We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Karen Torok a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Karen , thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Quitting my full time job (with insurance and 401k) at an Advertising Agency to be a freelance designer felt like a huge risk but the real risk came later. As I worked on various projects, I realized I was always incorporating illustration. Like so many other artists, I’ve loved drawing since my parents gave me a box of crayons. My mom introduced me to drawing with pastels and the expressive style of Henri deToulouse-Lautrec, and it completely rocked my world. I have been filling sketchbooks ever since. When I worked at in-house studios, I would pour through the thick illustration source books like American Showcase and Workbook and dream of the idea of being an illustrator. It’s a major monetary investment to advertise in those and they are filled with incredible artists. That can be intimidating but I pushed through the fear and just went for it. Even though I had been working in many different styles of design and illustration, I narrowed it down to one distinctive style and put together my one page ad of my work. I was so nervous sending it off to them with a large signed check having no idea if I would even make back my investment. At the time, as part of the ad package, you also received a small online portfolio. Within days of posting my work, I received calls from major companies like Mattel. I was so shocked! I spent the next few years immersed in constant drawing and creating for major magazines, publishers and toy companies. I learned so much about processes, techniques, creating for an audience, working with art directors, preparing files and a lot about just how much more I can do than I had realized.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am an Illustrator, Designer and Art Director. For the past 25 years I have worked with a wide variety of clients in the publishing, surface design and advertising industries. I graduated from Ohio University with a BFA in Visual Communications. Before starting my own design and illustration business, I gained experience as an Art Director and Photo Stylist in Cleveland, Ohio and as a Photo Researcher and Art Director for a stock photography company in Los Angeles, California. While working as a graphic designer at an advertising agency, I decided to take a leap of faith and freelance. In the beginning I did mostly graphic design work but eventually switched my focus to illustration. I think my whimsical style was especially suited towards children’s and women’s products and lead me to illustrate for American Girl Inc., Briarwood Lane, Custom Decor Inc., EK Success, Fisher-Price, Flomo, Flower Girl World, Hanes, Highlights, International Playthings, Mattel, Parragon Books, Pearson Learning, PepsiCo., Random House, Real Foods, Scholastic, Spin Master, Sterling Publishing, and Working Mother Magazine. I work mostly in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Fresco and traditional media.

The past few years, my focus shifted from illustrating children’s books to creating surface pattern design for home decor and party ware. I would like my next children’s book project to be one I write and illustrate. I’m currently working on narrowing down my endless story ideas and learning the craft of writing for picture books. You can find my published children’s books and products under my previous name, Karen Wolcott.

In my free time, I enjoy playing my vintage Pearl drum kit and cajon, traveling, and exploring new techniques with my art supply collection.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Although I enjoy seeing whole projects through from start to finish, I am most passionate about the beginning process of idea formation and sketching concepts. When a client first brings a project to me, I really enjoy the initial discussions, learning about the product and researching the market for which I’m creating. I absolutely love brainstorming ideas and that “aha” moment when you realize the perfect solution. Large branding projects are exciting because I get to use all my skills – logo design, illustration, art direction, graphic design, marketing, color and sometimes even writing.

I’ve learned that I am most calm and happy when I’m creating or learning. As an artist, there are endless mediums, techniques, themes, concepts, subjects and styles to explore. Life can never get boring. You can only be limited by your own imagination. I keep many art journals going at once and use them to experiment with art supplies. When creating becomes your source of income, you become driven by deadlines and the expectations of your client. It’s easy to stop creating just for the joy it brings. I think it’s important to not lose sight of why you wanted a creative job in the first place.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A few years back, I was out of commission for awhile. I spent some time very sick and wasn’t working. A former client called me but I didn’t answer. Luckily, she was persistent and called again. I had done illustration and design work for her many years ago. We talked about how she was doing. She was currently running a yoga studio and into yoga and health foods. She told me about a new healthy cookie company she was starting. She was ready to go and wanted me to create the brand look. It’s a dream project. To be able to help a company create their brand identity from scratch is the ultimate! In the past, I had always prided myself on quick turn around times and going above and beyond for my clients. I knew in my current health state I couldn’t provide that. We’re always kind of told or maybe we just assume that in business, you don’t talk about anything personal. You want to appear like you have everything under control, especially when you are a one woman design company. I decided to just come clean and tell her I’d love to do your project but I’m in a strange place right now with my health. I felt incredibly exposed and vulnerable but I explained my situation anyway. With my disease, I may be able to focus on the project for awhile and then suddenly be sick and out for a few days straight with no warning. She shared her own experience and that the reason she created REAL Cookies was for friends and family dealing with health issues. They really are the best healthy cookie I have ever tasted and it is one of my most favorite projects I’ve ever worked on.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://karentorok.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karentorok/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenctorok/
• Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/PineappleFarmDesigns https://karentorok.myportfolio.com/ https://realcookiesco.com/ https://www.behance.net/karenwolcott1

Image Credits
©Karen Torok ©REALCookiesCo