Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tessa Kay. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Tessa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you take us back in time to the first dollar you earned as a creative – how did it happen? What’s the story?

When I got out of highschool, I was looking into graphic design and illustration and was very interested in doing illustrations for fantasy/sci-fi books. I had a friend of my Dad’s who was a self-published fantasy writer and asked if I wanted to take a stab at doing a map for the inside of his next book. I responded with what would become a common phrase “I’ve never done that but can certainly try!” This turned into a series of illustrations for small authors as he shared my work with his circles. I found that I was naturally good at making this brand of art and I don’t think I would have the same passion for freelancing as I have today if it wasn’t for those first initial jobs.

Tessa, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I work as a freelance creative under the name TessaKay creative. I specialize in creative problem solving and making ideas come to life. I market myself as multi-media and an “artist for hire.” This is a very niche and very broad job description at the same time which finds me doing anything from enormous murals to business card design. If anyone has an idea, or is looking for a creative solution without an official job description, I am the person to go to. I also do more fine art/merch as my personal brand. I do mainly black and white line work that tells stories. I recently released a coffee table book of my full portfolio from the past decade, which I’m very excited about. I’ve turned these stories into t-shirts, prints, and even skateboards.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I had two artists that I saw live paint at a conference very early on, and their subsequent published books, that impacted me profoundly. I grew up in the church and came to follow Jesus for myself in high school – but had never considered making art based around my faith because the only thing I had seen modeled up to that point was cheesy, churchy, white Jesus. Which was everything I didn’t want to make. I learned from these artists that faith based art can be more than what is modeled in culture. I could tell my stories and experiences in a new way, simply by reading stories and doing what was already created in me. This radically transformed my art and storytelling and kickstarted my portfolio into what it is today.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Actually, right now I’m experiencing a major pivot. For the past 6 years I’ve mainly been relying on word of mouth to get my name out there. However, I was also working a full time job so this gave me all the exposure I needed. This year, I made the transition to part time work, part time freelance. I’ve had to make the pivot from word of mouth to applying on job sites, expanding my reach on social media, and reaching out to companies and contacts. It’s been a lot more work for very little payoff, and it’s been a transition to be certain.

Contact Info:

• Website: tessakaycreative.com
• Instagram: @tkaycreative
• Facebook: Tessa Sentell
• Other: [email protected]