Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sally Kim. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Sally, thanks for joining us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
YES! I love to do creative thinking. I feel joy when my ideas are properly shown to the world. When what I was thinking in my head is implemented, I feel strange, funny, and proud. Gaining weight with small insights or ideas is a complex but fulfilling journey. I wouldn’t have felt or experienced this if I had worked a regular job.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Before coming to the Creative Direction of Art Center College of Design in the US, I majored in photography in South Korea. At that time, I enjoyed taking pictures and seeing them, but when I thought it was a job, I wondered if I wanted to do it, so I had time to think about my career path seriously. The conclusion was that I like to come up with interesting ideas, and I liked that people who are professionals in each field expressed my thoughts more precisely and in a cool and direct way. As I communicated with people, I had the fun of getting ideas bigger and bigger, and I found out that the Art Director did such a thing. At the same time, I became more interested in advertising and thought it would be thrilling if my idea were put on a brilliant and cool Billboard in the world, so I entered the advertising path.
I usually like to observe people. For example, I tend to look around often when sitting in a cafe or walking around. And I try to experience various things as much as possible. For example, I travel frequently because I am interested in other countries’ cultures and languages, and I also look up philosophy books and YouTube videos related to philosophy. I try to expose myself to a new environment. Then, I write down the feelings or thoughts from the first experiences in my cell phone memo or notebook. These actions seem too suspicious (lol), but they become important nutrients for you to think about various things when you get insight from these places and receive ideas or brand briefs later.
People think that advertising is boring. Or you can take a glimpse of it’s too easy. But don’t you think it’ll be too empty and flat if you don’t think there’s an ad between the Super Bowls or one that fills many of New York’s electronic boards? (lol) If you look closely, there are a lot of fun things, so I hope you recognize them while passing by the street. You will now continue to be aware of the Billboard in the future.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
In the beginning, Nike’s Just Do It tagline was very impressive. Apple and Nike’s ads always shock me. How can I think deeply with the thoughts I want to express and think like that? I thought so. Then I read the invariable Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy, the founder of the agency Ogilvy, and began to learn about what to do step by step. Searching the references at Pinterest, Ad Week, One Show, and Clio Awards was also helpful in thinking about what is good ads.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
The goal changes all the time. Now, I am still a student and hope to have my first job, so my current goal is to graduate safely and get a job at an advertising agency. However, it would be fun to create my own stationery select shop when I have more time and money in my life. I like to collect cute stationery and props, but I’ve not found a perfect store for me yet. So, I want to fill up with what I like and feel how it feels to work in what I like.
Contact Info:
- Website: sallyjkim.com
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sallyjkim225/