JYST x Inspires w/Kristy Ford
Meet the Perth creative that is making waves in the industry with her intricate portraits and minimalist pieces, graphic designer and illustrator student - Kristy Ford!
We are so excited to have her as one of the first on our JYST X Inspire series and we hope our chat with her inspires you!
Hi Kristy! Thanks for hanging out with us at JYST!
Random//rapid fire questions… GO!
Tea or Coffee?
Tea
VSCO Cam or Instagram to edit photos?
If you were a colour, what colour would you be?
Green, more specifically chartreuse, my fave!
Image Via @kford_
So, tell us a little bit about yourself and your creative journey so far:
I have been creating all my life! As a child I loved drawing, dabbling in making things and using my
hands. I needed to keep myself busy because social media didn’t exist back then ;) In year 6 I started
to learn the basics of web design and the next year we were asked what our vocation was… I
remember writing that I wanted to be a Graphic Designer.
I continued my interest in art and design in highschool. My art became less of priority in Year 12 and
throughout Uni as I pursued another interest of mine - Biomedical Science and didn’t have much
time to create because of study.
As I started post-grad studies I became really stressed. My big bro asked me why I didn’t draw
anymore and it made me think and ask myself the same question! This became my creative outlet
from studying. He is a tattoo artist so seeing his work inspired me to get back into it.
I wasn’t completely fulfilled or happy during post-grad. I took a break and just worked for a while. It
was scary as I didn’t know what I wanted to do in my life but creating was always at the back of my
mind and kept coming back to me.
I took a leap of faith last year and decided to enrol in a Graphic Design course. I still have half of this
year and next year to go. But here I am! Should have listened to my 12 year old self!
Woah! Okay Biomed is a pretty next level interest to have! It's so amazing that you love both sciences and creating - because they are two things that don't often exist together!
It's all about the journey though, right? You wouldn't have realised your passion in creating had you not have studied sciences first :)
So what inspires you to create?
I create because I love the freedom to express myself. I love everything to do with arts, design and
culture it makes me happy!
So in terms of design, what do you draw your inspiration from?
I especially love fashion and style and this is what inspires my drawing. I love textures, patterns,
embellishments and colour.
Image via @kford_
Where do you see yourself in 5/10 years? || What are #Goals for Kristy Ford?
I hope to work for myself creating things that I love for other people. I hope to meet other
inspirational creatives who enjoy this field as much as I do and keep learning new things and
techniques.
Yasss! #Goals for sure!!
What advice would you give to other aspiring graphic designers/illustrators?
As a Graphic Design student I am still learning, but I would definitely say listen to yourself. Produce
work in a style that YOU love and reflects YOU. If you are producing honest work, other people are more likely to believe it!
That is so true! And people definitely notice! I know I did! If you haven't already, check out Kristy's instagram (@kford_) - it'll change your life!
Image via @kford_
Thanks so much for chatting with me Kristy, its been great! I'm feeling super inspired, and I hope the JYST fam is too!
Know anyone creative that's just doing an all round amazing job! Let us know in the comments below and they may get a feature!
