We were lucky to catch up with Joyce Vacca recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Joyce, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
Resilience is built over time… It’s something that has been a big theme for me in my creative journey. Naturally I am quite a sensitive person but I faced a lot of challenges personally and professionally straight out of university. I moved countries for my first job – which fell through before I even got started which took me on the unexpected journey of becoming a freelancer (long story). The idea of being a freelancer in charge of all my own business responsibilities always felt terrifying to me, so not only was I coming to grips with an abrupt change of plans but also having to face my fears which were pretty deeply rooted since I watched people close to me get into really tough places because of owning a business. Looking back I was deep in survival mode on a shoestring budget, couchsurfing and trying to work out what the heck I am supposed to do now. It’s only because of the kindness of others that I am where I am today, people who let me stay with them when I had no chance of affording my own place, and people who recommended me for work opportunities and believed in me. I think that’s why it’s important to me to give back to others – I have received so much grace and hospitality and I want to pay that forward where I can, one of the ways is by mentoring young local creatives and doing work with charities and communities.
It’s been a wild ride with lots of different experiences but a few things have particularly helped me. Personally, my Christian faith provided a deeper sense of purpose and courage to step into the unknown, practically I made the most of any resource that came my way – the business leader who offered me to meet for coffee and give advice, a creative collaboration, a maternity cover that someone recommended me for… The early days were scrappy as heck. But over time I upskilled my ability to have assertive conversations (practicing with every situation I was thrust into), project workflows that helped structure the creative process, and through that I noticed that my compassion for myself and the people that crossed my path with increased and with that came an ease that wasn’t there before. I became bouncier as it were and stopped accepting challenges as insurmountable facts but as opportunities for new solutions and new perspectives. I think I’m pretty defeatist by default, easily intimidated, so that was a mental muscle I had to train. I think finding ways to deal with friction that were healthy was also a huge part of growing in resilience. When you have a way to process what’s happening and break it down into different layers, it helps not taking everything so overwhelmingly personal and gives you a sense of agency that you can address those different things in a practical way.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
My creative practice goes by the name ‘joyce of all trades.’ and it truly is a varied mix of projects and clients I get to work on. Projects range from branding to web, editorial, wayfinding… whatever the situation requires. My work is always rooted in design thinking and social consideration, thinking about what is being conveyed and how the social implications need to inform the design. I have worked with artisans, designers, creatives, schools, charities, churches, luxury hotels and small boutique stays over the years and have loved the dialogue that comes with every project. I find my work thrives on connection and feeling like I understand my clients, as people and as organisations. Getting to translate that connection into visuals is such a joy! Even though my client base is varied they do seem to have one thing in common – they want to make the world a more beautiful and bright place. And that’s something that resonates with my approach to my craft too, graphic design is my tool kit to shape thoughtful spaces of connection.
I am also diving back into my publishing design roots with an upcoming project for an independent publishing house in the UK, who has an amazing heart to ‘amplify unheard voices and adorn the world with beauty’. It’s all still in the early stages but I am so excited about setting the editorial scene for these profound pieces of writing, I can’t wait to share more about that soon!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
It’s hard to choose three but the following things feel like running themes for me.
Stickability. It’s easy to throw in the towel when things get tough but I was determined to end things well whenever possible. Even if you have to cut your losses, try and be as classy, assertive and kind about it as possible (clear agreements beforehand will help with that, trust me! Always have a basic agreement or at least paper trail in place.)
Storytelling. Because of my background in design for publishing, I always looked at my project through the lense of storytelling, how the pieces connect and speak to each other. I think this makes for more well-rounded outcomes that speak for themselves and draw attention to the right things. Stories are what happens when parts connect – and that is true for your relationships, collaborations, projects… Not only is it something that informs my design process but I also think it imbues my worldview with wonder and compassion – and that’s something that kept me going through hard times as well as the good times! Find the stories in your own process too and you may find it will keep you moving forward even when things are slow or stuck. Your creative journey is a wonderful story, with all the challenges, breakthroughs, joys and tension that make stories worth telling, don’t lose heart when you face obstacles – all the great stories have them! Storytelling sometimes gets reduced to spinning silly fairytales with no bearing on reality but I think it’s possible to be grounded in reality and find the wonder in all the gritty, unexpected ways – that’s the good stuff!
It helps to steep yourself in the art of storytelling. Learn the basic principles of storytelling, and immerse yourself in different styles of storytelling (e.g. painting, dance, musical, TED talks, books,…) and pay attention to the different moving parts you’re working with and how you can synthesize them.
Craftsmanship. In my particular line of work, it’s imperative to understand the rules of typography, composition and technical execution, I spend a lot of time sharpening my creative eye. But this also translates into other disciplines. I see a lot of people being very loud on the visionary/entrepreneur side of things without doing the homework and it results in a lot of hot air and poorly executed results which may look shiny at first glance but fall apart once it gets stress tested. You need to respect your subject matter before shaping it and innovating it. Hone your craft and let it do the talking.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
In 2022 I had a creative burnout and was about to quit my design work altogether. The way I was operating my business was not sustainable for me and I was running on fumes. I decided to work with Elaine from Studio 1850, a creative consultancy, through a 3-month mentorship and it was truly a transformational experience. Through our sessions I started a sketchbook to cultivate my personal, non-commercial creativity and the conversations that came from that were eye-opening. We worked through some of my deeply buried creative pain points, revisited areas that I had neglected, and started to reimagine what my creative practice could look like and where my passions lie. I am still outworking the things we’ve discussed over a year later, approaching things in a way that is better suited for my way of working and thinking and it’s helped build confidence and find my flow. Elaine brought such thoughtful sensitivity and practical wisdom to the table that helped me in my journey to rediscover the wonder in it all and I am deeply grateful for her support.
Contact Info:
- Website: joyceofalltrades.com
- Instagram: @joat.studio
- Other: https://www.behance.net/joyceofalltrades
Image Credits
Studio Adorn photos & Travel Guide photo by Salsabil Morrison Portrait by Mim Howell
