• Interview

Creative Journeys with Evie Kemp, Independent Designer & Artist

5 months ago by Design Assembly

Kia ora Evie. Can you share a bit about your background and what led you to pursue a career in your creative field?

I was always a creative kid but at school I ended up focusing entirely on written subjects and when I went to university straight from high school, I started by studying Law and Art History. I struggled with my mental health at this time and after three semesters took some time off. It was during this time that I decided to tap back into my love for creativity and apply to study graphic design. I studied for a Bachelor of Graphic Design at AUT but during the course of my study I found my passion for illustration and wove that into my personal interests of fabrics and homewares. 

After university I worked as a mac operator, laying out advertisements for the NZ Herald and the regional papers they owned at the time. While also making and selling my colourful art prints and some products like cushions. Eventually my print business was profitable enough that I could work solely for myself. That was about 14/15 years ago and I’ve been self-employed ever since though what “Evie Kemp” as a brand is and does is constantly evolving. 

Have there been any key challenges or experiences that have shaped your creative journey?

My family moved to New Zealand from the UK when I was 14, that was a really pivotal time for me. I’d come from a pretty tough school where even the slightest difference was a basis for bullying, to a much more liberal and diverse environment at school in Auckland. Of course I know now that it was still far from perfect or truly diverse but I had a wide friend group who all had different interests and I found I could really be myself in a way I’d been scared to be before. 

My challenges with depression in my early 20s also really shaped me, I realised how vital it was to pursue something I was passionate about if I could and that trying to fit into a mould wasn’t serving anyone. I’m incredibly lucky and privileged to have been able to make a career out of this but I think even if I was doing something different I know that I need those creative outlets to thrive.    

Do you have any work day rituals or routines you find essential for maintaining flow and productivity?

I actually struggle hugely with flow and productivity, something I don’t think is uncommon amongst creatives! Where one day you achieve a huge amount and others it feels like you get nothing done. Not exactly a ritual but I try not to force it if the creativity just isn’t happening – i’ll get out for a walk or meet a friend, or see my mum and not feel guilty about it. I usually find the time away from my thoughts will help me when I get back to it. 

I work best with solid chunks of time where I won’t get distracted, I turn my phone on to do not disturb and stick on music or a podcast to get into the zone. 

How have your personal values and lifestyle choices influenced your career and creative process?

I realised pretty early on in my career that I work best marching to the beat of my own drum. It’s really important to me to have flexibility in how I work and the ability to pivot and try new things out. I had thought I’d want to build this big company but I’ve realised the adaptability and freedom in being a mostly one-person show. It keeps creativity at the core, I’m not a manager. I can have my pets with me most of the time, and I can pop to the op shops when I want to. I’m very lucky.  

I definitely want to continue to grow my business but I know that doesn’t look like having other people designing for me.   

It’s not all creative work all the time, right? There’s the time spent marketing yourself and building your brand too. Can you share with us some of the digital tools and platforms you’re using to help promote yourself as a creative business?

I’m terrible at marketing and use very few tools! Instagram is honestly the only place I put effort in (though looking to change this as it’s incredibly unreliable). When I started out I got so many opportunities from what I was sharing on instagram, and really I still do. It’s why I don’t have a niche as such, sometimes you share a project and a brand will come to you wanting you to do something inspired by that. So often clients won’t know what they’re looking for until they see it, so the more you show – the more opportunities you get. 

For the last couple of years I’ve been lucky to be represented by Liquorice – a local agency for content creators, my amazing agents there do great work promoting me and getting me in front of brands I want to work with.  

As an artist and designer, how do you use your Squarespace website and what features do you find the most beneficial/important for showcasing your work and growing your business?

I use my Squarespace site as a portfolio, a shop and something of a portal. When I originally built my Squarespace site (I’m coming up to 10 years on SQSP) it was predominantly an online store to sell art prints. As my work diversified and selling became less of a focus, I’ve redesigned it to better show (and hopefully summarise somewhat) what I do and the possibilities of working with me. The tiled image pages are key to me, I can add new work as needed and each image can have a brief description of the work. This means that everything in one of my three broad categories shows on a single page and gives a good overview rather than expecting visitors to click through a menu for each and every project. This has become more important the longer I go on, as I can curate the experience of my work and through that generate more of the work I love to do! 

How do you balance the business side of your work with your creative pursuits?

The administrative side of business is not my strong point. Having a creative agent has been an absolute game changer for me – they do so much for me when it comes to negotiations, contracts, agreements, billing and timelines. I find admin can really break the flow of productivity for me so I try and batch it where I can – I have an email hour in the mornings where I’ll respond to emails and then for the rest of the day I try and not let them grab my focus (not always possible). Generally I make Mondays an admin day where I just try and smash it out so that I can do creative work the rest of the week. 

Lastly, where can people find you online?

At eviekemp.com and @eviekemp everywhere else! 

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