We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kyle Shold a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Kyle thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
In some way I had always been interested in the creative arts. Stemming primarily from movies and film scores for movies with ‘Star Wars’ being a major early influence. I loved early behind-the-scenes documentaries detailing the artists and creatives involved in bringing these big films to life. And, of course, there was drawing. I think instinctually I felt that I wanted to do something creative but it wasn’t at all a conscious drive. In the mid/late 1980’s I was introduced to comic books as an art form. The medium wasn’t just about escapism to me but a form of artistic style that was accessible to me. Expensive equipment outside of my reach wasn’t required. All I needed was a pencil and paper and I could start putting my favorite characters into action. It was at this time that the thought of creating art for a living starting taking root. In high school my art teacher introduced me to pen & ink art and I instantly fell in love with using a brush and nib and the art of inking. I think it was around this time that making art as a professional comic book artist and “breaking in” to the industry was fully formed and all my attention and focus was doing that. While I may not have gone into comics it was definitely what drove me to go to art school and ultimately become a creative professional.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I grew up in a small town on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. Right out of High School I attended the Art Institute of Seattle which I don’t really think made me a better artist stylistically but it taught me about deadlines, accountability and being professional in my presentation. While in art school my desire to make comic books kept driving me and my portfolio reflected that. After graduation I interviewed around the area at a number of different companies including video game companies. One of which was Humongous Entertainment which was in the early stages of the first game of a new character named ‘Pajama Sam.’ The game had a very strong comic book style to it since the title character dressed as his favorite superhero. With my portfolio having such a strong inked artwork style I was hired on as a cut-scene background artist. It was a great job and Humongous was a fantastic company to work for. Since I was surrounded by an incredible amount of talent and had a large workload of deliverables my art skills grew and evolved because I had to keep up! I worked on dozens of titles creating background and conceptual art. Even as an Background Art Lead for most of the ‘Spy Fox’ games. To this day one of my favorite professional experiences was working on ‘Spy Fox 2: Some Assembly Required.’ The entire game was a pure joy to work on and I felt that I had a lot of creative freedom on it. I ended up being at that company for nine years and in the video game industry for just over ten.
By that time I had seen the writing on the wall that the game industry was heading in the direction of 3D computer animation and I didn’t have much interest in it. Through a crazy set of circumstances I was offered the job of Art Director at a magazine that covered film & television makeup. I had never done anything like it and it wasn’t until I accepted the job that I immediately started teaching myself how to use Adobe InDesign! Ha! But I figured that if I could create a illustrated composition then I could create a page composition. Ha! Well, I wasn’t wrong…too much. But it was yet again a massive learning opportunity and my time went from drawing a lot to creating editorial page layouts, title designs, photo retouching and book maps.
By the time I made the leap into going on my own I felt that I had two very key, and often separate, skills I was trained for. Illustration AND graphic design. I could offer my services to create bespoke artwork with designed text and titles and provide a print-ready file built to the required specifications. Which is exactly what I did when I began designing label artwork for several craft breweries.
I had made the decision to go freelance but was struggling to find an angle. It was in talking with a friend that the subject of craft beer labels had come up. It was a market I hadn’t looked at before so I started exploring it. This same friend suggested a fairly new but increasingly popular brewery, Heathen Brewing. So I gave them a call and immediately got the owner on the phone. After introducing myself and what I do he invited me to a company meeting to discuss it. I put together my portfolio and got ready for the “interview.” As I sat there in the meeting the discussion of the particular label came up and he then turned to me and asked when it could be done. I was in a bit of shock! I already had the gig! And just like that my journey into the world of creating craft beer labels took off and I found myself on a new path.
Under my business name of Freshwater Bay Creative I have provided a variety of design needs for my clients. Illustration, labels, packaging, print and web collateral, photo retouching, brand identities and even storyboarding. I believe it is my love of storytelling, inspired by movies and comics, that makes what I do different. With every project I want to tell a story and I think I’ve brought that to every creative job I’ve done. Whether it is a craft beer label or a logo there is a story to tell and I hope that in some way I can create that experience for both client and audience.
From wanting to do comics to video games to magazine design and more my entire career has been a surprise for me. Thinking I’ve got a plan but finding myself going into new and exciting directions. With each new job or gig unwittingly preparing me for the next one. Five year plan? Ha! I wonder what’s next!
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
Stop offering spec work for “exposure” or “future profits.” (And in turn, artists should stop accepting these jobs.) Every single day in every aspect of our lives we are surrounded by art. Whether that is in the form of a cereal box or an image on your favorite t-shirt, or a poster, or a song, or a film or a logo at your dentist’s office someone thought of it and designed it. More often than not someone sat alone in their office or studio working into the night to hit a deadline and hopefully make something that hits the targeted design needs, helps them pay the bills and that they can be proud of. It’s tough to hit all three and it’s all too common to think that art is just a fun hobby for the artist. It takes time and lot of effort to learn a craft and the appreciation of “talent” is taken for granted rather than the hard work behind it. Yes, creating art can be a lot of fun but there are also tough days/weeks just like any other vocation. Client work is a customer service job and anyone who has worked or knows someone who has worked in customer service knows the difficulties involved there. So when you hire someone to create your logo or draw your children’s book treat them as professionals providing a service and pay them fairly for their work rather than promises of future compensation.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Negative feedback can be a momentum killer. Too many times non-creatives respond to a creative’s dreams or goals with less than encouragement. Learn to differentiate between constructive criticism and a complete lack of understanding as to what you do. That’s not to say everyone should just jump into the deep end. Be realistic in knowing your abilities and differentiate between what is fear and and what you lack in skills. The “fake it ‘till you make it’ attitude only works if you realistically assess your abilities, experience and ambition. Only you can know that. The advice from others can absolutely give you perspective but that advice can also come from a place of either ignorance or, in the case of other creatives, disgruntlement. Even online articles about your field of interest can focus on the difficulties ahead and make the journey seem impossible. But if you really want it go for it. The obstacles ahead will either break you or make you better and that’s worth it than never trying.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.freshwaterbaycreative.com/
- Instagram: @fwbcreative
- Twitter: @fwbcreative
Image Credits
All images courtesy Freshwater Bay Creative.