah. So I would say... I mean, try things out and see what sticks. Do, like, don't be too, too picky about the projects that you take as long as they’re things that you're passionate about. I mean, when you start, you're going to have a wide range of projects that you might, that people might ask you to do, I do want to say try not to undersell yourself or undervalue yourself because you start out, um when you start out, you might think like I have no experience, but you actually have all your college experience. Like that can be considered as work experience. So, don't be like, oh, I just started, like, no, I have, like three years of graphic design experience, because that was like my school, you know. 

Vivian: That's good advice because I've always been of that mentality. I'm like, well, I just have to like-

Ire: Nooo no no!

Vivian: -like get any job when I graduate. 

Ire: No, but also don't be too picky, because one thing might lead to another. And be like, talk to everyone. Talk to people, that's another thing that I learned. The best way to get more experiences is to move from one thing to the other. Like, your first job is not gonna be your job forever. So don't feel too pressured. Like, I feel like every time I go into a job, I'm like, oh my gosh, what if I don't like this? And I'm like, you're not stuck in that situation. You can always change. So try things out, see what sticks, and another thing…apply, even if you don't think you're qualified for something. 

Vivian: Okay. 

Ire: Because you might be, they might train you, and also fake it till you make it because you can always like learn things once you're in the job. 

Vivian: That's true, that's true.  And that kind of goes with when you said don't undersell yourself because it's like, just kind of shoot for the moon. 

Ire: Yeah. And like, it's also good to have like a scale of like, how much you're charging people based on who they are too, Like, it's good to have different budget based if like, you're working for a company, you're going to have a higher budget than if you're working for, like a random person or a friend. 

Vivian: I never considered that either. That's interesting too. 

Ire: Yeah, cause companies have way more budget. And like, you're going to learn it once you start working for an agency. Companies pay so much for design, but it's clear that, like, not everyone can aim for that, especially independent artists. What I was saying, like, my friends that play music, I think it's still good to give value to your work, but like see the range, because I've definitely undervalued myself, but I've also overcharged. Whenever people are like, what's…and I understand that it's like design is worth getting paid for and it's a lot of work, but also like figuring out what the sweet spot is and thinking about what your sliding scale is. And also another thing, like, I landed a really good job when I was back in Italy. I was telling you guys earlier [my class], like, I was working for a fashion brand doing the in house design work. It was so fun. I would go to the shootings, I would go from Florence to Milan, I did two fashion weeks. 

Vivian: Oh my gosh. 

Ire: Yeah, we would make like, we would make the gifts for the influencers. I did menus for dinners for all these different VIPs. 

Vivian: That's fun cause that’s variety, too. 

Ire: It's so much variety. But how did I get that job? I applied on LinkedIn. Like, I found the job on LinkedIn, and I applied through their website instead of the automatic LinkedIn. And I got one interview, then I got a second interview, then I got three interviews. And wait, three or four, three interviews. Three rounds of interviews. And I got it and I was like, why am I here? But, it worked out. Like, I was worried that I wasn't qualified, you know, it's all these thoughts that you have…and they're really in your head. And then you realize everyone else around you feels the same way. Or like, everyone is like, bs-ing their way through that. 

Vivian: That's a good point hahaha.

Ire: Hahaha yeah. So never feel like you're underqualified or not qualified for a job, because no one else is going to be ready. Especially, like, starting a new job is like learning a new language. You always have to start from scratch. Even if you have things that you have learned for jobs, every job has a different system, every company has a different system. So it's just like, don't feel like you're not ready because you are. You just need to learn about the system of that job. And also, I think it's good to try working freelance. I hate it though. I'm really bad at time management. As can see you with our class. 

Vivian: No no, it's fine. 

Ire: It's just like, very difficult for me to figure out how much time something is going to take me. 

Vivian: Yeah. I think I would appreciate more of like, a nine to five as well. Like, more of a…job 

Ire: Yeah, It's good to do that and then have freelance jobs on the side because, like, that's the nature of the design. It's just to do different projects. 

Vivian: I feel like that's the nature of, like, any creative job too. Like everyone always is kind of spread out. 

Ire: But it's good to have a stable base and then branch off of that, because I feel like that helps. And what else? So yeah, Just try things out and if things don't work, that's okay. Like, not everything's gonna work right away, but, like, shoot for the stars and see why.

Might as well try.

 Ire: Exactly. Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. 

No, that was awesome. I only have one more question because, like, I was personally curious. I looked on your website and saw you did a lot of collage stuff…

Ire: Yeah! 

And, like, I love collage stuff. How does that…like does that influence your design style, like more of your digital art or how does collage influence, I guess non-personal collage projects that you do. Do you think that kind of has any sort of… 

Ire: If it influences my other work? 

Yeah. 

Ire: It definitely does. Also most of my collages are actually analog. Like, they're cut out and then scanned and then I Photoshop them and stuff like that. Yeah, because you were saying that you also have an interest in collaging. I would love to see your stuff, too. 

I don't, I don't have a ton of like, I don't do it that often, but I just really enjoy…I've noticed even when I do things digitally, I like more of a collage style. Like that's just more my, the way my brain works towards things. 

Ire: Yeah. I definitely... I'm definitely influenced by it. I definitely made, especially when I worked for the fashion brand, I would make, like, collages as part of, like, the.. I guess whenever I had to make content, that was a certain way, but companies are weird. They don't really like when you like, edit their photos or like.. 

That's fair. 

There's, like a little bit of, I don't know, it's just like, they're a little stuck. So sometimes it's difficult to bring your own personal creative style in too. but sometimes it can be your strength. Some creatives are hired specifically because of their styles. I definitely think it's good to have a mix of, like, personal work and commercial work, like in your portfolio. I definitely think that one of the reasons why I was hired in the jobs that I have been hired into is also because I had, like, a personal practice and that might, like give you a character. You know? But I do love collaging. I haven't even done it that much lately. 

*me talking about a project I did in high school blah blah blah, also Ire taught a letter press class this past summer…*

…Yeah. I'm a very hands-on person. So, I just love trying things out playing around with different mediums. So it's just fun to collage, but I've been working in a lot of different things lately. Like I've been working a lot with laser cutters, and in undergrad, I actually didn't do graphic design. I didn't mention that. I was in KI. 

Ohh okay. 

Yeah, so I did a lot of mixed media, I would do visual installations. which were so fun. And like, I did a lot of performance work when I was in undergrad. 

That's cool. 

Yeah, it was so fun. I loved, I loved my undergrad. But I definitely feel like what I've learned in KI has really helped me find jobs because I feel like it's harder to find graphic designers that also know how to do video work and animation work. And I feel like I don't know why, but people love to hear that I can do animation. Like, logo animation. So I definitely think it's good to branch off and potentially for you to take a class in KI or to not necessarily only take graphic design... 

But to build like base level skills in other…?

Yeah!

Okay. That makes sense. 

I mean, it can be useful…Because, like, video animation, people love to hear. I don't love doing them anymore. And I try to avoid them because especially agencies, they think it's going to take way less than what it actually takes. 

Yeah. 

So it's just really stressful to be the only person who knows how to do animation and they like, put so much pressure on you. But it can, I think that's one of the reasons I got the jobs I got, was because I knew what to do a little bit of everything. 

Very cool. 

Yeah. 

Yeah. Well, thank you. I think that, like, basically answered all my questions! 

I think yeah, collage is fun. It's so funny that you took the time to look at my website…Irene Piazza 

an author from west virginia whose writing influences a lot of my practice  Q 1: When did you start writing?

Scott McClanahan:I think I was in middle school, maybe twelve or thirteen. There was this massive snowstorm in 1993 that hit the entire East Coast, and West Virginia got pounded. After a few days, when the roads finally cleared enough, I convinced my mom to take me to the Rainelle Public Library.I had decided, for reasons I can’t even explain, that I was going to be a poet. The book I wanted was Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman. I didn’t really know who Whitman was, I think my only reference came from Dead Poets Society and Robin Williams saying, “O Captain! My Captain!”       When I got the book home, I remember opening it and thinking, What is this? I noticed it included different versions,the 1855 version, the 1872 version, and I realized he kept rewriting the same poems over decades. That fascinated me. From then on, I loved finding things,books, music, places, and then discovering other things through them.       I’m forty-five now, and I still do that. I’ll be reading something, see a reference, click a Wikipedia link, and disappear down the rabbit hole. Back before the internet, you couldn’t just look things up instantly. When I was writing about West Virginia, I had to talk to people, study maps, call around, and read old books. I miss that. There was something about imagining what you couldn’t easily find that shaped your understanding.

Q2: Do you write with an audience in mind?

S.M.: I have no audience in mind whatsoever. I could care less about anyone’s view towards it. I don’t know if I’m getting grumpy but I’m at a point where I’m asking myself why would I even publish this? It seems so weird to me that someone would pick up one of my books and read it. My audience is me. I don’t know if it’s some Freudian compulsion that I have to write down these stories I imagine or have lived.

Q3: I’m curious about the presence of trauma in your work. You write about childhood experiences of abuse and neglect. You write about how pervasive it is, how it exists in silence and invisibility. There’s this mythic version of trauma we see in the media,  but in your books, it’s something quieter and systemic.

S.M.:I’ve always been interested in narratives where no one is purely good or evil. Most people don’t see themselves as villains or saints. But in stories, we often oversimplify, assigning moral categories to characters. With Hill William, I wanted to present childhood experience as it really is; messy, confusing, common. Probably more common than most people realize.

Q4: How does having a day job shape your writing routine?

S.M.: I get into a writing routine when I’m working on a book. On weekends I work hard, in the evenings I work for an hour, too. But teaching is so important for the megalomania of the artist. If I ever write a dissertation I wanna write about those who taught in the public school system. You have students who are physically, morally, and intellectually superior to you. But the nature of that interaction is you tell them to take out a sheet of paper and they do it [laughs]. We want to be ordered around. When you realize how simple people are, you are either the person giving or taking the orders. For instance, Lenin was a teacher, Chairman Mao was a librarian, Ho Chi Minh was a tutor, LBJ was a public school teacher. Mick Jaggers’s dad was a teacher. That’s how you create a Mick Jagger]. Now it’s easy for him to boss around an audience. Q5: What do you draw inspiration from when you’re stuck in writer’s block?

S.M.: I wanna be a great reader, maybe even more than a great writer. And I would have smacked myself for saying that when I was 22.[laughs] But there is this Pablo Neruda poem I often think about that goes: “I learned about life from life itself, love I learned in a single kiss, 
and could teach no one anything”.       I always run back to life. I think I like books more than life, but that said I’ve always felt like going back and just being a person for a certain period of years helps enormously. Hear people’s stories. Listen to people talk. Finding characters in your life. Dialogue in real life is as good as a Tom Stoppard play. If you’re tuned in, rather than cut-off from the world, it helps.       I love movies too. I always try to think of my writing in cinematic terms. Short chapters, propelling someone through a narrative. I love Sam Peckinpah, German new wave guys like Herzog, Wim Wenders, Fassbinder, Murnau. But also John Huston and Hitchcock. Those I loved because my mom loved them.

Q6:  It’s interesting how you don’t make the landscape the point in your writing. When you live in a place, it’s your everyday breath—it’s what you take for granted. I love the way the sense of place and the people just are.

S.M.:Yeah, I guess I don’t even think about it that way, just because you’re surrounded by it all the time. There’s this story about how the Qur’an never mentions the word camel. People were so surrounded by them that they didn’t even think to describe them.That’s how I felt about my home. I grew up in a world that had just recently passed away but was still somehow there. My father was born on my grandmother’s kitchen table—delivered by a dentist, believe it or not. My grandmother said the dentist tried to trade babies because he thought my dad was a pretty one. Who knows if that’s true.       West Virginia still had outdoor toilets when I was a kid. My grandmother didn’t get indoor plumbing until the mid-70s. People thought having a bathroom next to the kitchen was disgusting. There was a real skepticism toward modernity. So yeah, maybe that’s why my writing keeps circling back to the place—it’s both ordinary and mythic at once.

Q7: You said once that you “rake” your drafts, taking  away everything until only the essential emotion remains. That’s brave, especially in a time when people often sanitize their work.

(my friend Artist/Designer/Fashion Designer Abdoo )

Jonathan: How long did it take you to realize you were into art/graphic design/fashion?

Abdoo: Well it was pretty much from conception I guess. It started around middle school really it all came to me. Art in general was just really interesting to me. High school is when I took more initiative and started being more creative. Yeah but from the beginning or middle school I should say.

Jonathan:What was the hardest thing you had to design?

Abdoo: My first show. Umm probably the carpet jacket. The hardest thing about it was reconstruciting the pieces of what was deconstructed. So I had to first clean of all those samples and from there I had to put it all together and then they were all so stiff so I had to wash it a couple times to loosen it up so it was a long process I basically made the fabric out of the samples and from that cut  the pattern out of it and then from that made the jacket. So yeah it was a long process but it was worth it.

Jonathan: How has school helped you develop as an artist?

Abdoo: School? I’d say that um Like fashion school helped create a method in a way or like an approach for how to go about designing and the steps and process of design not that these arent things that I didn’t know but it definitely helped tuned the thought process to how to go about making a show, putting a collection together stuff like that so I guess school helped build that structure around it.

Jonathan: Do you ever get frustrated with designing?

Abdoo: Not frustrated but sometimes I get like burnout you know. You kinda just get tired of like the day in day out sometimes you have to push through you just gotta be like its one day out of many that you're feeling like this. 

Jonathan: Do you enjoy designing more or making money from it?

Abdoo: I definitely enjoy designing more. I mean especially that I havent made much money from all of it yet. I just enjoy being able to put a look together from what Ive been thinking in my head like from having it in my head and then having it in real life and being able to wear it is what it's all about for me.

Jonathan: What are some of your favorite artists that inspire you?

Abdoo: First it was Comme de garcons and then ametsuchi. Also Virgil Abloh, that was a big one for me. My brother, he actually started me out by just thinking about art in stuff because he did it too and I always looked up to him at a young age. This one brand called asparagus caught my attention really early in my career when I first started modeling but they were very off guard but still something you could wear, not too crazy but still wearable like something you would want to wear. Blotter has been a recent brand that has been catching my attention.

Jonathan: How many different types of design would you be interested in diving into?

Abdoo: Ummm I'd say I'm open to most of all but I want to stay away from swimwear because I'm not really into it. But no I would touch on all different designs. Definitely dont want to limit myself at all

Jonathan: Do you prefer working alone or in a group?

Abdoo: I definitely prefer  working in a team. It depends on what it is though. But I do enjoy working in a team

Jonathan: How do you balance designing and life?

Abdoo: I definitely pritotize designing and putting designs together just tryna work on the future with the whole idea of what design is and then from that I guess everything I do plays into that so i work to try to get money to make sure I can sustain myself for what I need for designing, I take care of the family so that I can have more time so that I can have more time to design. I plan trips and things I'm about to do with my life to make sure I also can have more time to design. So it's a core essential thing I'm getting into.

Jonathan: Do you use your emotions to cope with designing?

Abdoo: Mmm Yes yeah I'd say I use it , it's just designing as an outlet for some of those emotions or thoughts or ideas kind of a way to cope for me.

Jonathan: What is your goal/vision or something you wish to see at the end?

DM: (After some catching up) First off, I would like for you to introduce yourself, what is your name, and what is it that you do? 

DS: My name is Diana Sacuedo, I am a digital designer in product design. I have experience working with multi-media design, packaging, that is the thing I like most and products. Where I work, it’s a big process, it’s design the product, the merchandising, general area processing, what material will the packaging be. So yea. 

DM: Nice! I want to get into packaging design as well, I am thinking that or book design. I am not sure just yet

DS: Sorry- Perdon, Se corto(Sorry it cut off)

DM: Oh I was saying que uh  I also want to go into packaging design as well

DS: Yea it’s so fun, like in the company I was working in before, companies would come to us would be like I want a package design for this product and they give us the correct info and the brand guide. Uh, typically it would start with small products. We would design the packaging around the product and of course we would try to design the things the client would want. One moment you can say it's a packaging for this but then you send it to the principle client or its a package for a store and they pick it up for that product. The design isn’t just the important thing, it’s how the packaging functions. Graphic design is on not just the design but also in the marketing. You have to respect international standards and codes. Different materials can change the functionality of the box. Especially when printed. The computer version can be um different like um, the physical? Perdon se me confunde el alimania y el ingles. (Sorry my german gets mixed up with the english)

DM: No no esta bien, yo entiendo(No no it’s okay, I understand)

DS: It’s because the words gets mixed up, quieres que lo diga en espanol?(Do you want me to say it in spanish) DM: Lo que sea, lo que estas mas comodo esta bien(Whatever you want, whatever is most comfortable is good) DM: Okay first question, How do you define your design voice and how was it evolved throughout time?

DS: I think in my experience how I was working in design and different companies, the work I do, was important. Because whatever effort I put in it would show in production. If my design is not able to be finished into the finished product, something physical like you can touch, then my work was for nothing. At the end of the day you find out what is possible and what is not. In college you can learn cool printing stuff and 3d, but if you can’t fit it into physics then you worried for nothing. My work has improved because of struggling. It’s about how you go on about that problem. 

DM: No, I know what you mean because I have made a package design one time in the past but when I printed it, it would not fold into how I planned to so I had to go back into illustrator and make changes. So yea it can be frustrating. 

DS: Yeah, exactly! You also need to consider the material or if the company will be able to print something in a specific material and if you have all the tools to make it real.

DM: Yeah.. um my next question is, what really inspired you to pursue design as a career?DS: I think it’s to be able to create something. That is more cool to me. Imagine something and then in the end to able to really create it. It’s like wow, it’s real I can have it here in my hands. And I think that’s what really inspired me to choose it. 

DM: I know that feeling, it’s like wow I made that hehe

DS: Yeah! You can let go your imagination in everything. Anything is possible when you put the effort.

DM: Yeah, uh, how did your education help you prepare for this career? DS: Well I think in the school you learn how to do things, like the basics in design, color and materials. But I personally think the help to prepare you, comes after the school. When you are really in that working space. Because in school they give you a lot of time in a project like  I don’t know, 3 months so it’s easy. But in a company you don’t have 3 months you have 3 days

DM: 3 DAYS??? DS: Haha Yes crazy, depends on how the project is but in the end you just have less time. It’s all about expectation. I think of course education is helpful but working and studying helps you use that knowledge better. Like the things you learn at work you can put into your school projects. 

DM: Yeah, I feel like sometimes it’s harder to do school and work because companies want you to have that work experience but you need to work to gain it. 

DS: Yea understandable, in my school, we needed some actual work hours. You would take 3 clases and then work 5 hours per day. Of course the pay wasn’t great but it was that experience that mattered the most. 

DM: What school did you go to?

DS: It’s the Autónoma Aguascalientes

DM: ohhh makes sense, in my school that’s not a have to have to. You chose if you want to work and study at the same time. 

DS: Really? Because for us it was a requirement for graduating. You needed to complete was minimum of 500 hours in total. You could divide it in between semesters but yea it was a requirement

DM: Ohh, I recently got a office job as a design intern, and it took me a while to actually get a job related in design. It’s not great pay wise but again it’s the experience that counts. So i feel like thats the most important thing

DS: Yeah because in the end of the day when you are really looking for a job, after having internships it would help that career job find be easier. It’s also better for your work book. I am not sure if thats what you call it over there. 

DM: A work book? DS: Yeah, a book that showed your previous work 

DM: OH like a portfolio?? DS: YES!

DM: Ohhhh, over here you can do different types, you can do a PDF portfolio or website. But a book sounds so cool having it physical of your work

DS:Yep

DM: Okay, what habits or routines have helped you stay creatively energized? DS: I think for me, more in the design aspect, I think is having a hoby. Like craft, something crafty. Like painting or ceramics. I love ceramics right now. Those things help me still use my imagination but not in the work. Like playing with colors and textures. In the end it helps keep my mind busy but not together with work. Because sometimes you are only thinking oh I need to do this and this and you sabatogo yourself

DM: Yess because you get so overwhelmed in your mind

DS: Yeah exactly, I think in the end if you- like if you love to draw but also draw in your job you will get tired of it because you don’t enjoy it anymore

DM: That’s what happened to me! I was doing a project but on the side I was also working on something for me. But like I didn’t want to do it anymore because I didn’t have the energy so I would color or something to still be in that creativness but not in the exactly same thing. 

DS: Yeah for me, works more if I do something crafty, so I am still continuing to do something creative. But not in the same creative things I do for work. 

DM: Yeah that makes sense

DM: Are there any tools, books or resources you always recommend to young designers? DS: Not like books it’s self but I think you need to keep learning. If you see an online course for something or something like I don’t know something for next year. Or online courses. In the end you need to continue learning, if you have the time and resources, take it. You shouldn’t just stay in your area like career. Like for example find something similar to your career. Like I also took marketing class and production class because it was similar to design. It’s like visioning and investing in yourself. So yeah, I know now what I need to considerate in my design work. Just continuing to learn and be active with your brain, I think you can do much more. Also more opportunities for work and to be better at the things you do. 

DM: Were there any other paths/careers you considered before choosing design?

DS: Dentist,.. I wanted to be a dentist. DM: No way

DS: Yess or in architecture. In the end I was more interested in the more creative field

DM: That is such a switch from going to dentistry to design

DS: Haha yeah they have nothing in common

DM: Noo they do not haha

DM: How do you personally get through art block? I think you kind of answered it already by saying you like to do crafty things but what do you do when you have art block?

DS: I stop doing that, I take a pause and do other stuff. Also in work, like if your working on a project you can talk with your boss and take a pause or work on something completely different. Just taking 20 mins and putting your mind into other things helps me. 

DM: What is something you always struggled with? Or found challenging in design and how has that challenge changed? DS: I think working in other areas. Working with a team was challenging because most times they aren’t a designer like yourself. There in other kind of professions. So you have to put yourself into their shoes and try to describe things as you would to a person who does nothing related to design. You need to work in other areas is basically what I am saying. Being clear and having to express yourself in ways so others can understand so you can all work together. It’s hard to explain your mind and how to put that idea into paper. I think right now I am better with that but not how I wish to be but I am getting there. 

DM: Yeah, I understand that as well. Working in groups is hard for me sometimes. I rather work on my own but in reality you will have to work in groups, sadly haha. Would you say that moving to germany for a career changed your ways of thinking creativity? You moved into a different country so obviously things would be different, did that change anything for you? DS: I think I am not in my best professional spot right now than I was when I was living in Mexico. Of course the language is challenging and the kind of work is also different. I think it’s more about the culture here and how it affects here. Of course the experience you have is only in kind of one environment, of course I wouldn’t feel 100% good in what I am doing here. I think that changed because every day it’s a challenge. I have prove myself I am good and I deserve to be here but also to the people I am working with, trying to show I am a good element to the team. That didn’t happen to me in Mexico because I was familiar with the techniques and I knew I was good and good at my job. But here it’s different, I don’t know how to explain it.

DM: No, I understand because when I started my job, I got like low confidence just being around big people. They know what they are doing and have that work experience. I know I am a good designer, but proving it was super important to me because I don’t want to look like I don’t know what I am doing, so I know what you mean when you say that.

DS: It’s a real struggle

DM: okay we are on the last question…What would you say to young designers who are struggling to choose design because they don’t have the support for it

DS: What you mean with support? Like self confidence or?

DM: I think self confidence and as well with family. The creative fields aren’t as very supported as like choosing to be a doctor or lawyer or whatever. I think thats what I mean by support. Choosing design because you really want to regardless feeling like you are suppose to choose something else.

DS: I think in the end of the day, it’s a personal choice. Because you are the person whose going to work in that for the rest of your life. I know it’s a difficult decisions because I chose this at 17 years old but then changed my mind and studied something else at 21 years old because I did feel like I was suppose to purse something else. But I think if your family doesnt support you, it is sad and we all been there but you need to choose yourself over your family. You are in charge of you, not your friends, not your family. If you really want to study design then do it. It’s okay to also change your mind but in the end if you study something you don’t like you will be unhappy. Also frustrated with yourself because you didn’t choose what you love. I think you need to love your work and what you do, in the end it’s a job and they are paying you yes but they are paying you for something you love. 

DM: That’s what I say too! I feel like if your going to do something for a long time you have to love it or your just going to be miserable.

DS: Yes! You have to be happy, life is to short to be miserable

(this interview had to be rescheduled for a nose fracture from a punk show)

Andrew - Around what time did you start designing and creating art? And did you ever realize at the time you first started designing, that you wanted to do design as a job?

Adam - I think it was around when I was like in early highschool, I've been drawing for quite some time but I remember taking some graphic design classes Freshman year and it kind of showed me a whole new angle with what I can do beyond just drawing and it also showed me how I can incorporate my drawings within the graphic design setting. But even though designing isn't my actual main career it's just a side hustle or job I suppose I do for fun and some extra cash, I did actually have a good sense throughout high school though that I would want to somehow use graphic design and my art in a way that reflects my passions and to make money.

Andrew - As a fellow artist who is trying to expand on how I can more efficiently conduct research for a design piece, I am very curious if you conduct a research phase before you decide to make an art piece and if so, in what ways do you conduct research?

Adam - A research phase for me would be a mix of several different things. Majority of it is by just searching online but I don't actually stick to one certain path in terms of research its just whatever strikes me at the moment, I don't know if that makes any sense to you but basically at one point I'll research about something through online articles or archives, and then another time I'll find myself digging through physical media such as a collection of old hardcore show flyers I have or even books. Sometimes I'm in a research phase without even knowing it myself, I'll be doom scrolling on my phone and then I find a post of something that intrigues me aesthetic wise and sort of inspires me into implementing something similar in my works or even just researching into the context and history of that design/style.

Andrew - I see that you do a lot of commission work for punk and metal bands (some of these bands being personal favorites of mine like New World Man and Combust lol) but what caused you to end up doing a lot of design work for punk and metal bands in the first place?

Adam - A combination of just throwing and posting my stuff out to the world like advertisement and being involved within the punk scene, typically the local scene. Once you get more involved, you start to make connections and friends with people from the scene and sometimes they'll ask you to do some designs for their band, and word spreads when they do tours which leads to more bands hitting me up for some designs. But I would also say the style of my art is a key reason as well to why bands ask for designs from me, since my designs are very grainy, diy, and relate to the themes within punk/metal. I'm not saying that you should only stick with one art style, but in some cases building your portfolio around that one art style can help build your target audience when it comes to freelancing, making it a lot easier for you.

Andrew - Out of all the work you have done for commissions, is there a certain one that you were most satisfied with after completion?

Adam - Hmmm, hard to say since I pretty much enjoy most of the pieces I've done for commissions. A lot of the people I work with, typically bands, like to give me more creative freedom and reign then what you would expect from a strict office job type of client. But the new world man merch design is something I still look back at and am proud of since I was able to match their usual merch theme of robotic, cyborg, sci-fi, human gore dystopia pretty well

Andrew - Another question about commission work. What type of clients do you find it hard to work with and why? Due to these obstacles, have you ever had to turn down a commission from a client?

Adam - Since a lot of my work is more geared towards the punk and metal scene, I'm usually able to mostly just attract commissions from people from that scene which is a lot easier on me since these guys are similar to me and it makes them much more understanding of how I work. I’ve gotten commissions from other people too from small local businesses wanting clothing designs. With this, I’m not a bigshot designer by any mean lol so I don't attract the very controlling and frustrating crowd of clients that I've heard about of from some friends of mine who actually work for big companies, but if I had to pinpoint any problems that just make designing commissions difficult is when clients of mine will sometimes be very broad and not specific enough about something which leads to me having to start over in some cases or just having to spend more time on sorting out details with them then actually working on a piece, or another bit common of a problem is that some clients will just not respond to a question I ask for a while or never at all so I end up just putting their piece on the backburner or cancelling it to make room for other clients.

Andrew - I'm very interested in your work and its unique style and the amount of details you put into them, which makes me wonder what mediums do you primarily use when it comes to creating your pieces? Is it mostly done by hand (drawing) or through digital software (like photoshop for example), or equally done by both physical and digital?

Adam - Definitely a mixture of both drawing and then using photoshop to make some final edits. I might have to say just slightly more drawing then digital software actually since I mostly use photoshop to cut out, and crop a drawing or part of my drawing for a commission piece, and add filters or mess with the grain and coloring of a drawing. For flyers I might tend to rely more on indesign and photoshop for structuring and typography. Another activity that involves both physical and digital mediums that I recommend when it comes to flyer design is cutting out images or prints with an exacto knife and just creating collages and then using a xerox to scan that collage and using indesign to place typography over it, this is an old school traditional way of how hardcore punk flyers were made but its fun and it stands up to time and people still mostly make flyers this way.

Andrew - How long would you say that it takes on average for you to complete a design piece?

Adam - It completely depends on so many different factors like what am I even making in the first place, am I making a piece to sell to whoever wants to use it? or am I making a design from a commission? And if so, what exactly do they want from the commission and when do they want it by? Life is also a major factor that gets in the way a lot since I need to make room as well for my other activities and errands outside of my “second job” of design. But like I mentioned before in the previous question, since I do mostly drawing and then use photoshop after the drawing phase, I would say it usually takes a week minimum to churn out a piece. But whenever I am working on more than just one piece at a time due to taking on a couple to a few commissions a set time, the week average time sometimes gets pushed to a week and a half up to two weeks.

Andrew - Due to a lot of your work being heavily involved within punk/metal, which is something I want a majority of my work to be related to, would you say that you yourself are very active and involved with the punk/metal scene (actively going to shows and listening to said genre of music daily)?

Adam - Oh yeah, I've been involved within the scene since the middle of my high school years, and every year that follows, I find myself getting more involved each time. The music and the scene is what gave and still gives me inspiration for what I make or on what I plan to make. It is so important to be involved with this type of scene that is built upon diy, unity, and community since in my opinion, it gives your work so much more meaning and context to it which helps in leaving an impact or in spreading a message. Consistency is also key, constantly supporting local bands/musicians is important and it helps in keeping current connections strong or building new connections with others which increases the chances of more clients who support what you do and want to seek out art from you specifically.

Andrew - A follow up question to the previous one, but was there a certain band that you were very excited to work with, and why?

Adam - That's pretty tough as well since a lot of the bands that I commission for are small local bands who make some amazing music, some of those local bands are run by close friends of mine. But having End It reach out to me was pretty crazy since they're one of those hardcore punk bands that aren't small/underground, they're pretty well known in the hardcore punk world and it was also recent too which makes me happy to see that I am slowly reaching out from designing only for a local scene setting to a more national scene setting.

Andrew - With the rise of AI and a lot of people using it to cut corners when it comes to creating/designing art which sucks because it's pretty sad to see a lot of punk/metal bands switch to AI to create quick crappy merch design or show flyer designs, has AI ever affected you personally as an artist or has there been any affect that you've seen AI cause in the local scene (scene as is the art world, or the punk/metal scene) or just in general.

Adam - Off the bat I can tell you that AI is going to cause trouble and will keep on causing trouble when it comes to graphic design. Especially with how fast AI is evolving, a majority of people will mostly rely on its use in order to create a quick design that barely gets the job done. But the use of AI is very looked down upon in the punk and metal world, even though some big metal bands have started to use AI for album covers and have received harsh feedback from doing so, I definitely feel like more people are going to prefer the DIY aesthetic when it comes to design in punk and metal since the DIY aesthetic is so heavily rooted in the culture of punk and metal. Personally, AI hasn't greatly affected my designing life in either way good or bad, although I do see AI as being more of a threat to all of humanity than just to artists since AI is capable of so much more than just creating stupid videos or designs from prompts, AI is capable of being used in security which breaches so many peoples privacy and AI has already been heavily used in helping fight wars. Talking about other affects I have seen from the use of AI, my designer friends who actually work proper office design jobs work with the known fear that at any moment they can be fired and just replaced by AI, which is disheartening to have your whole career that you support yourself upon be taken away with such ease.

Andrew - Last question that isn't design related! What are your top 5 current favorite bands or artists? (Mine are currently At the Gates, Lifelover, Backtrack, Guns up!, and Blind Justice)

What is your name, and what kind of work do you do? 

My name is Annette Allen, and my title is senior brand designer, but depending on who you ask I could also be called a communication designer, visual designer, or graphic designer. But what I really am is an in-house designer for a healthcare company, so I do a little bit of everything related to visuals. 

So you majored in comm arts, right? I was interested in what inspired you to pursue a career in graphic design.

“So when I first attended VCU, I wanted to do a double major in comm arts and graphic designand as I learned more about the differences in the curriculum, I realized, “Oh, I would have to be in school for 7-8 years.” So I just ended up going to comm arts since I was more into illustration. I feel like there's alot of design work that you can learn on the job, but there was alot in the comm arts program that I specifically wanted to learn, that you can’t learn easily on the job. Then I learned design from internships given to me by the school.”

What was your experience?

I worked with a company called Media General. It was a non-paid internship, but it was a great experience. Since it was a news station, I got to learn design itself, but specifically efficient design, since news was constantly happening and they always needed graphics for it. Before I graduated, I started doing some editorial illustration with the Commonwealth Times, but luckily, shortly after I graduated, I got an internship with NPR in DC, which started in September 2019.  After I moved back to Richmond, I got a 13-month fellowship with a non-profit called Global Giving. I was able to work with a small team, which helped me learn alot and led me to my first full-time position with the Hatcher group in Maryland. My title was a junior designer, and I was there for 5 years, and went from Junior Designer to Senior Designer. I eventually just wanted a change of pace, and since I have moved to Talkaitry, where I have been for the past four years. 

When creating your portfolio, what do you think would be important to include? 

This is a great question because it's something I’m working on now. Definitely recent work, which is one of the things I’m working on now. As someone who has been interviewed and has interviewed others and has been apart of the hiring process, I think making it quick and easy to tell that you know how to solve problems and see things from a business perspective. People knew how to make things look good, but they didn't think as much about the functionality. It's also good to see your process and where your work ends up. It shows whoever is trying to hire you that you can see the full picture. Just seeing work in context and the impact. Also, do not make your portfolio too flashy. Design with the mind that a hiring manager is possibly looking through hundreds of applications, and they may have maybe 30 seconds to look through it.  Make it effortless. Again thinking about design in context! 

What’s a challenge you feel like you have as a designer? 

My challenge right now is trying to carve out time for professional development. Dedicating the time is always the hardest part, though. I believe at least once a year, designers should work to grow their skills. If you even go on autopilot for a year or two, you can become extremely outdated. Trying to stay on top of always learning and staying on top of what other creators are doing is always a designer's biggest challenge.

Thoughts on AI? It’s been a major talking about not only on the internet world but also within the classrooms. I wanted to know your own personal thoughts and feelings about the topic. 

I feel like it's kinda like the internet when it first came out, like people swore to never use it, but now it kinda just becomes a fabric of life. It can be scary to people for good reason! Just with capitalism and how AI is being used, and how big corporations are asking the questions of how we can make this profitable instead of asking questions like how can we make sure this is ethical and not infringing on rights. All of that being said… It's definitely helpful for streamlining. It reduces the tedious and repetitive work. It’s also super helpful for coming up with ideas whenever you’re stuck in your work cycle and need help with brainstorming, ideating, and researching. But of course, when it's used to circumvent hiring a real artist, we don't love to see it. But all of that was a really long answer to say it's complicated. Don’t be afraid of it, be cautious, but more so be cautious of corporations and capitalism.  

What's the most useful advice you’ve been given as a designer? 

One thing I've told a designer recently was to speak up more and be more open to sharing my thoughts. Listen and observe, but also don't be afraid to speak up and share your ideas. Just because you don't have as much experience as other designers, your ideas are still just as valuable. And also just be able to read a room. Be constantly listening and definitely don't hide away. You have a lot of valuable things to share, so share them. Oh, and also stay humble! It helps you learn from everything. 

Lastly, if you could go back to the young designer you, what are some changes, or advice, or xyz if any, would you make and why? 

After graduating from college, what was your transition from school life to work like? How did you navigate that journey? 

I had a winter graduation, so I let myself have one more normal winter break. When classes started up again for my peers, I started working on job applications full time. It took four months until I finally landed two interviews in the same week. Only one of them gave me a job offer, and I couldn’t afford to be picky. The day-to-day transition was pretty rough, going from the freedom and flexibility of college life, into a structured full-day full time office job (I missed taking naps the most). I remember being constantly slapped in the face with the realization that this was the rest of my life now, and the exhaustion really took me out. I thought I would have time to make my own personal art, but found I was crashing on the couch immediately when I got home from work. The first two years were like this, I took a break from my personal work, and prioritized spending time with my friends and having fun in my downtime, because I mentally needed it. I also genuinely feel like it took those first two years to fully learn how to do my job to the point that I was confident in what I was doing. Only then did I have the energy and peace of mind to return to my own artwork. It has been 8 years now (yeesh) and my job is an absolute breeze.

What were some challenges you faced as someone new to the industry?

The huge amount of on the job learning experience that I had to endure was quite a challenge. Every job will have a unique version of this, a specific way that they organize their processes, a company culture that everyone else is long familiar with so you constantly feel behind. I also went through college with the understanding that all graphic design jobs will be Mac-based. This is not the case with my job. I design emails that need to be coded using Visual Studio, which is only on PC. Therefore, our whole design team uses PCs, which I had zero experience with. It was such an annoying struggle to learn how to use a PC, along with new programs, and the internal file organization structure, and which coworker to ask the right questions to, and so on. It is overwhelmingly exhausting jumping into a machine that is already running when you haven’t even sprouted legs yet.

When you were curating your portfolio for work, what patterns did you recognize were important to the industry? 

I noticed that relevant experience mattered the most. I had work that I was not particularly proud of that I completed during an internship. I felt like it didn’t belong, and I was taught not to include work in your portfolio that you don’t want to do in the future. But over time I realized that it was probably valuable for people to see the boring internship work, and a much wider variety of work in general. I ended up making separate pages/sections on my portfolio site so that I could include as much as possible without any awkward clashing. And that way, job recruiters could seek out specifically what category of work they’re interested in seeing the most. Some might not care at all that I have paintings, and only want to see my text layout skills. Etc.

What in your experience are jobs looking for in a portfolio? 

The “relevant experience” that I previously mentioned, includes general skills that will be used for the specific job you’re applying for. I have been on the other side of the process now, reviewing applications and portfolios with my boss. To be honest, we gloss over the resumes. HR is likely more interested in that. We will see people claim to have a certain skill on their resume, but then there is no proof of that skill in their portfolio. For example, the job we were hiring for involved typography experience, so my boss would immediately skip a person who had no noticeable text in their work. The amount of times I have scoured over a portfolio to see if the applicant has ever worked with typography, just to give them a chance… It also became quite a task to determine what programs people used to make a piece, so I always appreciated more descriptive portfolios. We also looked for a good eye for design principles in general. If a portfolio had limited graphic work, we were able to see an overall strong understanding of composition in their illustrations, for example. And having an unexpected variety of work shows adaptability and problem solving skills. I could keep going, but I think that covers the important things.

When experiencing burnout, or needing a break, what are some things that you do? 

Luckily with my current job, I have an understanding manager who will let me take mental health days off when I need it. I find that it helps when I do genuinely take a break, and either rest, or spend time in nature, and don’t allow myself to worry about the work I need to be doing. If I’m facing burnout during a time when I can’t take a break, I have a list of resources that I can go to for design inspiration to help push some ideas along.

What is your advice to those who don’t know what they want to do with their work? 

I had this issue as well, because I was interested in too many different things and I felt completely aimless and overwhelmed with my options. My advice for others, is to consider what is realistically plausible for you. What kind of life do you want to live, where would you like to be? For me, I learned that I would be more comfortable starting out with a salaried, full-time job instead of being a self-employed freelancer / hired on a temporary contract. I recognized that I was not the best at time management or advocating for myself, and I had a partner that I wanted to monetarily support and live with - therefore I wanted a reliable, steady income so I could remain independent and not have to move in with family or a big group of friends. So when I started my job search, I focused on those priorities more than what industry I would be designing in. Other more general advice I would give, is to keep trying things, and don’t feel like you have to lock in to one field of focus, or one style, etc. You might find something that sticks along the way, but you’ll never know if you end up spending more time thinking about what you should be doing, instead of just doing.

What helped you with your career? For example: aspects of education or skills that were self taught. 

Connections. Being in a University setting is perfect for meeting people, and I took advantage of that by talking to everyone in my studio classes, getting to know my professors, and being as helpful and friendly as possible. While I was a student, I had a lot of odd jobs doing freelance illustration for professors who had client work that they would pass off to students - sometimes they would reach out to me, and sometimes it would come up in a conversation when I stayed after class to talk to them about life. I would always say yes, even if the job sounded completely uninteresting. I also had a friend from a different major who worked at the science museum, and they reached out to me because they were looking for an illustrator. That was my first long-term contract, all because I happened to know the right person at the right time. The most helpful work I did in school was probably my internship. A professor told our class about the opportunity, and only two of us went to the effort of looking into it. It was unpaid, but I was able to get class credits for it. The real-world experience working in an actual office for an actual company did so much for me, and I probably spent the most time talking about it when my job interviews came around. I had an incredible recommendation from an actual art director, work in my portfolio that proved I could work for clients, and real world experience that I could speak about and make myself a solid candidate for hiring. I learned a lot from my actual classes, too (which I could speak more on but I’d have a whole novel), but when I want to pinpoint what helped the most, it always comes back to the connections I made.

Aunt the architect – 

AamaniBut yeah, the first question is easy. Just introduce yourself. Talk about who you are and what you do, and I know you do, like your office, job, freelance, murals, clothes, textiles, like, go ahead. You can talk about it. 

Kavya

Yeah, sure. So 

I'll just introduce myself. I'm Kavya. Kavya Bhanupriya Seshachar. It's a long name, but let's just go with Kavya. So I am an architect. I am working towards my licensing for architecture. I studied in India, and I immigrated here maybe 13 years ago or something. So, yeah, I'm working towards it. I'm currently studying for my licensing exams. I have two more left. I finished four. So that's, like, a big thing. I always talk about this before, because it's taken over my life. Basically, I had, like, a life, nice life before. Since years, I've been just only studying Work, Work, Study. So then, yeah, and other than that, my other hobbies, I would call it, I crochet, I paint, I sketch, embroidery, dance, do whatever leads my heart, like, you know, do a little bit of sculpture, I won't really say a lot of it, but just a little bit here and there. Yeah, I make jewelry. What else? Yeah, whatever piques my interest. Basically, I always keep those as hobbies, and not really like my main mainstream. I just forgot that I sew also, so I'm still learning to sew. So that's another one

Aamani

I was under the impression that you do all of this at once because you have Instagram pages, so I'm always online looking at your posts. I'm like, Oh my God. She's doing all of this, like, every single day. So I'm like, Oh, you're, you're like, everything. You're an architect, you're also an artist and a designer. It doesn't have to be like, oh, you're doing this every day. So that's what makes you an artist, it's your continuous practice.

And so my next question is, what inspired you to get into architecture and to do all these hobbies? Did you go to school for it? What was that experience like, if you did, if not, what got you back? I know you weren't doing it for a little bit, and then you got back to it. And then what motivates you and keeps you going? Kavyaright, yeah, that's fine. I mean, it's all related questions, so I think it's good to answer all of it together. So I always wanted to do architecture. I think maybe it was in the seventh grade or something. I grew up in a pretty small town, Anantapur. So I went to the first city, which was Vishakhapatnam Vizag. So I saw, like, really tall buildings, and, like, you know, pretty interesting architectural features and stuff. So that's when I think my mom was saying that if you become an architect, you can design these amazing buildings. So like, you know, you can make it look nice. So since then, that is when I wanted to do architecture. And also, another thing is, my dad is a civil engineer, my mom is an artist. So I just wanted to, like, you know, combine both of them and bring in, like, you know, essence of both, like art through science and engineering. So it was always something that I always, always wanted to do. Like, that was the only thing I knew that I wanted to do in my life. The rest of it, I just like, leave it for chance, whatever happens. Kavyayeah, so that's what started me to get into architecture. And I did a degree, like undergrad in architecture in India. That's like a five year course. And after that, I worked for about four and half to five years in India as a licensed architect. And then I got married, and I shifted to Maine in the US. So what happened was the last few years, like the last few months of me working in India, I got into a place where they were doing a lot of cut and paste work, yeah, so that kind of burnt me out a little bit. So I had decided, okay, if this is all architecture is all about, I don't want to do it anymore. And then I shifted here, and I was reluctant to even get back into architecture, or think about it. But also I had other hindrances, like getting a working visa and permitted stuff. Also, another thing is, Maine is a pretty small place. You have, like, a few architecture firms, and not many like to even just to build connections and networking. It took a lot of time for me. It took me about, like, two or three years, like the whole job searching took me about two years, and then, by chance, by some connection, finally I got like a small strand of connection, and I was working for one day. So by the time all this happened, I think it was already four years. So it was a four year gap in between. So 2016 is when, again, I started working. So I was just going, like, for one day per week to three days. And then it became, like a full time thing, Aamani

yeah? So it was a gradual thing. 

So you are quite the multidisciplinary artist, saying this because I see it on Instagram. You run Fresh as Mint and Alien in Maine. You also do like textiles. And I think fresh as Mint is your  brain dump for everything right. And then alien main is like your cartoons, like whatever you're feeling, your experiences on paper, like with illustrations. And you also work as a full time architect. So how did you start these projects and passions? What skills did you gain as an architect that you apply to these other projects, and how do you see, like, do you see similarities and differences between each discipline of design?

Kavyareally good question, and I'm glad that you addressed that one has influence over the other, because it's definitely I cannot really separate out each of them, saying, Okay, this is the only thing, because it's just too hard for me to separate. So fresh as mint, I started here because, of course, I came to this country, and I had lot of time in my hand, and I used to do a little bit of embroidery and stuff at back home. So I just started to continue doing that here. Pinterest was a new thing. So I was like, going into the dark hole of where I'm Pinterest and looking up projects. And then, of course, I struggle with reproducing the same thing, because I always want to, like, create something new and something different, and so I just kind of like, keep on building over what I learned, and how do I apply to something else. So that's how the whole fresh as mint started. And for a few months, I even tried to have my own business and stuff like that. But then that's when I realized, again, as I was saying, like, cut and paste job, the same thing, I cannot produce the same thing over and over again. I always want to kind of create new and unique things. So I was like, I don't want to do that. So I put that aside. It wasn't a priority. Alien in Maine basically started when I was in the office trying to understand the architectural differences. Because in India, the architecture styles and construction materials and the techniques and everything is so different. And then once you come here, you know what it is like, you're like, totally blown over by the amount that you need to learn. Although it's so different. You are trying, I was trying to pay attention to the differences, but also sometimes, like, you know, you're always like, constantly learning, and you're constantly unsure about what you are, whether what you're doing is right or wrong. So it led to a lot of frustration. So my only coping mechanism since my childhood is just letting out the frustration through art or sketching. So Alien in Maine started from that, as the name says, I felt like an alien because of so many things that I don't know what is going on. So I started sketching and trying to let out the frustration. And I'm not entirely. Really very active still, only because my studying has taken over, or else I plan to get back to it and maybe, let's see, I have like plans for it to actually make a book or something, I don't know, whatever. 

Aamani 

Okay, well, if you need someone to make a book (shameless plug)

Kavya

yeah, I will take your offer for sure. 

Kavya

So, yeah, so alien and main account is basically all the architectural perspective of looking at the place, but also like life perspective. So it's all combined. So, yeah. I would definitely say, like, learning basics from in school, like in architectural school, no matter what you would be trained to look into, like, for example, graphics like, you know, you're looking into different colors, like shades and stuff like that, and also simple concepts, like, if you're looking at something, what they would train you in certain way that when you look at something, they'll teach you how you could observe, absorb all the things that you're Looking at, and how you could synthesize ideas from it, yeah. So that comes as a training, and after like, so many years of practice, it kind of like, you know, gets inbuilt, right? So when you're looking at a small thing, you'd be like, Oh, okay, I like this color combination. Or like, you know, maybe with this and that, it might go well. As I said, it's not just only about color, but also the essence of what you're looking at. So that kind of translated in everything that I do, even fresh as mint. I feel it's a little bit unique, because all the techniques that I'm using are very Indian based, whatever, like, you know, all the craftsmanship and everything. But I wanted to use, like, different colors, like the colors that are used in this country, which is because in India, like, you have, like, like, super deep colors. But then here it's more paste, so it's just like a mix of everything. I try to jumble all of it so that it creates a unique blend or pattern that can speak as my style. Aamani

Yeah, no, it's good that you, you like, stick to, like, Indian crafts and, like, I know you do a lot of Madhubani Paintings right? Yeah. And, I think the latest you've done was the sail on the boat.  How did you get that? This is, like, this is not on my questions list. I just want to know when it comes to doing these murals, how does, how is that process like? Does someone ask you to do them? Or is it like you see an opportunity and you go ask that person, Hey, can I do a mural for you? Or do they come to you because they know you?

Kavya

Yeah, sure. So this, I'll talk about this particular sail mural, and then maybe I can talk about a couple more, which I did before. So I follow an Instagram page which is also a website, called Creative Portland. So what they do is they kind of keep posting calls for artists' posts. So I follow that page, and whichever piques my interest, this sail project mainly happened that way. So they thought this was funny. Like in June, we had just been to like, you know, music fest or whatever. So sail maine had free try, like, free for all, they just wanted you to learn to sail. So they had kept it open for the public so that you can just go and sail with them for just, just for a few minutes and then come back. So for that, we had to sign the waiver or whatever. So I was already on their email list, and then they had put out the call for artists and I also have another friend here who, whatever he finds, he sends me the link, saying, Hey, we have this because he also likes to do some murals and stuff. So we kind of share these posts so that if we are interested, we can apply for it, and we can so most of the time, it's always like us looking out we are not that big yet, but no. And I really wish someone would do that, but then it's kind of still-

Aamani 

I mean, it's a part of the journey

Kavya

right, right, exactly.

Aamani

Yeah. The more you do it, the more people will, like, start to notice, and I'm sure, and my next questions will, like, kind of talk about it later. But you know, the more you're out there, the more people who like, recognize you

Kavya Exactly. And also, when I was creating the- I did mention, right?- like, previously, I had this shop, or whatever, Etsy shop for fresh as mint, people started noticing, and they actually started asking me, Can you do this? But then, by then, I had already shifted to, like, working full time, so I did not have the time factor to it, so I had to reject it. I'm not entirely regretting that, but sometimes I would be like, okay, maybe I should have done that on this side, but it kind of got evolved previously. My mindset was it's either this or that. But then later on, I started to think that, why not both? Right? 

[conversation was edited out]

Aamani so I will get to my next question. So this is about connections, right? When it comes to being in the creative field, we're told to network and build connections that you can mutually benefit from, and this goes in any department or any right, not just art. So my question is, how important is community to you? Has community shaped you as an artist, designer and an architect in any way? Maybe you can give a specific story.

Kavya

so there are a few differences, I would say for sure. So in India, you don't really need the feel for connection or anything. It's because you're born there. It's your place. And you know a lot of people, and you know, like, it's almost like it comes very naturally to even ask someone for help or whatever, like, you know, to have questions and everything. But then coming here, and like at the age that I came in, building that connection was super important to me, because obviously you need people. You need people around you to at least like, you know, I never had an intention that, oh, they need to support me or anything. It's just the need for having people around you was-

Aamani 

regardless of your job and stuff. Kavya

Yeah, exactly so. So how it has shaped me as an artist…for sure, it has like, especially for doing the rest of the creative projects it it has so in the beginning, I was just trying to figure out what I should do, where I should do it, and then, as I said, some random Facebook pages and everything people had put out like, you know, we need volunteers for painting the streets or something like that. So I build a lot of connections through those volunteering opportunities. What happened is, the more I met with people, the more exchange of ideas were happening. And if they would be like, Hey, we saw this and we thought of you, is the simple thing, a way to connect to people. So it's at least in that way, you would feel a part of the community, even if you aren't entirely. But still it's like, Okay, someone has thought about me. That means, okay, do something about it. And also sometimes you would have a doubt that if you are doing something, whether people would like it or not, although I would say, we create art for ourselves. But sometimes you would be like, Okay, is it their style or not? So even just a little bit of a simple appreciation, or even like a critique, like, you know, Oh, this looks like, for example, Madhubani. So someone was like, Oh, this looks like paint by numbers. Because the way I create the mural, I kind of do like outline and then start to paint inside. So I'm like, oh, yeah, that's, that's pretty much valid thing, yeah, that's pretty much it. So it gave me a new perspective about all the things that I'm practicing. So, yes, the community has played a major role in my creative journey. So networking becomes a very serious word because it's like, okay, it sounds very business-like. I am still working towards it. I go to, like, a lot of different networking events and stuff like that, try to talk myself out. I'm just a little bit more anxious when I'm talking to people, because I don't want to come off as very strong like, Oh my God, I need you. But sometimes it may come off of that, but I'm still trying to break out of my shell of anxiety and be there. Because, especially architecture wise, I would say that. I may say that I'm, I'm 90% sure, but if I get my license, I would be the first Indian architect, like the first architect, licensed architect in Maine. Okay, color, so that's the thing. So the color matters a lot here. It's a lot of white population. There's not many people of color here, so sometimes that kind of intimidates a little bit. But then it's not just so for you to belong, just to think that, okay, you belong here, takes a little bit of time, but anyway, in those ways, yes, I'm still learning to network. So hope, hoping that again, as I said, just like how I built the community, it is I'm not networking for the sake of my future. But then networking also has to be intentional that, okay, I'm doing this for this purpose. So I'm just like, trying to find a balance between those. Hopefully, like in the future, I will be able to gain from that now. Right now I'm just sowing all my seeds.

Aamani coming out to my follow up question, okay, since we are related, and we come from a family that appreciates many forms of art, at least I felt this, can you say that played a significant role in your life, and you did say that earlier, because your mind is, do you feel supported and do you? Did you gain confidence from it? Because I feel that families that consume, interact with, appreciate and make art together, is a little rare, and it doesn't get talked about enough, since people have that perspective, that or stereotype, or the general sweeping assumption that every Indian family wants you to become an engineer and a doctor, so like, how has that played a significant role in your life?

Kavya

Okay, definitely, I would say definitely. As you mentioned, our family is way much into the arts. And like you know, everything, anything creative has definitely shaped our minds, the way that we look at design and how we create. And as you said, creating art together is another big factor.

It is funny that, like, you know, even though you are from a creative family. I feel there are a few people in my life who have not really entirely accepted what I do, or don't feel that very significant about how we are doing stuff. So I was looking for validation, for sure, from the family members that okay, they need to accept the way that I'm working, or like, you know why? Because it's also like, what you're creating, what you're creating as a person, also shapes you as a person. So I tend to be a little towards the sensitive side also. It's almost like, if it feels like if they are not entirely approving of your work, it feels like they're kind of rejecting your whole self. Yeah, so I had to first separate myself from that, and also it took me a lot of time to stop seeking validation, obviously, but because ultimately, it all came down to the numbers. Like, you know, it's one person versus like, 20 people supporting you and one person who is not entirely supporting you for whatever reason. So, it has definitely been a struggle in the beginning, when the acceptance was not there, but then later on, it kind of like, you know, grew, as I said, I got over it, basically. But I would definitely say, like, because of so many creative practices in so many different ways, like music and art and crafts and everything, like even some people even had the talent to even just speak. So that has really, really helped me look at them in a different way. Because I'm always like when a person is doing something, I would be like, Okay, what can I learn from them? How can I apply this to my practice? Is the way I always tend to like  How can I apply this to my practice? Is the way I always tend to like for any quality or any anything, any factor. I kind of look at people to learn from them and use it in my creative process, and sometimes, so I have had a few like, you know, pyajama parties, so whatever, with a set of girls and we would make art together. I have heard lot of people in my friend group saying “I always wanted to do art like, you know, I always wanted to paint” but then it was never encouraged, and it used to blow my mind as to who would not encourage a person to draw or do anything they I mean, it is kind of unfortunate, or maybe I am very fortunate to be in this family. We are fortunate to be in this family that appreciates art in so many different ways.

Aamani And it blows my mind that you said that people don't encourage people to do art when it's an inherently human trait that makes us human. Because why do cave paintings exist? Like people are bored. They had, they needed some sort of an outlet, paint on a wall.

Aamani

[gossip] that's definitely, like, even, I think Kaustubh ended up going into, you know, to design school and I was like YESSS

Kavya I was so excited about it. Kaustubh did that, and, like, you know, and also, he's, like, pretty amazing guitar player now, wow, yes. Finally, Yeah,

Aamani

cuz I was always under the impression that I'm the only one. Okay, so we already kind of talked about what people you know who don't believe in you, like, how you deal with them? You just say you used to look for validation, and now you don't, because you know it's you against them. It'll always be like that. Okay, we already talked about it but you can add anything else if you have. But I said there's always a rhetoric of being called a starving artist, and now it's people telling you AI is going to steal your job, right? I've had enough. I hate hearing that. I don't want to, I don't want to do anything with AI. So how? You do people who don't believe in what you do when they say something like this to you. Does it ever happen? Of course, it does. How do you let it not get to your head? And you already mentioned, you know, valuation. Don't need that. But I would like to know, like, how AI you know that portion, like, how AI is going to steal your job, if it is affecting you at all. Like, what do you feel okay

Kavya

So I have, after seeing your question, basically, I have been thinking about it a lot more. I mean, previously I did have, I didn't acknowledge, okay, AI is present. There's no way that you could entirely deny anything. And I always looked at it the way that, how technology is always improving, and then it's always existing. You either accept it or you don't accept it. So that's there. So just like how we have, like from paint, Microsoft Paint to Photoshop. Photoshop kind of brought us everything new, and obviously those kind of took off some of the jobs, like especially photographers who would develop a print or whatever, yeah, like printers, and then you print out your photos. So it's just like everything is replacing something, but I always believe that it is for good and for easy use for the people. And I always took all of these as tools, because nothing, nothing ever could replace your brain, your mind and your synthesis, your thought process, your creative process, nothing can take over. Because even to you, using AI as a tool is a really, really good thing. Like, you know, although I have not used it this time, like I have a little bit of concern that they are stealing a few images, especially when that whole Ghibli trend had started, I'm like, please don't use, like, stealing people's work. Just stop stealing people's work. Don't create a trend based off of someone's drawing style. Use it in a much better way. Like, you know you can create your own style. So as a tool, it's good, but the whole and the philosophy that the whole thing started is also well intentioned, but then the way it is now transforming is a little I don't entirely approve of it.

Aamani Yeah, I feel like there's not enough regulations. And AI, there's no way to like, credit the style that it takes inspiration from. And then, as you feed it more information, and other artists work without credit, it kind of blends everyone's art forms together. And then, even, like, if you look at an AI image, or like an AI art, it looks it looks like very bland. And then someone who has the same style, and they don't, when they don't use AI, and you kind of compare their images with the AI people start seeing, Oh, this artist who doesn't use AI makes AI images, and it kind of demeans their entire practice. This is a very basic question, so feel free to go in depth if you want to. But okay, the creative process looks different for everyone. What does your creative process look like? And do you go from having an idea to creating something, or do you create something and then you get an idea and then you expand?

Kavya

It's always different for every single project that is created. Yeah, in architecture, sometimes you would go with, of course, in architecture, it's a different thing. You have a ton of factors which would shape the way that you design, like, for example, site, the environmental conditions and other things, so it would make you Okay. These are the things that I need to put in. And then you have, like, a set program that, okay, you need these many rooms and everything so that, that kind of helps us in putting it all together, right? 

Aamani

The restrictions help 

Kavya

And then comes the whole creative process as to how we should put it all together. So some it's like, you would have an idea, but also you would still be creating. And then the more you create, the more ideas you get. So it's, it's never like, it's like, the, what's the thing that they call chicken or the egg? So you don't know which one comes first and which one would because you would think that, okay, this is an idea. And you would create something, and you would be like, You know what? Actually, you know what? This would be a better one. Let me there's always, there's never a plan, and you're just like, stopping there. There's always ABCD, because it keeps evolving.

Aamani

Yeah, it's an iterative process.

Kavya

yeah, exactly. The only, I mean, this is a very practical way of saying, but the only point where your creativity stops is the number of hours. Like charging your clients based on our lead process, you'll be like, okay, you know what? I'm just gonna stop here, yeah. But then that's what I loved about the college regime, because you know you have limitless time unless you submit something. That's that sort of thing. So they have been, there have been situations where I would go totally blank, and I would be like, Okay, what, what should I do? And I would just like, simply start with something like, as I said, like, super basic. And I would just like, blankly, start something without even having a fully generated idea in my head, and then I would construct a story behind it. So I have done that a lot and I think most of the architects also do that. They would just like, make everything and then they would have like, oh, you know what? Let's put it this way, spin it this way so that we could talk to the client, which also kind of makes sense.  But then there's also just like, oh, so what's your story? When someone asks, and like, I don't any story. This room needs to be here, so I'm just putting it there.

Aamani

No, I get that because I do the same thing when we have briefs, Project briefs for class. Sometimes I'm like, I don't really understand. And then I just make something and I'm like, wait, I could fit it to this project brief yeah, I create some random bullshit story, but it works, and I always get an A so

Kavya

I think every design professional knows about that. 

Aamani

I feel like they can tell too, like you weren't thinking about that earlier, but, but hey, if it works, it works. And exactly, you always get more ideas while you make those stories. 

Okay. Final question, do you have any advice for young designers who want to be in multidisciplinary fields and have the passion to create as much as possible?

Kavya Okay, this is something that. I learned through my life. And I think that I wish someone had told me this or whatever, and I think I had to do this search for one of the answers, and I finally found it. So this is what I'm trying to say. So there will be a point of time. Like, for example, I was doing architecture when I was doing all these fresh as mint projects, and people are like, Oh, you're so, so much better in creating the rest of the art stuff than being an architect. Why don't you continue doing that? 

Aamani

Okay? [side eye]

Kavya

So, like, one of my previous employers had said that he's, like, you're that's also, I mean, I felt like it was a bit unfair, because I was still learning about architecture, like the practices here. But anyway, he said that you're way more creative in your process. And, like, you know, architecture is something that is not your strong suit. So I considered them as mentors. And so when something like you would face a situation like this at some point of time, yeah, where you have to choose, what do I want to do? So coming from someone like that, I had to question myself. Am I really like, you know, should I shift? Because all of my friends, everybody just sees what I create. All of my friends would be like, why are you even in architecture? You should do this. You come, jump over, come into this one. So, okay, so anytime that you are in a situation where you had to choose, because multidisciplinary, it is a hard balance to maintain, but then there is something that you need to do for sustenance. Whenever you are in this situation, all you need to think is, will I be able to do this for the rest of my life, this exact thing? Will I be happy and content doing this rest of my life, or will I get burned out? that was the turning point when I had to, like, choose whether I should do this or that. I'm, like, I can create, like, do all these little projects and everything, but that will burn me out, for sure. Yeah, architecture is something I always, always wanted to do. I don't care whether I'm good at it or not, because I won't entirely believe that I'm still really good at that, because I'm still in the learning process. But that is something I love, and I know for sure that if I'm on a death bed, I wouldn't regret it. Yeah, asking would I be able to give all my energy, all my focus, and always learning in the thing that I choose. So you kind of write down all the pros and cons, and you kind of decide, like, you know, make which one you want to pursue. So that's so I think that's like my advice in one way through personal stories,

[conversation edited out]

Kavya It was a really good discussion. I was excited when you asked me for this, because it's, it's interesting to talk about, yeah, especially with the family designer,

Aamani

Alyse:

Hello, I’m Alyse! Thank you for being able to meet with me!

Rubén Darío Villa:

Not a problem, thank you for reaching out! You mentioned this is for a class assignment, correct?

Alyse:

Yes! I’m majoring in Graphic Design at VCU’s School of the Arts program! I was assigned to interview a designer of my choice who aligned with my chosen line of work as a designer. I have seen the work that you do on your website and Instagram, and it’s very similar to what I want to do in the future!

Rubén Darío Villa:

That’s awesome! It’s great to hear that you’re getting the opportunity to learn and network within your school, but also in the professional environment. Well, whenever you’re ready, you can ask me anything.

Alyse:

Awesome, alrightyyy!

Alyse:

First, what sparked your interest in graphic design?

Rubén Darío Villa:

I didn’t really know I wanted to do graphic design until I got to college. I first found out about this field from a friend of mine. He was showing me what he was working on in Photoshop and was telling me all about these commissions he would get, and found it really interesting. As I started taking design and art classes, I got more involved in opportunities that could provide me with experience. I participated in a design contest inside and outside of school. I even got offered to design my school’s student IDs.

Alyse:

That is awesome!

Rubén Darío Villa:

Yup! It was really great to see that my work was now being distributed and carried by everyone on campus. A lot of the experience that you can gain that won't simply be given to you, you have to go after yourself. Whether it’s an art show, a contest, win or lose, you've got to go for it.

Alyse:

Next, what is the most useful advice you were given?

Rubén Darío Villa:

The most useful advice? I would say it would have to be this one phrase that always stuck with me. One of my professors had said, “You’re making a design, not just an illustration.” A lot of artists in the beginning want to create their own style, but it’s not always that your style will be the way it looks, but more about the work that you do.

Alyse:

That's an interesting way to put it. I don’t think I’ve ever thought about it that way, but it makes sense! Especially if you’re one to take on projects for other people, I would expect that your “style” would have to change to satisfy the requirements given by the client.

Rubén Darío Villa:

Right! There are a lot of ways you can go about making a name for yourself or showing what you can provide as a designer.

Alyse:

Adding on to that, what advice would you give to others who are just starting in graphic design?

Rubén Darío Villa:

Number one, you don’t always have to focus on specializing in one thing. Sure, you can have a lot of knowledge in a single category, but it also doesn’t hurt to have a broad range of skills, either. This way, no matter what you do, whether you are a freelancer or starting a business, you’ll have a lot to offer. I didn’t have a lot of side gigs, but I used to work with Apple, and for a while on the side, I had started my own business as well. I was selling air fresheners. Afterwards, when I left Apple, I started working with Google and still had my business to fall back on after I was laid off from them. Although if you really wanna dive deep into a certain skill or topic, that’s great too! Having a speciality can work well when it comes to working with a company.

Number two, you can learn just about anything and participate in any setting, even if you feel like you shouldn’t be there, as long as you learn the vocabulary. I took every kind of design class that was available at my college. When I was starting my business, I didn’t take any marketing or business classes like other students; I researched and taught myself about shipping, taxes, how to start an LLC, budgeting, and all the other aspects of marketing and producing a service or product. You know, like I started from scratch going into graphic design, and then started from scratch once again as an entrepreneur. As long as you’re willing to put in the work and have that hustle mindset, you’re off to a great start.

Alyse:

I think that’s a great mindset to have! Now and then, I know I’ve caught myself questioning “how much of the design world should I be involved in?” “What are things that would make me over- or underqualified for a position outside of what degree I do or do not have?” So it’s nice to have some clarity that it is doable and is okay to have a separate form of work outside of your primary career as a designer. It’s also very reassuring to hear that an “adultier” adult, especially one who is well established in their career, has also gone through the same baby steps that I’m currently facing as a student. Since high school, I can remember making spreadsheets and other documents to organize the pros and cons of each design field. I also wondered about how to get more experience in my chosen field, if graphic design was even right for me, or just how to start a platform or a portfolio for my work.

Rubén Darío Villa:

Just based on what you’ve told me so far, you definitely seem invested in what you want to do, you know? You’re doing your research, networking, and taking the classes, so you’re already on the right path!

Alyse:

Thank you! Alrighty, last question!

Alyse:

Lastly, what was your biggest challenge in becoming a graphic designer?

Rubén Darío Villa:

I would say the biggest challenge I faced in the graphic design field was working with clients who would reflect my worth as a designer. It’s important to set boundaries with employers and clients regarding how your skills and dedicated time as a designer are going to be valued.

Alyse:

OH MY GOSH THANK YOU! YES! The first time I questioned my value as an artist was from an old acquaintance of mine last year. They had asked me to design AND print flyers to promote their upcoming Halloween party. As someone who’s been living on that broken college student mentality, I try to give a bit of grace for others' budgets as well. However, that man had the AUDACITY to pay me 10 dollars for designing and printing his flyers…I was stunned. Then he had the nerve to complain that since I was just doing digital work, it shouldn't be that hard. That’s when I told him, double the price or do it himself. I really had to sit there and question, and I questioned for a while, if I was being unreasonable or not. However, this man had a pretty decent job.

Rubén Darío Villa:

Yeah, that can happen, and it likely will happen. It’s great to learn and know these tips or lessons now as a student rather than being thrown off later on in the workforce. You don’t always have to just settle for the initial amount your client or employer is willing to give. You definitely can always negotiate for something more. When I’m working with clients, I never talk about prices during the first consultation. We discuss what needs to be done and whatever requirements they have. After that, I assess my price range based on how soon they need the design to be made and what elements are being used to make the design. After that, I relay that information to them, and I typically give a price range for more flexibility, but a fixed price isn’t bad either. However, if they aren’t willing to compromise or if their maximum is below your minimum, then they just aren’t the right client for you, and that’s perfectly fine.

Alyse:

Good to know that’s very helpful, thanks! Well, that wraps up the last of my questions. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview.

Rubén Darío Villa:

Of course! I’m glad I could help, and this was a great talk! I wish you all the best in your journey in school and as a designer! If you ever have any other questions, feel free to reach out. I'm happy to be an ally in your corner.

Alyse:

Thank you so much. I really appreciate it!

Rubén Darío Villa:

No problem, take care and have a good day!

Alyse:

Q: What subfield of graphic design do you work in?

A: Most of the graphic design work I do is pretty minimal but all leads towards content creation and for the purposes of social media.

Q: By content creation what do you mean? 

A: I’m creating graphics in Canva to be posted; things like upcoming events I’m taking all that information and putting it into some sort of infographic. Some other graphic design materials could be on pagers like flyers or different organizations as well. 

Q: Were you in between any other majors and what was the final piece that pushed you towards graphic design?

A: So I actually wasn't a graphic design major at all in college. I ended up doing a lot of different Communications internships in college and I picked up graphic design skills along the way and just kind of kept that going. 

Q: Have you built a portfolio?

I have a short portfolio that sometimes I will send to clients if they’d like me to see a certain thing but because graphic design is not my full-time job I'm not really trying to promote a certain thing as my work or something like that.

Q: What projects or skill sets would you say you're most recognized for in terms of graphic design?

A: I’m most known for incorporating different themes and messaging quite well. So in graphic design it's not only the copy like the text that needs to be in certain things but also, you know, how can I through different imagery, different color, different shapes target a certain audience make that feel heard, make my messaging seem more professional, more community-oriented, and other things like that.

A: How would you say you try to target an  audience? What are some techniques you use?

I’ll try to use things that I know that this specific audience is interested in. For example, if it would be a soccer based audience I would use phrasing that I know is common in that realm. I would use colors pertaining to a team popular in that area, you know, more subliminal messaging.

Q: What are some of the projects that you have most enjoyed?

A: I would say one of the projects I most enjoyed is some of the stuff that I'm actually doing for CPP (Colombia Pike Partnership) has been a whole different redesign of just the logo, the graphics, the entire look of the organization. So getting to implement something completely fresh and with a lot of different elements to be used in those is always a lot of fun to just be like I have all of these options to play with. 

Q: How do you simplify designs so they communicate exactly what you want to say? 

A:  I'm always starting with everything that I want possible. Like multiple drafts, I throw in everything that I can and then continue to take away things and ask for feedback from someone who isn't my direct supervisor but someone on my team and see if they can still get what I’m trying to say and continue to take away until it's just the right amount. 

Q: What have you noticed that sets graphic designers apart from each other?

A: I would say everyone has a different individual style just based on how they think and how they create. You can see different influences depending on where people grew up if there's a certain time period there more in tune too, like a certain vibe. Some graphic designers I've met are definitely more grunge or doing a new american style or using a lot of very specific shapes that I would say pertain to aesthetics different than mine, similar to fashion with a lot of trends that come and go.

Q How do you approach the design process?

A: Similar to what we were talking about before, it's everything possible. I often find myself making different mood boards or just taking, before a really big project or campaign I’m about to start, a couple of days to brainstorm in a few different ways by journaling, brainstorm by doodling, brainstorm by looking online at other examples, and then when I feel I have the most information possible starting at a very maximalist approach and then going from there.

Q: Have you used illustrations in graphic design?

A: I have before for my personal work, not necessarily for clients. It's mostly, in the platform that I’m using, pregenerated or part of our brand kit already and then manipulating those images to make sure that everything stays stream lined.

Q: Are the clients open to building new illustrations?

A: It kind of depends. It depends on who the client is. If the client is someone who has a very specific and known brand like they're already known for certain things there's not a lot of room for me to be creative versus a newer organization or an organization who has claimed that they already need a lot of help are more likely to want my specific ideas. 

Q: What might lead to a revamp of a logo?

A: It could be a lot of different things. It could be that the logo has been around for a long time and is outdated, or it's no longer speaking to audiences. I feel like the most popular commentary for an organization or company is the people that they serve, their audience, will start to make comments and then it will be like time for a new brand design. Or new leadership in an organization is common to want a new brand redesign as well. 

Q: How would you work with a team to make sure you’re addressing all points of a logo or another project?

A: I love working in a team especially when we're all doing similar work because there is always something that I am missing that someone else has a really great idea for because graphic design relies so much on the creative process. It's very interesting. That's why when I say take a maximalist approach I put down every idea and then some teammate will say, “I have that same idea, I think looking at this would be really great.” And then I feel assured to go in that direction.

Q: Would you say the work in graphic design is more collaborative or independent?

A: I prefer to work in a collaborative environment. I think that it really depends. So for me I work as a marketing contractor, it's freelance so I’m typically working by myself because I’m selling just me to other clients on a project by project basis versus if you were to work at a graphic design firm or doing graphic design full time then it's more a group dynamic.

Q: As a freelancer how do you make sure you're heard above other freelancers trying to get similar jobs?

A: It's really just conveying what you have to offer to the project and it's hard because when you're interviewing you don't want to give away your ideas for free before you get hired. It's trying to strike that perfect balance and almost selling the client on myself first and my designs thereafter. 

Q: Do you show your designs while you're interviewing?

A: It kind of just depends on what it is. Even right now my projects I'm not hired specifically as a graphic designer I'm hired for marketing which umbrellas that. So I pretty much talk about the types of things I’ve made in the past for other clients and other projects that I’ve done and thats usually sufficient for the level of work that I advertise I can do.

Q: How do you make room for your thoughts and skills as part of a team while also ensuring your coworkers' work is depicted too?

A: Sometimes that can just show itself up by having a few different options for the client to choose from. I think that, especially when I’m starting a project and I’m unfamiliar with the client, unfamiliar with the brand, I’m sending a few different versions from something that might have been purely my idea, all my own individual vision, and then showing another draft similar to what they have been doing in the past and what I think is pretty straight forward with their brand. That's another opportunity to use what your teammates have suggested.

Q: Do you work with other designers separate from graphic design?

A: It depends on the project. For example, the things I do for CPP there is another marketing contractor with me. I actually started on the CPP project with her or working for her and now I work directly for CPP. But we still work together and I have a lot of respect for her and we work quite well together. 

Q: What would you say your style is?

A: I would say it's very community centered. In my graphic design work I would say I'm always trying to spotlight people in the community, the direct audience, and trying to share their stories.

Q: As AI use increases, would you say there’s less job security in the field? 

A: I feel that because of the nature of my work, marketing, I’m more worried about AI in different areas because I also do a lot of writing. I’m more worried about the writing aspect of my job versus any digital imagery. I think that question also pulls into your own personal beliefs. I think that AI is here to stay and designers that are able to spit out what is the true vision will have more sustainability in their jobs. 

Q: How do you combine writing and images?

 A: Sometimes for images, like in a post, the writing is purely in the caption. They are two very different entities and maybe the image is telling one set of information and the caption is going into more detail or a different sort of combination. Words within a graphic are a different set because again it's how much. They’re used very minimally. I think it really just depends. 

Q: How do you see graphic designer abilities co-existing with technology and design?

A: I see technology just as a tool to amplify your own graphic design abilities. I think that as someone who didn't receive a ton of professional training in graphic design, and that's not something I necessarily studied, technology and other platforms, online resources, and other designers have been a great resource for help. 

Q: Does graphic design go beyond branding?

A: Yes. Graphic design can range from logo to posters and printed designs, but when I think of graphic design it's everything online. Things going into a website, a webpage, things going on to social media, anything that people are seeing online. 

Q: You mentioned printing, what are some examples?

A: Some examples are posters, recently for a client I had to design bookmarks because they are an education based organization. I mentioned earlier one-pagers so like flyers, those have a bit more text on it because they are trying to explain something too. I’ve done merchandising as well, designing merch for an organization that has a bit of graphic design on it depending on how intricate your work is.

Q: How do you go about having to replicate an idea for a client without any examples or guidance?

A: I feel like there is no answer to that. That is forever a long issue especially. Part of your job will always be trying to find out what the client is trying to articulate and that's why I said offering different options when you have the capacity, when you're just getting to know the brand, I found has been very helpful. 

Q: What are some platforms that you use?

A: I use mostly Canva and Adobe.

Q: Would you say that other platforms are more used or beneficial than another?

A: I’m sure there are other platforms that offer more technical advancements, but for the level of work that I need to do and most of my clients, their audience is just the general community. It’s not a hyper specific that requires a higher sense of professionalism. I’m able to get away with just using those few things and to be quite honest I don’t need graphic design work to dominate what I do.

Q: How might you network in the graphic design field?

https://www.instagram.com/dragon_of_the_yeast/?hl=en

S: (after some greetings pre-record) Okay, let’s get started then! So firstly, why don’t you introduce yourself and the kinds of work that you do.

T: Yeah! Um, my name is Taehee Yoonseul, I use they/them pronouns, I am a Korean-American artist and designer. Um, a lot of my current work has been dealing with, kind of, transgender narrative but especially in relation to voice, and how we interpret, not just through human perception, but also how machines interpret voice. So yeah, when I was at VCU, I went to grad school there, for graphic design, and that’s how I got to know all the VCU graphic design folks there. 

But, um, I was researching gender affirming voice-training, and I myself was interested in gender affirming care best provided under, like, the medical perspective as well, but also I noticed like “oh, wait like also speech and voice training.” Also a relationship of my memory from when I first moved to the states and during the process of assimilation, a lot of the language, like, words that they use, or the phrases they use, overlap with gender training. So, I just thought it was like an interesting medication, like, oh like, even though I’m going through this like, voice activity, it not only addresses my relationship with gender but also with my nationality. It started out from that.

S: Yeah, I totally get that, especially with Korean having some gendered terms, especially when you’re addressing people who are older than you. 

T: Yeah, it’s very hierarchical!

S: Haha, yeah!

T: Yeah I thought it was funny because, when it comes to pronouns, like, korean words don’t have gendered pronouns, but when it comes to something like job titles, or roles in family, it gets gendered.

S: So what really inspired you to pursue a career in graphic design?

T: Uh, it kind of happened out of, like, necessity for survival, to be very frank. So, I studied painting during my undergrad year. But then during my undergrad year time, I was more interested in trying out different media even though I loved painting, like it never felt like this is THE medium for me. So, after graduation, I lived in New York for 8 years, and I did a lot of printing and publications, like making zines, and making a lot of digital media like animation, and eventually 3D modeling. And that’s kind of like a good, overlap intersection of like, “oh, If I am gonna go to grad school, what would be a good intersection of printed publication and digital media?” So like, graphic design! And, I think there is a myth around fine artists always working by themselves, but I was never that kind of person. Even though I have my personal practice, I always love collaborating with other people and artists. 

So I felt like a lot of real art design production, you are actually never alone, unless you are really starting from the bottom. But even then, you kind of need to work with someone to get a project rolling. But yea, graphic design, I think my love for books, the production of making books really brought me in, but also my own interest in digital media. 

S: Yeah, I think I read in your insta bio that you went to RISD for your undergrad

T: Yeah!

S: And I remember just seeing a bunch of videos online regarding how brutal your first year is. 

T: Oh haha! Yeah!

S: So, when creating a portfolio, what are some key elements or works you include that employers look for? What are some things that you might not want to include?

T: Yeah, okay! So, like, definitely your portfolio should have your voice, and your interest, but also you kind of have to think about… like even through your work, because I feel like a lot of people think about the FINAL product, and because I came from a more fine art practice, I also thought like, okay, once I have the final product that’s it. But what I kind of had to teach myself once I got into the grad program, what I learned is, like, oh, actually you need to show the thought process or the prototype process, and they want to see that.

So like, all this process chart and documentation became really important. And also like, how are you delivering this, explaining this project that you worked on to your hiring manager or art director? Because you will also be presenting something like that to your client as well. So yeah, even though you are making a work about communication, the way you have to present your portfolio is also another layer of communication. So yeah, that has been a key point. 

S: Yeah, it’s really cool to see the process and how someone thinks whenever they show their documentation process. It’s really sick!

T: Yeah, I guess like, the most brutal part about sending out the portfolio to people like art directors or creative directors, they maybe take like 5 seconds sometimes to look at. And then it's like, okay, how can you convince someone to stay more than 5 minutes? Like engage with what you’re showing? So you have to think a lot about that too.

S: Like, what are some ways that you can grab their attention when you are submitting a portfolio? 

T: I try to have all the, like, documentation to be pretty high quality. So like, even when I was teaching graphic design, I really recommend students to, like, when you are just documenting something like a book, really try to think of it as like a photo shoot And also, like, sure you can do like a scanner, or a simple black background or white background. That is totally fine as long as it’s clean and consistent. But I think you are like, really trying to create a narrative around it while you’re documenting. So it's not just like “Oh I took a photo and it's done.” Like, I also didn’t really think deeply about it until I really got into graphic design. So that has been really important 

And also, because I also have been working as a freelance designer, like after I graduated and how much you have to really push your portfolio out to people, like the outreach has been a really big part of it. So yeah, those two. And like, I guess another challenge recently is how to bypass all this AI screening in front of a person. 

S: Oh yeah, totally. I’m also really curious, how exactly did you find out about VCU and, like, the VCU arts master’s program. Like, what put VCU on your radar and how have your experiences here at grad school helped you as a graphic designer and artist?

T: I heard about it when I was an undergrad. Not specifically graphic design, but I heard a lot about the sculpture program, because of the ranking. But then I had my old studio mate, V, who runs Gender Fail

S: Oh yeah, we talked about them in class!

T: Yeah, we were briefly, like, studio mates, when it was before the pandemic, and I know they went to the VCU grad program. So that's how it kind of got on my radar. And then I also learned that its one of the few MFA programs that gives you a stipend, not only like a full scholarship. So I was like, oh, for a MFA program to provide that is in the United States. So that’s a pretty big deal. So I was like, “yeah I would love to check it out!” And then finally, once I apple, and got to meet people, like Nicole, has been like a huge decision point on how I applied for the program, because I like how the VCU graphic design program , is not like the super commercial, graphic design, that you go through and you spit out as like a cog in the industry. Like, there is no wrong about working in the industry either! But I really liked the fact that I can just direct my own research. and graphic design is like, just a lens that you can view this project that I’m working on. And it doesn’t really have to be traditional graphic design projects. So that was what really appealed to me. Because I’m also coming from painting, and also did a lot of mixed media. So it gives a lot of freedom to me. 

So yeah, I like the self directed part. But not entirely being left alone by myself. And like you probably noticed in the MFA program, the number of cohorts is pretty small. So I feel like I get a lot of attention from my faculties, and compared to other art schools, like Pratt, which has like maybe 50 grad students, and maybe you see your advisor, maybe, like once a semester!

S: Yeah I think it’s pretty easy to meet up with some advisors here at VCU. Speaking of grad school, what advice would you give to someone who wants to pursue a master’s degree, or eventually teach graphic design in higher academia at other colleges or universities?

T: Wow, haha, great question! Hmm. I guess, I’ve been talking a lot with my colleagues, who are also adjunct professors or full time professors right now, I think we’ve just mostly been talking about AI. Like, I think some of those students are very aware about the implications of using AI, because of what it does environmentally and how it targets lower income and mostly POC communities with the data bank facilities. But also like, my students use it! I still spot them! 

But also, like, for me, I also teach coding too. So like, when it comes to coding, it can be helpful. But I feel like if you are going to use it as one of the tools that you are trying to problem solve with, but also the suggestion it gives you might not be perfect. So even though, let's say you are using it as one of your potential tools. How much of the decision are you making in this project, the code? Is AI making the decision or are you making the decision? Can you explain what the AI gave you? Or like, if an AI coded the website with like, a really rounded frame that looks like a knocked-off apple product, did you make that decision? Or do you know how to fix it? I think part of accepting this is somewhat of a reality, but also, if you are going to use it, you should be responsible for what you know. So that has been a lot of the conversation topics. 

But also, I feel like there is a lot of anxiety around AI, even in the graphic design industry. I feel like, definitely, the industry job market has been changing around it. I think AI right now is like going through this really big bubble, which I’m pretty sure is going to burst and it’s not gonna be pretty. But also, a lot of creatives, like young creatives, are especially discouraged by things like, “Oh my god, AI can do my job.” But I was like no, like, the quality of the work that comes out from AI is really bad. Its like, just because the bigger, higher, corporate people or people in power think that AI can replace you, which is not true. I think that it’s just a matter of time, but it’s also how you're adapting to the change without losing hope. I think about how to share with my students too.

S: Yeah, AI has definitely been a conversation topic here on how we use it in our work, or how we don’t use it in our work, and I've definitely gotten some people telling me that I should learn how to work with it or else it’s gonna work you, that sort of sense.

T: Yeah, I think currently, for companies like OpenAI, they’re not very great. And I think one of the fundamental problems of these, like AI services, are the ways that they manage their energy, and the violation of privacy. Those two really need to be addressed. But otherwise, it could be a really cool tool. But I feel like before we drop this product into the capitalist market, it needs to slow down…

S: There’s no regulation!

T: Yeah, there’s no regulation, yeah! And then I feel like it’s unfair to blame the individual user and consumer. I feel like it's very predatory towards younger students, because like a lot of credit card companies will do that to younger students too. 

S: Yeah, so I know you’re based in New York City, which I feel is like the dream for a lot of students here, or a lot of graphic design students, or art students in general. 

T: Haha yeah!

S: So what’s your favorite part of being an artist and graphic designer based in New York City, and is there a least favorite part?

T: Least favorite is definitely the hustle.

S: Oh yeah, it’s expensive. 

T: Yeah, it is expensive. And also, I lived here before grad school for roughly 8 years. And back then I was really a working artist. I didn’t do a lot of graphic design jobs back then. I did a lot of education and non-profit admin, all sorts of stuff. And now that I'm doing work that is mostly graphic design related now, that has been a little bit better. But nonetheless, I feel like the first year after graduation has been just like more adjustment, like initially trying to apply for a job, but I feel like, oh wait, actually it works better for me if I'm doing freelancing, and also I can control my own schedule. So that’s been nice. And also, because it's so concentrated with other creatives, you get to really meet and network with other people easily. Like not just to letterclimb, but like I genuinely like this person, and you have a mutual respect. So you get to meet a lot of collaborators and you get a lot of inspiration for sure. And so many things are happening constantly. So I’m like, wow, this cool designer in that paper that I like is having a designer talk this week, so I'm like, I can just go there, you know. If I have the time! 

But another thing I really like, because I am a queer asian, especially I see a queer, trans, asian community here. Like even though I really love living in Richmond, and I think Richmond is pretty queer friendly, when it comes to having like the specific community that I want to be around like that, New York has it. So I’m like yeah, even though it might be a bit of a hustle, I feel like I have a strong desire to stay here because of this community. So yeah, that’s what I like about New York. And also easy access to things, even though it's pretty hard, you do get used to it. Definitely, the first 3 years, like the advice that I got when I was in undergrad, when I was thinking about maybe moving to New York, what was given to me is that if you’re really willing to grind for 3-5 years, something will happen. Something is bound to happen. So it does give something back if you’re really willing to go through it. 

S: So like a work hard, play hard type of thing?

T: Yeah kind of. Like, really the first 2 years, you kind of need to have some savings,  I mean you should definitely have some mental preparation, because those first two years are going to be the hardest. But after that, if you go through that, you can go anywhere, haha!

S: Yeah, that’s all so cool. 

S: Yeah, so is there any work that you’re really proud of that you haven’t been able to show off as often, or can you talk about any works that you’re just really proud of?

T: I mean, I really enjoyed my thesis work during the ones I made in grad school because I haven’t been able to make that scale of work, especially once I moved to New York. But, hmm.

So those are like more personal projects where I interview trans artists who have their own specific relationship with the voice. And from that interview, I made a website slash interactive installation. And one of them, the narrative, was like an interview between me and another artist, Umi, who was going to Korea around that time to get her voice feminization surgery. And then after the surgery, you can’t really talk for almost a month. So I thought, it was a really interesting relation, like oh what is your experience with your voice. Because like, I’m also trans masc, and for trans masc, if you’re on hormones like testosterone, it will naturally drop your voice. But then when you’re a trans woman, estrogen doesn’t really affect your voice, so I was really interested in talking about that, but also I think we also started to be able to talk about identity pretty playfully, and also intimately. But then I thought it was really funny. When I have the voice recording and using a transcription app, there was this little glitch where it recognized the surrounding environment’s sound, like it’s a third person. So yeah, then the text generated from it became really weird, like a glitch collection, which I’m like, oh wait, this is a really interesting way to deal with this information. Because I also feel like this is a really private conversation between two trans people. That’s not really like, I don’t know if I'm excluding cisgender people from this conversation. I would also like to invite them to engage with it, but I also want them to do the work of sitting with it. So I feel like that layer of encryption, glitch aspect kind of forces cisgender people to, like if you want to experience it, you have to sit with it longer. So, even though the visual of the final installation can be mesmerizing, if you really want to understand, you have to sit and read.

So that has been kind of playing with the audience's expectation, and has been really interesting. But if it’s more client-based, I worked on this music video for this musician O-Young, and that has been really fun because I always wanted to make 3D animation on that scale, and one of my bucket lists was to make a music video for musicians.

S: That’s really exciting!

(we lowkey kind of go off topic and off-record on talking about female reproductive healthcare, gynecology healthcare, and gender-affirming care/trans healthcare haha)

S: Yeah, so last question, is there any advice that you would give to college students who are still trying to figure out what they want to do in the design field?

T: Work hard, play hard, really. I feel like I notice, definitely when there is a project, make it fun for you and work hard on that, because that will be your portfolio piece. And if you want to get a job, that will be the one that you will use a lot.

Matt Davis of Perfectly Acceptable Press, Chicago, IL

William: Alright, I guess first off, can you just briefly describe for those reading this who aren't familiar, what do you do with Perfectly Acceptable Press?

Matt: Yeah, so Perfectly Acceptable is like kind of a lot of things, but at its core it is a risograph print shop and my publishing practice, and I publish, I don't know, experimental comics and artist books. And yeah, I'd be happy to go into like what risograph is and stuff too, if you need it. But yeah, yes, that's what it is at the yeah base.

William: Yeah, awesome. I'm assuming the reader is familiar with riso. So how did you get into riso printing?

Matt: Okay, so I got into riso printing when I was in college. I at the time had taken a class, this is 2011 or something, I had taken a class in the creative writing department on drawing comics. Oh, and the other pertinent thing is I was a Russian major, so I wasn't doing anything in the Arts. But I had taken a class in the creative writing department and it was on drawing comics, and I like totally fell in love with drawing comics and started, you know, drawing my own comics and reading lots of comics and alternative comics like quote-unquote graphic novels, etc. And with a couple of friends, I started a student group called the Oberlin Comics Collective, and we published semesterly anthologies of, you know, student comics or just kind of whatever they wanted to submit. And at first we were publishing it with the, or like printing it with the on-campus print services, which, you know, they usually didn't do a fantastic job of it. But we had been sort of hearing about risographs at the time through a couple like pretty popular, you know, like alternative cartoonists, particularly Mickey Zacchilli and Patrick Kyle. And with Michael Deforge, they published this, you know, like three-person anthology series on risographs. And that's sort of the genesis of risograph in general, as like an artistic form in the U.S. at least. But anyways, we were seeing these, we're like, wow, these are so cool. And I think the summer after the student group started or something, James, who was one of the members, found, you know, an old risograph, because, you know, risos were originally marketed towards and sold to offices and schools and, you know, public sector institutions, et cetera. He found an old riso in the back of the post office on, you know, in the nearby campus. And they didn't know what, really what it was. It was like they had moved on to some sort of other photocopier. So they gave it to us. And I just totally fell in love with it because it was like a way to print my own stuff. And then, you know, also the student stuff. And I didn't, you know, I wasn't an art student, so I didn't have access to a lot of, you know, printmaking equipment up until this point. So it was just like, yeah, totally blew my mind. And just like the process in general really like kind of synced up with the way I like to make art. You know, there's like a kind of limited color palette and certain restrictions you sort of have to abide by to like, I don't know, really make the risograph work. So, yeah, I don't know. That was, I just kind of, I just got super into it for the last couple years I was in school. I moved to Chicago and I bought a risograph like a couple of days after I moved here from a woman in Wisconsin who used it to print her church newsletter. Because back then risos were just like all over Craigslist and you could get them for really cheap because people didn't know what they were. And yeah, I used to print my own stuff, but just by virtue of kind of right time, right place. You know, there was a lot of interest in riso at the time, but not a lot of people doing it for hire. And also like the standards of what is considered good risograph printing hadn't really been established. So I was able to start taking contract jobs like for hire jobs from people who were interested in risograph printing. And then kind of, I don't know, I hurt my wrist drawing. So I sort of stopped drawing as much and started, you know, mostly focusing on printing. And, you know, as I didn't really have an artistic outlet with my wrist. So I started publishing as kind of a way to like, I don't know, fulfill my artistic desires through other people or like through the design and the craft of the books. And then that's kind of just been, I don't know, doing that ever since.

William: Awesome. Yeah. So I guess on the topic of the publishing aspect. Small press just seems, it's exciting to me, but also very intimidating, especially as a full time career. So I was wondering like, in what ways have you made this operation as financially sustainable as possible?

Matt: Yeah, I mean, uhhhhhh… I don't know. I've never really had, I've never really done much by way of long term planning or anything like that. I kind of just go where the wind takes me. Like I said, I do think I was pretty lucky in that I like got into riso printing, like before, you know, standards or whatever, with regard to like registration, or like, I don't know, the fidelity of images or whatever had really been established. So I was able to take jobs and have satisfied clients with like, a really crappy by today's standards printer. But it also gave me an opportunity to learn and, you know, slowly kind of build up my print shop. I guess like now, I think my financial stability is like sort of based on a few things. I mean, one just sort of overall, I do a lot of different things. It's like I do workshops, and I do fairs, and I sell books online, and I sell books to wholesale books to bookstores, and I have distributors and I run a comics festival and I do comics readings like that. There's a lot of different income sources. So you know, if one is starting to fall through there, there are others to fall back on. And I am established enough at this point where there are always contract print jobs for me to do if I if I need to make money. Although that's my least favorite thing to be doing. Yeah, I don't know. That's, that's sort of it. I mean, I've always been a pretty frugal person. I moved to Chicago with no money. And I was a dog walker for like two years while I was getting the print shop going. And, you know, I was living on, I don't know, $800 a month or something. And I don't know, I developed a lot of habits that I still kind of keep around, even though I don't necessarily need them anymore. So that's made it easy to save money and stuff too.

William: Gotcha. Okay. Um, so you mentioned when you were in college, you were a Russian major.

Matt: Mm hmm.

William: So if you could go back in time to when you were my age, I'm 19. What advice or wisdom would you give yourself?

Matt: Yeah, I mean, I say this to young people fairly often. But yeah, I think the most important things are like, I mean, I wouldn't go into this expecting anything or trying to do anything. I mean, like, I think art should kind of come from, you know, your own internal compass. And also, I yeah, I would just try to avoid, you know, I never went to art school, but I have been through, you know, college and stuff. And I think it's, I don't know, the professionalization of art, and they're like, the way I don't know, hobbies and stuff are treated is it's like, there's a lot of emphasis on monetization, and like, quote, unquote, making connections and stuff like that. And I, you know, it's not like they're, those things don't exist. But I feel like, um, I don't know, especially like, early on, I was mostly leaning on like, friends rather than like, quote, unquote, connections. And like, I don't know, necessarily how to say it. But I do think like, engaging in art, to make friends, and like, build community is going to get you a lot farther than like, trying to build a quote, unquote, brand, or make quote, unquote, connections. Because that's really not what it's about.

William: Yeah, for sure.

Matt: Yeah.

William: This leads perfectly into my next question, actually. So you, as a publisher, you collaborate with a lot of artists, are there any artists in particular that you enjoyed working with, especially?

Matt: Um, yeah, for sure. I think there are a few artists who I've published several books with. I mean, the first one that I always mentioned with those kind of questions is Daria Tesler from Portland, Oregon. I published a book of hers pretty early on in the press. And she was like, sort of a friend of a friend, I can't even remember how I found her work originally. But she's also just like a really good printmaker and has like, you know, a good bookmaker and like, strong, I don't know, or like, her aesthetic sensibilities are aligned with mine. And so like, um, you know, with our books, it's been really fun to like every book kind of like, up the ante and see how ridiculous we can make it with like all the bells and whistles and stuff. But you know, she still is really good at like marrying content and form and like, not just making it a spectacle, but like actually having it be an engaging book at the same time. Yeah, I mean, Anna Haifisch, from Germany, I've published several books by her. Similar story. She just kind of down to let me do whatever but is a really strong illustrator. And it's, you know, I don't know, it's just been fun to uhh. My first book with her was fairly early on also. And it was cool just because she's in Europe. So it kind of like opened up a lot of opportunities internationally. And that was really cool for me. Yeah, I don't know. But I like working with pretty much everybody. I think, you know, I curate kind of based on a lot of things, but vibe more than a lot. And, you know, I wouldn't work with someone if I didn't get a good vibe from them.

William: Gotcha. So riso printing is notorious for requiring, you know, troubleshooting, maintenance, and most importantly, just like patience. Do you ever find these skills to be helpful in other areas of your publishing practice that might not be so obvious, like whether it be collaborations, interactions with customers, deadlines, and whatnot?

Matt: Yeah, yeah. I mean, I think sounds like you're imagining an answer to that question. But I would also say that, I mean, the answer is, yeah. I mean, Riso printing, it's like, yeah, I mean, I, I don't know, Riso printing, it has that reputation. I think it's less of the case now is like people are buying your presses and stuff like that. But nevertheless, it is sort of a trying thing, especially when you're working with older printers. And yeah, I mean, I definitely like, I feel like I overcame a good amount of like, anxiety and stuff, just kind of be being like constantly, you know, when I was starting out, especially like, being really kind of like, you know, I don't know, the machine would break and I would have like, you know, $50 in the bank, and like, everything would be wild that like, I would just feel crazy. But like, that happening, and then still kind of somehow landing on my feet, like time and time again, made me a lot more calm and good at, you know, dealing with problems. And like, similarly, like, I don't know, I mean, I am not really an artist at this point. I'm mostly like, you know, a designer and a curator and stuff. But I work with artists all the time. And artists are extremely, I mean, not as a rule, but often extremely disorganized and like chaotic people. So I spend a lot of time, you know, I don't know, I get to exercise, I have to exercise patience quite a bit. And yeah, it's, it's, that's been a good experience to just sort of learning how, y’know, it's also the process of learning design, but it's like social design. It's like what, you know, how to relate to people in ways that, you know, don't make them overwhelmed, but kind of give you the, give you and give them the results they want out of a, you know, an interaction, whether it's me, like trying to get their files for their book, or, you know, trying to ask someone if they want me to publish them or whatever. And yeah, so yeah, I don't know. Overall, and it's like art. Yeah, art is also just like inherently social. I think people forget that a lot of the time, but I've, you know, I've made a ton of friends through this stuff. And yeah, I'm really grateful for that. So yeah, that's, that's, that's the answer.

William: Yeah, no, that was great. Is there anything else you would like to say to my class? I'm going to present this to them.

What inspired you to become a graphic designer?

To be honest, the reason I wanted to do graphic design was because of your father. Our family is rooted in design and art and all that stuff, and my uncle Alfonso was the start of that because he was a big inspiration to us because he was a great artist and that made us want to do something art related. But, your father is the one who made me want to do graphic design because seeing his work inspired me to work in a similar field. That’s why I also do web design because I think your father taught me that having both would serve me in my career.

How did your education or training help you prepare for this career?

How it helped me was learning the basics, like I went to a university in Bogota and there I learned the basics of graphic design and stuff like that. Your father also sort of taught me because at the time I was living in Bogota he was in the states. And because of this he was much more advanced than I was, so what he would do is every time he learned something new he would teach me it. That’s sort of the reason I got into web design is because your father would send me these CD’s of web design and all of these videos about web design and through these videos I learned how to actually do it. So I would say that those are the two ways that helped me.

Can you walk me through your creative process for a new project?

My creative process when starting a new project is just a lot of thinking. I’m not one of those people that sketch out or draw their ideas. The reason I don’t do that is because I’m not skilled enough, so what I do instead is I just think. I’ll research the topic and after that I’ll just think, like when I go to bed I think nonstop which is probably why I don’t get a lot of sleep. But, after I think of an idea I’ll just go straight to the program. Sketching just isn’t for me, if I was actually good at sketching I would do it, but since I’m not that good at it I don’t do it.

How do you stay inspired or overcome creative blocks?

How I overcome creative blocks is by meditating. It sounds very hippy, but meditation helps me a lot. I have this app called Headspace and they have a section for creative blocks so whenever I get a creative block that’s an option I use. Another thing I like to do is just turn off the computer and go out to the city. I’ll go walk outside and try to look for influences or ideas within the city. I think the main thing is to just turn off the computer, because we spend so much time on them that it starts to get repetitive, and when you have access to unlimited references and stuff like that, going to a place that has limitations can take you out of that block.

How do you balance your own creative vision with a client’s needs? 

This is a difficult question. When I was younger and doing client work, it was very hard for me when they couldn’t see my vision because when you’re young, you’re very stubborn and when they can’t see your vision it hurts and you might start to not like your clients very much. Especially because I used to do album covers for bands, and they were the worst because they would have such a specific idea of what they wanted in their head that if you deviated even a little bit from it then they would tell you to change it. They were just a big pain in the butt. But now, since I’m employed and more mature, I just do whatever my bosses want. You just have to not care and not take it personally, like if my boss wants red text instead of orange, I say “sure thing boss” with a smile on my face. When you're young it hurts to hear someone critique your work, even when they don’t know anything about art, but as you get older you stop caring about that.

How has being a hispanic man impacted your career?

Uhm, I don't think I could answer this question because it hasn't really impacted my work. Being bilingual has helped me, but being hispanic hasn’t changed my work all that much. I was born in Colombia, but came down to the states when I was very young, so all of my influences are very American and mostly based on comic books and video games and stuff like that. None of my influences are really from my heritage. Like one time back when I lived in Richmond, I had two Colombian dudes ask me to make a festival poster for a festival they were going to have in Colombia. That project was very difficult for me, I had a very hard time with it because none of my influences come from my heritage so it’s hard for me to make art about it.

What advice would you give to a graphic design student going into the workforce?

M: Okay, first question. 
When you were 18 and heading to college, what made you pick this career path and where did you see it originally going? 

L:Okay, so when I was 18, I had always loved, like, I've always been, like, a creative, if you will. It's weird to call yourself that, but, like, you know, as a kid, I was always doing crafts, like, drawing, painting, it's just always, like, when I was a kid, something I was was drawn towards, and I honestly had like, no fucking idea what I wanted to major in. 
And so I felt like, something that I've always enjoyed would be probably, like, a good bet to go after. And I guess I literally had no idea what it would initially turn into. or what would have eventually turn into, rather. I'm trying to think, like, I honestly, like, when I was 18, I was clueless to be perfectly honest. 
But I just tried to, like, you know, people advise me to just kind of go after something you have had, like, a longstanding interest in or just, like, generally enjoy because, I mean, like, the old thing is, like, if you enjoy your work, you never feel like you're working. So I'm like, I guess I should do something creative. And I, my major wasn't graphic design. 
It was creative advertising, but so, like, not in the art school, but like in the math comp school. But it was very much, like, graphic design forward. So, yeah, I picked, like, the most, you know, fun to me path in the math consable and, um I guess I saw myself, like, working for some, like music thing ideally is still sort of like what I'm would like to work towards one day. 
So yeah, you know, always, it's always in evolving, I guess, if you will. 

M:Okay. I love that answer. 
I feel very similar. 

L:Do you now? 

M:I do. 


L:Okay, good. That was really worrying. Okay. 


M: You're killing it. 

L:Thank you. 

M: Okay. 
How would you say in your opinion, getting your degree through the Masscom school rather than like doing a traditional graphic design kind of degree. How do you feel like that impacted slash changed your education and the way you learned to kind of do what you do now? 

L: fabulous question I have to take like marketing classes and like strategic advertising classes, So, I mean, granted I wasn't in the art school, so I don't know how broad like, you know, types of classes y'all are taking there, but I just feel like I got, like, a pretty broad spectrum of at least like basic education and kind of all forms of communication, like, like copywriting,, I never really looked like journalism classes, but like public speaking, it was just, like, more of a wide variety of skills, I guess, even today. But again, I don't know y'all could be doing the very exact same thing in the art school, but I but I do, you know, wish, like, like, so like most of the graphic design courses I took at VCU, the teachers were always very much, like, unfortunately, graphic design is a bit of like a self taught field. Like, I can teach you, the basics of design and, like, the basics of the program, but at a certain point, um you kind of have to figure things out on your own and there's lots of tutorials out there. So I guess, like, that's sort of encouraged, like, independence. But, yeah, I feel like I got, like, a firm knowledge of, like, all the sort of basic, like, building walks of design and general communication and, um yeah, to give us the confidence to serve taken from there.

M: Next question. 
Give a brief description of your practice and the things you feel called to creating today. 

L: repeat that. 

M: Yeah, I'd give a brief description of your practice and the things you feel called to creating today. 

L: Okay. A brief description of my practice would be Freelance, graphic designer, local to Richmond's who enjoys working with local businesses and nonprofits. I always have wanted to use like, you know, art design, whatever, in some way to make, you know, the world around me or just my general community, even if it's, like, you know, one single restaurant better in some way. I always, like, put again, I was in, like, technically, like an advertising school. 
It was always really turned off by the, like ad agency approach and pass because it's so like consumerism-based and it's just, like marketing, um things we don't need to people who like, don't need them and often, like, we did so much focus on like big brands, like McDonald's, for instance, and, like, you know, just products that and corporations that aren't really doing, like, positive things for the world. No, I've always tried to work with clients or, you know, cool my career by like a positive force in the world, whether it be, you know, so microscopic is just helping one place, but yeah, I always really like working with a nonprofit because that I, you feels like, fulfilling.

M: love that answer, thats a really good answer, yess that was everything

L: thank you so much

M: See, I feel like that's really interesting and, like, I feel like there is such a focus a lot of times in design towards, like these corporations in what will sell and like what this is deemed important and that kind of blur, like your own creative vision and what you want to do with your crafts.

L: Yeah, 100%. 
At one point I literally had to, like, go meet with an advisor like, I'm having a crisis of morality, like, everybody I'm in classes with is like, so into this, like, at a track and I'm just, like, so not, like, is this for me? And they were, like, totally, like, there's so many other things you can do with, like, design or just, like, general marketing advertising. Like, there's all different types of entities, whether they're nonprofit or even a more, like, ethical corporation needs that type of like skill. 

M: So, yeah, I Yes, I love that. I think that kind of leads me into the next question, which is.. Oh, what if any opportunities, um kind of changed your career, portfolio, or the way you look at creating?  What kind of, if any, opportunities kind of opened your eyes into this new, oh, kind of Yeah. thing?

L: Yeah. Okay. 
So, um, honestly, one of the most, like, critical moments of my career literally came from, like, the working at a restaurant for a long time and um it was when I worked at the grill when I was like right I was in college and then like directly out of college when I worked there and I was like serving and I had a coworker who was like starting her own business and she was like, well, do you make a logo for me? And I was like, oh my God, this is so flattering. Like, I would love too, thank you so much. And I, you know, didn't really, I definitely, like underchar as like. For sure. I had It's still really hard for me to, like, price my work, but that opened my eyes to being like, we, I could, like, totally do this. 
I could potentially start my own business freelancing. And that's all like, what I do. It's still, like, you know, I just I have struggled with, like, building it up to, like being a full-time thing, but from what I understand, very common, with freelancing, a lot of freelancers do, like, do other jobs, too, until they've, you know, sort of popped off. 
And to my, I don't know, not dispense, but like, most people who freelance start off with, like, a company, you're like an agency or whatever, and then transition into freelancing. I don't know. I just would like, that didn't it didn't happen that way for me. 
But, yeah, basically, just like working in, you know, the restaurant world, I made connection and that, you know, spoke about what I would like to do, and then projects started to come to me. And my first, like, big project where I made, like, a significant amount of money was doing the grills, the whole new menu, like, several years ago and yeah, that was a moment where I'm like, wow, like, I can I could like do this for a living. So yeah, I would say just, like, working and, you know, then talking about what I would like to do, sort of, you know, not manifested it, but in a way, kind of opened my eyes, do, like, this fast.

M: Yes. You manifested that. I mean

L: So I'll yeah, I'll say sure. I'll say. I'll have good energy.  And, like, nobody's going to know that you're doing this if you're not talking about it. You really do have to, like, self-promote. And so, yeah, you know,. I do like to think that energy was put out on the back, so thank you. 

M:Yes, I love that. Okay. Next's question. 
You recently put together a little art fair fair to sell your passion projects. I was just wondering if you could talk more about that, kind of describe it in your own words and then talk about some of like the challenges and different things that led you to pursue something like that. 

L: Okay, that's another super sweet, thoughtful, nice lesson. 
So, I love music, as, you know, like, seeing like these these bands has always been, like, a really important part of my life. It's where I, like, getting the most insp research and, like, creative motivation. And I've also, through, you know, going and traveling through live music med stuff some very lovely, inspirational artists. 
Like, they're also just, like, fan artists that inspired me to put on this event. These two girls that I met several years ago, have been doing these events at other shows for like, a few years. I had never, like, participated in one, but since I live in Richmond, and that's where, like, it's taking place. 
They where, like, you should totally, like, get involved, you know, like, it's, I still struggle with, like, confidence and things that I make or, like, you know, aoster syndrome. Yeah, me too. I think we all, yeah, I think that's, like, an artist, like, one of the biggest things we like, have to try to overcome. 
But, I was very scared of the idea at first, because of, like, the reason I just said and pop systems were going over, like nobody's going to care. But I guess just seeing other people who are very similar to me and just, like, there are other fan artists that also just, like, make things kind of for the bands they, like, on the side, being successful, I't doing that. I'm like, well, you know, it's like, they can do it, I can do it type of thing and And then since I decided to do it, it's been really fulfilling. 
And honestly, it's been so sort of gotten me out of like a little bit of a creative funk to be able to channel, like, creative energy into something, like, real and that's actually, like, going to happen, and, like, people are actually going to be there, and it's just been, um, you know, fulfilling in a way that, like, just doing a project hasn't always been. And, like, it's still, I do find some filmment from doing that too, but, like, it's just been a little different because of the connection with, like, the music in the community that sort of got me to this point. So I'll have, like a little full circle, you know, like, the music has inspired me to be creative, and then, you know, the people I've met through that have further inspired me to put that out there to, like, a, you know, larger extent, I guess. 
But, yeah, it's still, like, a little overwhelming and scary, and I'm definitely nervous, but, like, you're always gonna be nervous about doing something new. So, um yeah, did that answer, like, all the parts of the question? I'm trying to remember. so, yeah, just like talking about it. 

M: I think that was great. Okay, cool. Oh, I think that was, yeah, I think that was a good answer. 
You're excited to feel passionate about something, but you're nervous breaking through doing something you've never done before. 

L: 
You're excited to feel passionate about something, but you're nervous breaking through doing something you've never done before. Yeah. exactly. But I think it'll be rewarding once it's over for not just, like, that I'll be, like, hopefully making money, but just like the further connection with people who are sort of, like, like minded in that way of, like, being passionate and inspired by this one, like, band, so.. 

M: So young. Yes. Okay, next question. 
Oh. Okay. What advice, if any, have you received that you really valuable in relation to your work? 

L: Ooh, that's a good question. Um, I mean, it sounds like basic as fuck, but, like, literally, like, believing in yourself and, um putting yourself out there because, you know, a lot of the time we are going to be, like, our only cheerleader that, or not only, but like, the most influential cheerleader, because if you're not believing in yourself, then like, why would anybody else trust you to like, make something for them? So, yeah, like, confidence and the fact that, like, your work has value. 
And I'm probably the biggest is don't compare yourself to other artists because, and I still struggle with this. I, like, you know, we have different art styles or whatever, and I look at someone who's made this, like, amazing thing and this style that, like, I feel like I couldn't really do or would struggle with a lot, and you're like, damn, there's so much better than me, but it's not really, like, you know, better or worse, it's just, like, different. The same way that, like, we all have different, you know, personalities and different likes and dislikes. 
It's just, it's not a matter of like, better or worse, it's just, like, different, which is why art is cool, because if it was all the same and we all did the same thing, it would be, like, lame. So, yeah, believe in yourself and don't compare yourself to others. Yes, that is good advice

M: Is that the advice that you would give to up-andcoming people trying to purs suicide similar career?

L: Absolutely. Yeah. 
Comparing yourself to, like other artists it's just gonna, like, in my experience, it'll always leave you to a place of, like, negative self-talk, which does not help facilitate creativity or inspiration. So, um, yeah, and, like, look inspiration everywhere, like, look for beauty, everywhere, not to be, like, tey, but, um, and always, like, expand your perspective as much as you can as far as, you know, trying new things just in general, like going to places, like doing a new activity, like, meeting with a new person, because all of these little things, like, can inspire us and, you know, drive our creativity. So, yeah. 

M: All right. Okay. That was perfect. 
I have one last question for you. Okay. We're going to do some manifesting and things like that. 
Okay. Where do you see yourself career-wise, in like five years? Like, dreams?

L: ​​I, I would really like to be get to the point of being like a creative director for some, either like, company or, you know, ideally I would love to like work with music, but um. But like creative directing, you know, photo shoots, like, full campaigns, um just having, like, kind of a hand in all of that stuff and looking at, like, big picture, creative direction. Yeah. 
So creative director is, like, the role that I am, you know, striving towards. But realistically, I don't know if I will get there in five years, just because of, like, you know, my pace. But, yeah, that's, like, that is what I'm currently trying to manifest is of being a creative director for something that I think is cool. 

M: Period. I'm manifesting that for you and myself, honestly, that's what I want to.

Q1: How did you get into graphic design, and/or when was the moment you knew that this was the career you wanted to pursue?

Victoria Venditto: I always gravitated towards drawing and painting as a kid, and knew early on that I wanted to do something creative with my life. I would paint seashells, rocks, and leaves that I collected on walks with my nanna, and I loved going to craft stores to explore new materials. As I got older, my pediatrician recommended a local summer “camp” for creative teens, and I attended there all through middle school and high school. This program was aimed at preparing regular public school kids like myself to be good enough to apply to private art colleges and secure scholarships. It did take some convincing for my parents to see the potential of art as a lucrative career, but at the time, graphic design was just beginning to boom, with programs like the Adobe Creative Suite coming down in price and being more widely released (this was back in the day when you had to purchase them on CDs for ~$600/program). I knew I would never make it as a painter alone, and since I enjoyed tinkering digitally with some of these new programs, along with creating fonts and posters for fun, I thought graphic design would be a great career for me. In college, I chose a double major in Painting and Graphic Design so I could “do both.” It meant that it took me 5 years to graduate, and a max course load all through the years and summers, but I was determined. I wanted to do something I loved for my career, and nothing else interested me more than art!

Q2: When preparing your portfolio, what would you consider the key elements or inclusions to be that employers are looking for, or catch their eye the most? 

VV: I would say picture your ideal career and design your portfolio around that. There are so many niches within graphic design, and while it’s important to diversify yourself and show a bit of everything in your portfolio, you’ll naturally find what you love through deep exploration and play. Do typefaces light you up? Try designing a few of your own. Are you more into motion graphics? Editorial design? Building websites and apps? Try as much as you can, and see what gets you most excited. From there, customize your portfolio to highlight your unique strengths and interests. Practice your “elevator speech” detailing who you are, what your background is, and what kind of career you’re looking for. Tell stories with your portfolio, and ensure you can talk about each project succinctly. Be prepared to defend why you made design choices and decisions. Employers notice when you’re passionate about something, and finding the right fit will be so much easier if your portfolio reflects the career you’re truly after. Internships are also a great way to “test” if the day-to-day job aligns with your vision before you commit to a long-term position. 

Q3: What were some of the stepping stones you took to break into the professional design field post graduation or at the beginning of your career? (Note: I would like to credit that this question was inspired by conversations in class). 

VV: I actually felt very lost after graduation, and I think it’s important to recognize that it may take a while to find the right way forward after you complete your education. Sometimes the perfect job doesn’t appear right away, and that’s totally ok! It can still be a valuable step and learning experience. The transition from school to real life can be very hard, especially if you desire immediate independence. I was adamant about not moving back home, and so I worked three jobs to stay afloat, all of which weren’t quite right for me, but taught me a lot about what I wanted out of my career. I took the first job I was offered in a small graphic design studio so I could leap into a professional setting, and at the same time, I took a chance on a start-up that was specializing in high-quality paper products. I moonlighted at Whole Foods (originally my college job where I started as a cashier) as a fishmonger - yes, a fishmonger! - to keep my health insurance. Working so hard early on and being able to learn in two very different design settings allowed me to hyperspace my next move. Sometimes you have to “throw the spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks,” as they say :) 

Q4: What have been some of the challenges of the professional design field? 

VV: The biggest challenge for me is that the tools are always changing, and you’re never done learning them. It can be daunting to keep up with the latest programs and stay “in the know” of all the latest trends and directions of the field. When I graduated in 2013, a graphic designer could still be just a graphic designer. Today, I would say it’s much harder to find roles that don’t also want you to be versed in web/app/motion/social design. On the one hand, I’m never bored, and there’s always something new to learn. On the other hand, it can feel overwhelming to always have to look ahead and stay relevant. 

Q5: If you could go back to the beginning of your career, what would be some changes you would make, if any?

I think the only thing I would want to change is my confidence in myself. It took me SO long to develop my backbone and to recognize my true worth. I was constantly underselling myself and was afraid to negotiate my salary with early employers. Know the market rate for your services and experience level, and always give a salary range when you’re interviewed. That range should start at about $10k above your bare minimum needed to live comfortably (life is always more expensive than you think). If the employer can’t meet that threshold, this might not be the role for you - or, you could ask if there are any fringe benefits they offer, such as a stipend for commuting, a continuing education allowance, extra PTO, etc. Always ask! The worst thing they could say is no.

Q6: What has been your favorite part or experience of being a graphic designer? 

VV:My favorite part is definitely seeing my work “in the wild.” There’s nothing like being able to point at a billboard you’re driving by and getting to say, “Hey, I designed that!” It’s such a cool feeling to see something you made out in the world for others to experience.

Q7: What are some of your favorite designs you have worked on?

VV: When I worked for Whole Foods, I loved designing “profiles” or brand story signage for small local businesses that produced products for our stores. It was such a fun project that highlighted region-specific specialties and unique makers that provided a bit of homegrown aesthetic, despite Whole Foods being a nationwide chain. I also loved my time at Write Notepads, the small start-up I worked for right out of school. This was fun for a different reason entirely - I loved the tactility of letterpress machinery and seeing my designs come off the screen and onto a real product I could hold in my hands.

Q8: Is there any advice you would give to a college student still figuring out what exactly they want to do in design?

VV: Explore everything you possibly can now! There’s no way to know if you’ll fall in love with something unless you give it an honest try. If it’s outside of your comfort zone, it’s even more of a reason to attempt it now. Ride the excuse of being young and still “figuring it out” for as long as you can, and take the time to play and explore the field before you narrow down. Take internships to get your feet wet, reach out to employers you really admire and ask if they have a shadow program for students, and find a mentor/mentors who can help guide you forward. There is, unfortunately, no replacement for “networking." I’m not highly social, but it’s a necessary skill to cultivate. Also, never burn a bridge if you can avoid it. Even if you need to leave a job, be sure to do it respectfully and with proper notice. You never know when you’ll cross paths again! It’s happened to me so many times - the world is really quite small.

Q9: Any tips or tricks for managing work-life balance post graduation? 

VV:Be upfront with your manager if your workload is too overwhelming. An employer has a vested interest in working you as hard as possible, and they often will keep piling on work until you assert a boundary. A great way to ask for this is to request prioritization of tasks and highlight the importance of quality. I had to do this very often in my career at Amazon. It can sound like this: “Hi [Manager], I wanted to connect on what I believe to be the top priorities this [timeframe]. While I’m confident I can complete [XYZ], [ABC] needs additional time beyond my bandwidth to complete properly. Would [new date] be acceptable for [ABC]?” This allows them to confirm the hierarchy for you, and most of the time, ABC really can be done later!

Q10: Any tips on staying creative and getting over art-blocks?