IKEA Artist May 03 2020

A long time ago I took a graphic design class where I was the only non-graphic design major to attend, and as an illustration major, I had to get explicit, signed permission from my department chair to do so. My dad had just died and it was my first semester back. No one knew and I certainly didn't want to talk about it. It was just "stiff, upper lip, business as usual." I was in this weird, surreal head space, where it felt like anything I attempted to accomplish in school didn't matter anymore. I remember one of the first assignments the instructor had us do, was to create a "future, prospective client vision board." This vision board was assumed to be of clients that would hire us for basically work-for-hire. And in this graphic design class, graphic designers would essentially want to do graphic design for these companies. I distinctly remember cutting out the IKEA logo from the computer printout and pasting it onto this "dream future client vision board." The last thing I could think about was "my future dream clients," when I was still reeling from grief and just trying to go about the day to day. As I just pass the 13 year anniversary of my dad's death on May 1, I find myself again in this weird, surreal head space, in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, and I reflect on this surreal "accomplishment." I would never in a million years think that a logo cutout on a college assignment would somehow become "a client,' but it took me exactly one decade to be able to say "My work is sold in IKEAs worldwide." I haven't "designed" for them, but I feel so honored that personal work I created as an illustrator, is being sold and carried by them. I still feel like I haven't accomplished anything and frankly, I am looking for ways to get out of the art hustle, but sometimes taking it day by day IS the accomplishment. That vision board :) lol. #missyoudaddy #dreambig #dreamscancometrue