Meet Katie Gwynn-Sackson: Graphic Designer & Illustrator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Katie Gwynn-Sackson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Katie, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Growing up, I spent a lot of time learning dance, music, and theater, which I loved, but never intended to rely on for a living. I wanted the arts to be my hobbies and personal joys, and I wanted a practical career that felt satisfying and didn’t get in the way of my hobbies. I made this decision early on because I dreaded getting on stage and couldn’t imagine doing it my whole life. I was always drawn to the visual arts, but wasn’t a natural doodler and assumed I was meant to be an admirer, not a creator. I got my fill from looking at magazines and going to art museums with my parents. For all the exposure I was given to creative expressions and all the encouragement I got from my parents, I developed a really narrow perspective of what it meant to be creative in society and what my options were. Perhaps it came down to a lack of confidence. I wanted a safe path. I graduated from an amazing performing arts high school in Miami where I had the time of my life, and promptly pursued a Bachelor’s in biology without looking back. Science is cool, I will always be a fan, but I am no scientist. I did really well in the labs where we had to dissect worms and draw the parts. I felt cool when I discovered not everyone can rotate molecular structures in their heads, but I sucked at everything else and desperately treaded water until I eventually quit that track. I thought biology was going to be a safe move, but it increasingly felt like a dead end. Appropriately, I spiralled a bit. I ended up graduating with a weird and useless degree in Russian-Spanish (don’t know what that is, but I studied both languages), and in a desperate, but adventurous attempt to do something useful with myself while I straightened out my head, I moved to China to teach English and hopefully learn Mandarin. Running away felt good. I was an odd thing in Foshan, where I lived for 4.5 years. Basically nothing made any sense the entire time I was there, but I made a lot of money and lived like a real adult for the first time in my life. It only took a few months to reconsider everything I thought I knew, which was disorienting and so, so freeing. In China, I was anonymous. I knew nobody. Much of the English internet is censored there, so I couldn’t even connect with friends and family without much difficulty. It felt like a fresh start. Sudden anonymity changed my life. I knew I wasn’t going to stay forever and teaching English wasn’t my calling. I needed to align with a purpose before returning home to the US. I wanted a career that I could pour myself into and stay for a while, which meant it had to have range, stability, and passion. At this point, the passions in my life revolved around a photography hobby and the surprising satisfaction I felt at creating effective teaching materials. Oh yeah, I was also living with my weird artist lover which meant our apartment was full of paint supplies and half-finished canvases. Gradually, I crossed the line in my head from admirer to creator of visual things. I spent two years researching “creative” careers that required me to be a creator, but not a performer. I eventually honed in on “design” and “art direction” as my power words and realized there was a whole world of creative careers that I never knew about. And what’s more is you didn’t have to be classically trained. Instead, you had to learn software, train your eye, and possess a bright mind. I felt confident about my mind and school was a familiar place. After a few months back in the US, I discovered “portfolio school.” A few months after that, I was enrolled in one. A career in design has so far proven to be fun and fulfilling, but you can only discover that after you’ve committed to it. The reason I chose it comes down to timing and perception. First, I had to know what design was, which didn’t happen until I was 28 years old. Second, I had to be able to visualize myself as a designer, which required the aforementioned introduction to design as well as the dissolution of many mental barriers I’d carried up until a few years prior.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
It took me a long time to get to where I am today and it was a very wayward journey that I couldn’t have anticipated. Some parts of my journey were easy and others were very difficult. It took me a very long time to actually articulate what it was that I wanted. I used to feel envious of people who knew from an early age that they wanted to be a doctor or a pro athlete. Those are highly competitive paths, but they’re prescriptive paths. I wanted instructions to follow, but I couldn’t name a destination. Now I know that I would’ve hated a scripted future and love that I had the opportunity to get lost a few times. Along the way, I’ve learned to be patient with myself. Many of the things in my life that I value most were slow developments. I’ve also learned that feelings are temporary and survivable. You can’t grow comfortably. You have to accept momentary worry, embarrassment, and insecurity to get more powerful. More than anything else, people tell me that my ideas are interesting. I take that as a huge compliment. Ideas shape our world and I hope to play a significant role in the future of the planet. I’m particularly excited by ideas that challenge how humans build homes and share spaces. I’m just emerging in my career as a designer now, but I aim to build a city one day. That’s a provocative and corny statement, but I really mean it.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well, we’re currently in a pandemic, so what I have to offer is a list of hypotheticals. In no particular order: – Cascade Skating Rink filled a void in me when I first went. Families, couples on dates, lyrical dancers, and back-flippers. Everybody is doing something at Cascade. – Lloyd’s Restaurant and Lounge for a dirty martini – El Progreso (aka “Prison Tacos”) for, well, tacos, but also huge tortas and usually amazing (crispy) lengua. Honestly, I’ve loved everything I’ve ever had there. – Lyla Lila for a swanky Thursday night vinyl dinner (four-course meal paired with music) – The Sound Table, The Music Room, and The Bakery (all closed now, but worth mentioning) for really fun parties. I miss dancing to good house music with friendly strangers. – Triton Yards Food Truck Park, a blessing on Sylvan Road. – Emerald City Bakery for bagels and lox. The cute hats are an added bonus. – Piedmont Park for a walk on a sunny day. It’s huge and beautiful and the people-watching is top notch. – Little’s Food Store for a burger and cheese-grits (on weekends only) – The Westside Trail of the Atlanta Beltline is perfect for a bike ride. It isn’t crowded and springtime brings amazing flowers. – Elmyr for a “Grizz,” which is a mini Corona with a shot of Tequila. A great way to get drunk quickly. – The Blood Mountain and Freeman Loop Trail for nice butt and views that won’t disappoint. Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
So many people! For now, I’ll say: My mom Mary Beth for demonstrating courage, pushing me toward independence, and reminding me to always grow bigger, not smaller. My dad Jon Sackson for encouraging my sense of wonder and giving me lots of space to figure out my own path. My brother Peter Gwynn-Sackson for showing me what a winner looks like. A great big brother to have as a role model. My husband Sean Mull for shape-shifting along side me and holding me close even when we were very far apart. Christopher Knowles for modeling the quality of career that I want. He really led the way for me while I was in school and continues to be a great professional mentor to me. Jen and Cleo for giving me the friendship I never knew I needed and sticking by my side through some really tough transitional years.

Website: kgs.design
Instagram: kgs_design (professional), kgs_sweet.n.sour (personal)
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kgsdesign/