We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kimberly Nick Gutierrez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Kimberly Nick, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
This is tough to answer, partially because I feel as if I am still finding my purpose. I suppose my purpose is to create and share myself with others through my artwork and designs. It’s what I like doing the most and what I’ve been doing since I started drawing as a kid. I remember wanting to be a creative since then but I wasn’t sure how to accomplish that. It wasn’t until I got to my senior year of high school that I really started considering creative careers. Initially, I had wanted to pursue architecture but found myself gravitating more towards graphic design. I found it more appealing since it felt like I could create more technical pieces of work as a designer and still pursue traditional art on the side, the best of both worlds. I’ve been working as a graphic designer for local institutions for about 4 years now. I like to think I’ve come a long way in those four years but it feels like there’s still a lot of room for me to grow as a professional and a person. So even though I’m doing that something that fulfills that purpose of creating, I feel like I’m still searching for it. Maybe there’s something specific I need to be creating, there’s a few series I have in mind that could fit that bill. Maybe there’s a particular place I should be working at that I just haven’t found yet. I don’t really know yet and for all I know my purpose could be constantly evolving over time as I evolve as a person. Who knows? I just hope I can continue creating and sharing myself with others.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Right now I am the lead graphic designer and marketing assistant for IMACK Coffee, a local coffee roaster based in Denver, Colorado. I spent the past six months or so developing my skills in web design, social media and online marketing, and creating printed materials for them such as labels, posters, mailers, and catalogs. I’ve also been learning how to make coffee based drinks to share recipes online with customers, which is a big plus for me since I love coffee. Prior to this, I was lead graphic designer for a local museum where I did exhibition and program branding, created printed materials such as posters and brochures, developed infographics, as well as other miscellaneous work. I am also a part of a co-op called CHANT Cooperative where I create work with other Denver-based artists. We have group exhibitions throughout the year in various venues, meet up for critiques, and sell our work at local markets. I’ve been really glad to be a part of the group because it gives me what I miss most from art school: community. It motivates me to create new artwork by giving me themes for different shows and I get to share my work with other artists so that I can receive constructive criticism on how I can improve my work or push my creative boundaries. On the side I also really enjoy sketching and creating items to sell from them like pins, charms, prints, and stickers. I sell these works with CHANT and at First Friday markets or online on my Redbubble shop.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I think what has helped me a lot is being open to new ways of creating and learning new things outside of school. When I first went to college, I had only created artwork using graphite, color pencil, and collage techniques. I was trying to study graphic design and had never created digital art in my life, yikes! But even though everyone else seemed way more experienced than me, it didn’t deter me. It actually made me more curious to try and get better at it and find ways to combine my skills in radiational art with digital. My professors really helped with this by encouraging us to experiment with different tools and techniques. One of my professors from my time at SFUAD, Luke Dorman, would often show us how to create fun patterns and effects using scanners, something I still love doing today. He was also very reassuring to me in that he would remind that even though he had been a graphic designer for years, there was still a lot he didn’t know how to do. He was always learning new ways to create and never made me feel bad for asking him questions. So I carried that on with me during the rest of my college career when I had to transfer to Regis University. I was exposed to new media like printmaking and painting. Initially I wasn’t very excited to try them but my professors made me love them and realize that I didn’t have to limit the ways I express myself. I tried to remain open to trying new things and asking my professors for advice whenever I wasn’t sure how to approach a project. Sometimes they would go against what I wanted to do or suggest something I didn’t want to try, but I had to remind myself to be open to their suggestions. If I ignored all the advice from those around me, even my peers, there was no way for me to get better as an artist.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
Even though I’ve participating in group exhibitions and have been a member of a co-op, I don’t think I have ever successfully collaborated with anyone. I know a few musicians who have expressed interest in working together and that would be a dream. I love music and it’s been a secret goal of mine to be able to create materials like gig posters, album booklets, or tour programs. I definitely need more experience in the field so I think being able to collaborate with people would be great in helping me develop new skills and portfolio work. Creating merch is another goal of mine. When I was in high school I used to design my own t-shirts and patches using acrylic paint because I either couldn’t afford merchandise from my favorite bands or they didn’t have any merchandise for me to purchase. I’d buy blank shirts at craft shops and recycle my old jeans and just sit in my room free-handing designs. So to be able to do that for a group or musician would be amazing, even small scale items like stickers and pins are so much fun to make.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bloodgulchblue.wixsite.com/dambrosiart
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d_ambrosia_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dambrosiart/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-gutierrez-76396a98/
- Other: d-ambrosia.redbubble.com
Image Credits
Kimberly Nick Gutierrez
