We recently had the chance to connect with Kinsey Hotchkiss Hassett and have shared our conversation below.
Kinsey, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
The first 90 minutes of my day are probably my favorite time of day – I wake up anywhere between 4:30-6 before the sun is up. It’s quiet, sun is rising or it’s still dark, and my dog usually does a bigg stretch and follows me out to my studio, as I tip toe out of bed trying not to wake up my husband. As the sun may be on the horizon, I make up a cup of coffee and light some candles in the studio. Somedays I’ll do a meditation, stretching or just get right into work. I know work sounds like a drag first thing in the morning, but I’m fortunate enough to love what I do. And these early morning hours are when my best creative juices flow. Warm coffee, sunrise coming through the window, and a clear head. I love these first 90 minutes because I’ve got the whole day ahead of me.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hey hey! I’m Kinsey, the Illustrator and Artist behind Kinsey H. Designs. Since 2017 I’ve been working as a full-time freelance Illustrator, Graphic Designer, and Artist specializing in illustrations, logos & branding, apparel and merch designs, tattoos, murals & painting, label & package design and a whole lot more.
It all started when I graduated from the University of Vermont with a Bachelor of Arts in Chinese Language and Business. Then I bought a one-way ticket to China, lived for two years, teaching English classes and solo backpacking through almost all of southern and eastern Asia. Then went down to Australia for a year, working and living in Byron Bay, getting a van and traveling along the southern coast over to Perth, beach hopping along the way. After that I road tripped from New England to California, set up in San Diego and began to work as an Illustrator and Graphic Designer, while continuing to teach Art classes. After a few years in Southern California, I went up to Canada for a bit and lived on Vancouver Island, and eventually made my way back east.
Now I am a full-time Illustrator, Artist and Graphic Designer working with both print, digital design and paintings. I find a lot of joy in being outdoors, adventuring, creating, fly fishing, camping, hiking, or any way to explore whenever I can. I’d say my work is influenced by years living in vans, in the desert or by the ocean, hiking some big mountains, or just driving down roads with no plan in mind…those days are the best! These day’s I’m either working from my van at the beach with my big dog, Otis (oatmeal), on the road out west working from the desert, or at home in New England working in my studio. Feel free to follow along all of the art and adventures at @kinsey.h.designs or kinseyhdesigns.com and reach out to say hey or if you’d like to work together.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
My best friend Mo has been in my life since I was just three months old. She’s my sister through and through, and she’s truly been through everything with me. Long before I ever considered becoming a designer, she somehow saw the potential in me. Back in 2016, I was teaching ESL and art classes in San Diego. And although I I enjoyed it I wasn’t feeling totally fulfilled. After countless late-night talks with Mo, she was the one who first suggested that I consider working as a designer and artist. I’d always loved drawing and had a creative side growing up, but I had never really seen it as a career path until then.
Together, we dove into researching design programs, potential jobs, and the freedom that comes with freelancing, and it suddenly felt like a light at the end of the tunnel. Mo recognized what I needed before I even did, and I’ll forever be grateful for that. Pursuing a creative career turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and I owe so much of that to her encouragement and belief in me.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Definitely, I think we’ve all had times like this. There’s been a few really hard clients or projects that didn’t go as planned, that definitely made me consider giving up in the beginning. But I think when you find something that you really care about and have a lot of passion for, it makes not giving up that much easier and more of a reason to not give up. Although it’s important to remember that those times and struggles definitely still appear in different ways, but staying persistent and remembering why you got into it in the first place is key.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
Definitely, there is not a lot that I hide from the public. I think the biggest thing that the public version of me isn’t showing how messy my adobe illustrator interface is if you zoom out past my artboard hahah I think a lot of graphic designers will feel this one.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. When do you feel most at peace?
When I’m adventuring and creating. Sometimes these are truly peaceful processes, but in my soul I feel fulfilled and at peace when I’m out exploring or bringing my art to life. I think feeling at peace can be found in so many ways, but really feeling whole and true is one of them that resonates best with me. I feel very fortunate to have found and made a career out of two things that bring me the most peace and joy – adventuring and making art.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kinseyhdesigns.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kinsey.h.designs/?hl=en
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kinseyhotchkiss/
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