Kristina Yu on the Advantages of Internships and Building her Brand

03/14/19 • 60 min

Kristina is a digital artist who creates adorable digital illustrations for her brand Cheery Human Studios. She used to do UI/ UX design for the tech industry and transitioned into creating her own personal brand. How did she go about that and what helped her along the way? Listen to her story to find out!

. . .

WHERE TO FIND Kristina:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/cheeryhumanstudios

Website: https://cheeryhumanstudios.com

. . .

THINGS MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:

Danielle Boinay - https://www.danielleboinay.com/

(I also have an episode I did with Danielle! https://www.theartjourneypodcast.com/episodes/2018/12/19/ep-4-danielle-boinay-on-making-unique-art-products-and-finding-your-style)

Katnipp Illustrations - https://www.katnipp.com/

(I also have an episode I did with Katnipp! https://www.theartjourneypodcast.com/episodes/katnipp)

Designer Con - https://www.designercon.com/

Creative Pep Talk Podcast - http://www.creativepeptalk.com/

. . .

EPISODE LESSONS:

1- The skills you learn in your day job can help you when/if you decide to build your own brand. Whether or not you currently work in art, the lessons you've learned will help you.

2- Don't be afraid to do something even before you have it all figured out. Figuring it out as you go along can be a great way to learn and there's no better time than now to start doing whatever it is you wanna do!

3- Internships are amazing tools for developing your career and skills so if you have the opportunity to do an art internship: DO IT.

. . .

WHERE TO FIND Kristina:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/cheeryhumanstudios

Website: https://cheeryhumanstudios.com

. . .

THINGS MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:

Danielle Boinay - https://www.danielleboinay.com/

(I also have an episode I did with Danielle! https://www.theartjourneypodcast.com/episodes/2018/12/19/ep-4-danielle-boinay-on-making-unique-art-products-and-finding-your-style)

Katnipp Illustrations - https://www.katnipp.com/

(I also have an episode I did with Katnipp! https://www.theartjourneypodcast.com/episodes/katnipp)

Designer Con - https://www.designercon.com/

Creative Pep Talk Podcast - http://www.creativepeptalk.com/

. . .

EPISODE LESSONS:

1- The skills you learn in your day job can help you when/if you decide to build your own brand. Whether or not you currently work in art, the lessons you've learned will help you.

3- Internships are amazing tools for developing your career and skills so if you have the opportunity to do an art internship: DO IT.

Previous Episode

Eliza Kapitan from Craft Hangout on Pushing Past the "Ugly" Phase

Eliza Kapitan is a podcaster and creative director from NYC. Her art varies wildly and is always producing new and interesting pieces. Her art journey is equally interesting having worn many hats in her 20+ year career. Listen to how she found her way through art and how she makes a living doing what she loves.

. . .

WHERE TO FIND Eliza:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loveelizadesign/

Website: https://love-eliza.com/

Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crafthangout/

Podcast Website: https://www.crafthangout.com/

. . .

THINGS MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:

Lila Rogers painting class: https://makeartthatsells.com/online-courses/lillas-art-recipes-drawing-faces-self-paced/

Don’t Keep Your Day Job podcast w/ Cathy Heller

. . .

EPISODE LESSONS:

1- Don’t be afraid to gettin scrappy. People will tell you a career in art is not viable unless you become an art teacher or something else that’s socially acceptable. Forge your own path in a way that feels most authentic to yourself and your career will grow and follow

2- Push past the weird, ugly phase. Sometimes you feel like your art, or career, has reached a point where you feel like you ruined it. You haven’t. You need to relax and keep going. This is where the real magic happens

3- Find the sweet spot where your art and what’s popular meet. This is where you will most likely find success

Next Episode

Michelle Staub aka StitchingSabbatical on Filling Holes in the Market

Michelle Staub is an embroidery artist who specializes in amazingly realistic pet portraits. Listen to her art journey from studying fine arts to running a successful business as a full-time embroidery artist. How does she price her work and how did she get started? Listen to this episode to find out!

. . .

WHERE TO FIND Michelle:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stitchingsabbatical

Website: https://www.stitchingsabbatical.com/

. . .

THINGS MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:

https://www.emillie-ferris.co.uk/

. . .

EPISODE LESSONS:

1- Don't compromise your mental health for your art. Listen to what your mind and body need and take care of that first.

2- If you want to do something, start now. If you don't, you'll regret it a year from now.

3- Don't be afraid to price your work high. If you wouldn't accept low pay from an employer, don't accept low pay from yourself.