We were lucky to catch up with Katelyn McManis recently and have shared our conversation below.
Katelyn, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
I first knew I wanted to be an artist when I was super young, probably about 7 or 8 years old. I loved to draw goofy looking characters and illustrate fun little stories about things that happened in my day. Once I got to highschool and was able to learn more about specific paths I could take as an artist. I didn’t fully decide I wanted to be an illustrator/graphic designer until I started college.
Katelyn, 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’m Katelyn McManis, an illustrator and designer based in Chicago Illinois. I studied illustration and graphic design at Columbia College Chicago. I’ve created designs and illustrations for places such as Fannie May Chocolate, American Dental Association, Dollar Tree, Walmart, and Dipak. I also co-own a stationery business, Paper Cat Co., where I design and sell things like greeting cards.
I am super passionate about surface design, packaging design, and children’s book illustration specifically. My style is super colorful, vibrant, whimsical, and playful.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
One of my main goals as an illustrator is to illustrate a full children’s book. I haven’t had the chance to do so yet in my career and it’s something I have been dreaming about doing since I was a kid! I would also love do more surface design work for big box retailers. It’s just surreal when you get to see products you designed in a store. It such a motivating and inspiring feeling.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
One huge lesson I feel like I’ve learned over time is that breaks are SO important! I definitely have a workaholic nature, and when I am determined to do something I feel like I have to get it all done at once. I forget to take breaks during the day, work super long hours, turn down fun plans with friends, and chain myself to my desk all day. This has led me to burn-out multiple times in my career. It’s super important to take breaks and make sure you are doing things outside of art or whatever your creative passion may be. It’s really easy to get wrapped up in the feeling of having to get everything done right now.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.katelynmcmanis.art/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katelyn.sketches/?hl=en
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katelyn-mcmanis-13b460224/