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

Hi Santina, thanks for joining us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

I’m super fortunate to say I make a full-time living as an experiential graphic designer and illustrator! Even though I consider myself an insanely hard worker who’s dedicated to her craft, it’s important to acknowledge that the creative industry as a whole can be a difficult space to break into, no matter how talented you may be. I owe a lot of where I’m at in my creative journey to the people I’ve met along the way. Their support, mentorship, and friendship have helped me define who I am as a designer and what I want to give back with my work. 

My professional design journey began not long after I completed my BFA in Graphic Design and I entered the working world for the first time during the pandemic. The circumstances that led me to my career can only be described as an act of fate and I was extremely lucky to cross paths with my amazingly talented mentor and friend, Terry Campbell. She helped connect me to the Experiential Design and Wayfinding team at Gresham Smith (an architecture and design firm in downtown Nashville) and we’ve been teammates ever since! Today, I can more confidently tell you about the diversity of projects I work on, whether it’s a mural, brand identity, interactive installation, or specialty signage application. However, I definitely didn’t start out this way and to be honest, I still have a long way to go. Day one on the job for me was tough and imposter syndrome is absolutely real, especially as a female designer in the male-dominated A/E industry. I went from Zoom classes and studying all night to commuting to the office and participating in design team charrettes in the blink of an eye. Who was this person who suddenly had business cards and now professional design opinions? Certainly not me, how was I even qualified? 

In all reality I was qualified, I just couldn’t see it yet. Day by day I learned something new (and still do!) until I trusted that I was actually good at my job. I’m so thankful for my teammates, especially those like Terry who took a chance on me and continually push and inspire me to be the best person and designer I can be. The most important part of my journey has been learning from the other designers around me. They help turn my sketches and rough ideas into meaningful concepts and brand stories for our clients in ways I could have never imagined. 

The lessons I’ve learned from them have empowered me in other creative areas in life as well, the most recent being developing my own Etsy shop/illustration collection, santinadesignco. The style I’m exploring there is much more whimsical and carefree than my professional work, so I’m enjoying seeing where it’s taking me. The goal of my personal work is to inspire moments of joy through illustration by drawing things that make me laugh and cry about life. In addition to my online store, I’ve started delving into the world of pop-up shops. I just had my first one a few weeks ago and while it was amazing to sell prints and make money off my art for the first time, it was even more rewarding and validating to see how people interacted with the style and messages my illustrations communicate. Hearing people laugh at my sarcastic illustrations or say “Ohhh that’s so me” was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. My teammates at Gresham Smith helped me gain the confidence to put myself out there in a more personal way and through that I’m able to see how something as simple as a silly illustration can brighten people’s day. While this is an area of my creative life I’m still developing, I’m beyond excited to see the continued impact it will have on myself and those I encounter along the way. 

I don’t think there’s anything I would intentionally speed up on my journey looking back. I truly believe we’re all on the individual paths and timelines in life that are right for us. Attempting to speed things up or streamline success may not actually be what we need to grow. There is so much to learn from perceived setbacks or unexpected moments in time. The major piece of advice I have is just to be kind. People want to surround themselves with others that are easy to work with. Being a kind and considerate teammate is a huge part of that. Approaching everyone you meet with compassion and a willingness to learn will set you apart and have people excited to collaborate and mentor you over time. I’m so grateful for the countless people who have taken me under their wing and I look forward to the day when I can do the same for younger designers.

Santina, 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?

Of course! As I mentioned, I’m an experiential graphic designer who specializes in Branded Environments across a number of different markets at my firm. So whether it’s an office tower, park, airport, battery plant, you name it, my teammates and I bring graphic design-centered creative solutions into the built environment, and we do it pretty well, might I add! 

For me, any time I can bring hand-drawn, textured illustrations into our deliverables is the best day ever. Whether it’s a mural, park sign, or brand identity asset, if I can help contribute a distinct level of “humanness” to the overall look, I immediately feel fulfilled. A project that’s especially close to my heart is the interpretive park panels I helped design at Charles Young Park in Lexington, KY. The goal of the project was to teach kids about the history of their neighborhood, and with that, I was given the opportunity to draw colorful, cartoon-like illustrations to encourage engagement with the written content on the signs. A project that interacts with the community on an intimate level like that is such a privilege to work on and I’m excited for future opportunities like it! I realize the amount of exposure I’ve received to diverse projects and opportunities is uncommon for being just a few years out of school, and I truly owe it all to my teammates for believing in and inspiring me to flourish in my career.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I’ve alluded to this briefly, but my main mission is to inspire moments of joy through design and illustration. On the surface that may seem pretty simple, but it’s probably one of the most profound things I’ll get to do. There have been many times in my life where I’ve felt alone or completely disconnected from those around me, as I’m sure we all experience from time to time. But still, in those dark moments I think a lot of what we crave is a shared human connection, no matter how small it may be. Some acknowledgment that we’re not a lost cause, that there are people like us that think and feel the same. So on the surface, you may see my illustration of a goose crying with the caption, “Oh, yeah…I’m fine!” and think it’s silly and laugh. I mean you should, it’s funny. But on a deeper level I hope it resonates with people in a way that says, “Yes, I’m struggling. You’re struggling. We’re all struggling. But we’re going to keep moving forward as if we’re not because we are strong enough to do so.” If people can feel that shared experience through one of my illustrations then I think that’s all I could ever ask for.

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

This ties a lot into my mission, but seeing how your work impacts other people is the greatest part of being a creative. Whether it’s a sign at a park or a printed illustration, knowing that something you put out into the world benefited others will forever be a surreal experience for me. A lot of the time I still see myself as a kid drawing in her room and that the things I create don’t matter or aren’t that important. But when I have those moments where I see my designs existing in the world, my perspective is forced to change. I’ve had the opportunity to make people laugh, smile, and learn something new by being a designer. In those moments I can recognize that I am putting meaningful work back into the world and hopefully inspiring others to do the same. Being a creative has done so much for my sense of self and feeling like I have a place in the world. The ability to do the same for others is such a privilege and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://busalacchi.myportfolio.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/santina.design/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/santina-busalacchi-8b2370178/
• Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/santinadesignco