Meet Katsy Garcia | Illustrator + Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Katsy Garcia and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Katsy, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
I used to have no concept of work life balance—I used to think that driving myself to work as hard as possible was the only way to get things done and that giving 200% effort in everything would secure my career. As much as I have been able to accomplish in the past, working oneself that hard isn’t sustainable in the long run, and I got burned out pretty quickly. It was honestly during the pandemic and after living for so long in self-isolation that I learned how to be forgiving on myself. It’s easier for me to recognize now when I’m feeling overworked, and to stop myself before I run out of creative juice. I’m more attuned to my needs and I’ve learned what things help stimulate my creativity and productivity—which includes time away from work to unwind and do unremarkable, mundane things like watch tv shows, clean my house, or call a friend. Finding that balance between work and rest is constant a work in progress, but the more I intentionally work on it, the easier it gets.Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m an illustrator and designer—I started off my career initially as a graphic designer specializing in branding and layout design, and then decided to focus on illustration, mostly in editorial, surface design, and system illustration, with a little bit of motion/animation thrown in the mix. I think what makes my work interesting is that I know a little bit about a lot of different things and I continue to learn and expand my skillset, which makes me a multifaceted creative. Majority of my work lies in a realm that blends both illustration and graphic design, and I also like to dabble in motion, interface/product design, and even film photography. It’s pretty chaotic, but I love having different creative outlets and stimuli that tickle different parts of my brain. My journey to my current professional status was (and still is) definitely full of plot twists. Like I said, I started off my formal undergraduate education as a multimedia designer, where I learnt about a variety of creative disciplines, including graphic design, web and mobile design, photography, audio and video, animation, etc. After graduating I worked as a graphic designer for Canva designing layouts for users, and did freelance work on the side as well for branding and illustration work. Eventually I came to the realization that I felt most fulfilled by illustration work, and so I decided to pursue a master’s degree in Illustration here in SCAD Atlanta, which I’m very close to completing. Along the way, however, I took some electives in motion media and interface design, rekindling skills from my undergraduate degree days, and I loved both—something about motion work brought my illustrations to a new level of life, and interface/product design scratched the logical design side of my brain. So now, I bounce back and forth in this weird love triangle between illustration, motion, and product design, but I’m enjoying it and trying to combine the three every chance I can get—my current graduate thesis is actually doing just that. I’m honestly still navigating through a crisis of should-I-continue-to-specialize-or-not, but I’ve learned to just embrace the chaos and tackle every opportunity that comes to me head on, and to follow my creative gut when it comes to endeavors that will lead me to greater creative heights. The next step for me post-masters would be to look for employment that allows me to put all these different skills to good use, so I’ve got that to look forward to!
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Assuming it was safe to travel again, I would absolutely love for my best friend to visit (if you’re reading this, you know who you are, come visit me), and I would plan a week of experiencing a little bit of everything Atlanta—and Georgia—has to offer. The dormant type A side of me is tempted to write an actual detailed whole week itinerary, but I’ll spare you and make this a general collection of things we’d do. For places to see around the city, I’d probably take them to Piedmont Park first because it’s one of my favorite little pockets of nature in the city. I’d also take them to some museums, like the High Museum of Art or the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, and to Georgia Aquarium. We’d also probably walk along the beltline and stop by places like Ponce City Market and Krog Street Market for food. At night we could also hit up a couple of breweries, like Monday Night Brewing or New Realm Brewing. We could also potentially watch a show or concert at The Woodruff Arts Center or The Fox Theatre. Lastly, I’d love to take them out on some quick hikes or nature excursions around the city like Stone Mountain, Kennesaw Mountain, Sweetwater Creek State Park, and Lake Allatoona!Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have to give credit to my family, especially my mom and dad, for supporting my creative career and sacrificing a lot to be able to send me here to the US to study and find work. I couldn’t do any of this without their love and support!

Website: https://www.katsy-garcia.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katsycreates/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katsygarcia/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/katsygarcia

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katsycreates

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLsSdqxssxX9pYfUOFCIzyg

Other: https://www.behance.net/katsygarcia

Image Credits
Photo by Abby Magsanoc