Meet Kevin Willingham

We recently connected with Kevin Willingham and have shared our conversation below.

Kevin, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

I can’t honestly say I know my true purpose; I’ve mostly fallen into everything I’ve done in the last few decades. But the further I get into my life, into this journey, the clearer it continually becomes what is truly important in life, and that is where I find any purpose. The love of my family, supporting them, friends, and community, and trying to create something fun and meaningful in a world often full of the opposite–those are keystones of my day-to-day life and where any purpose in this crazy world makes any sense. My purpose and desire to create art and be creative is to try my best to be something positive for anyone around me.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

Over the last couple of years, I have been trying to hone in on what I want to create for what I am most passionate about. I’ve been building an identity and style for my illustration work, which artistically falls somewhere between classic 1950s and 60s animation and commercial work, like that of UPA or Terrytoons and that of classic cartoonists. Picture “The Wizard of Id” meets Schulz. I’m sometimes political or satirical but often just trying to craft funny characters that hopefully make people smile. I’ve been trying to get out there with booths in open-air markets, get a few pieces hung in shops, and classic boots on the ground self-promotion.

Because of that work and a general passion for how designers and illustrators worked in decades when tools were analog and processes were much more restrictive, I’ve fallen into what I’ll call nostalgic design. For example, recently, I’ve had the fantastic opportunity to work with three different musicians/bands to create their album art reminiscent of a specific snapshot in time: 60s Surf records, early 90s Pop, and 50s Jazz & Bop. Jon De Lucia is preparing to release a jazz record of his arrangements of Dave Brubeck songs. They approached me wanting artwork similar to the Dave Brubeck Octet album they originate from. I created a set of 8 characters, each playing their respective instrument, and tried to create a layout and typography accurate to the period. It was a blast to work on something like that and even better to help a fellow musician realize their dream – I was a working drummer long before I took up design. I would work on only music-related projects every day if given the opportunity–creating show posters and album art is probably the most enjoyable thing I get to do.

My “day” job is branding, logo design, package design, and standard marketing. I’ve worked on small brands and helped them create a unique identity to help them launch, and with larger brands to help them reposition. I love it all, but I’m most passionate about the small local businesses, other creatives, and fellow members of the community. I love helping others and working with them to start their journey, actualizing their dream of running their own business or giving them the right tools to reach their audience. The people who may not have the most enormous budget, but still desire to create something of their own and need that help to overcome that hurdle.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Staying Organized Is Everything: I’m creative, so by nature, what I call organization is still a whirlwind. But over the years, many people have leaned on my organizational skills to keep projects in order, people on task, and on budget. You need to figure out what works for you and stick to those processes that keep you on task and in the right headspace. That could be a favorite notebook, project management software, or a dry-erase board with many sticky notes. As long as it works for you and not against you, that is the crucial part. Just remember, nothing is perfect, and life often finds a way to disrupt everything; just try and get back to what keeps you focused as soon as possible when that happens.

Real creativity rarely happens at a desk: You must turn off your screen, close your email, and go somewhere as often as possible. It can be as simple as a cup of coffee on your deck or as big as going to the zoo for a day. But you need to clear your head and eyes away from the blank artboard or document as often as possible. So many times in my creative life, I have worked and overworked on something, and it just isn’t coming out the way I want until I take my dog for a walk and that little kernel enters my head that makes everything make sense. You have to take the time to relax, breathe, and unclench–the grind will only make you crazy.

Always try to learn: This doesn’t mean learning the latest trend or some technique; you don’t constantly need to buy a new Skillshare course every week. But always try to understand the why and how behind everything; don’t set your type using some arbitrary numbers in the type panel because some video told you to–read a little history on why you might do that, not only from a current perspective but when people first started doing it. When you like something, dig a little deeper than that surface level of enjoyment. Don’t ever say, “I can’t,” and see if 10 minutes and a good blog post can make you understand the problem a bit better. Take the time to listen to people, even if you might not ever use that information later. You’ll be surprised how much you can pick up by letting yourself absorb a few more granules of information. People act like learning is only done academically through books and courses, but paying attention to the world around you can do wonders.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

Every day, I think about how I want to work with more musicians and bands. Before I ever started working in art and design, I was laser-focused on music, both of my own creation and as a classically trained percussionist. Music brings so much joy to people in this crazy world, and so many talented people don’t have the reach they should have. I’m constantly finding new music that blows me away, and they seemingly have no online presence, no dedicated fans, and can’t break through the proverbial noise. There is always some luck involved in success; a strong work ethic is great, but not everyone can rise to the top of the heap. But, there has always been this kinship with artists and musicians from within their own circle, such as friends or bandmates, or finding that outside help that gets what you do and need. That is where those iconic album covers come from, those tour posters every teen has in their bedroom. I also have seen how happy the musician or band is when it all comes together when you take that next step above that thrown-together cover art so that you can get it online before your next big show. That vision has finally come to fruition, and there is nothing like that rush of having something cohesive and expressive. I’ve been very DIY-focused my whole life, so I know how this goes and the struggles of making these projects work with nothing but determination, pocket lint, and some glue. So if you’re out there making amazing new tone Ska, blowing the roof off the local punk house, really trying to get people to appreciate bop, putting a fresh spin on an old sound, or anything in between and beyond, I hope you’ll reach out to me. Let’s have fun and make some noise!

Contact Info:

• Website: http://kcwcreative.com
• Instagram: kwillinghamcreative
• Facebook: kwillinghamcreative

Image Credits