Kirsty Ho
Published 23rd May 2021
INTRODUCTION
I'm a designer that connects brands with illustration and animation. I approach my work by experimenting with different styles and colour combinations, bringing the subject to life. I always enjoy working on information-lead projects, that connect with us and trigger emotion.
Sketchnoting is a passionate side project of mine. On a technical level, it's a way to improve active listening and visually synthesising thoughts and ideas. On a human level, it's a way to listen to someone's journey and capture the essence of it.
What would a sketchnote of your journey into creativity look like?
What motivated you to pursue a creative career?
My sketchnote shows that in my childhood and studies, being creative was never just a momentary phase – it's something that keeps going. It was all well and good knowing I had the passion and talent for it, but I wanted to be able to use those skills practically. I like things that are technical and making that information more accessible by visualising it.
Whether it was for work, my local church or myself, there was always a reason to use design, and I wanted to be a part of that. Crafting something beautiful will always be admired, but I think it's exciting when we're curious about how our creativity can inform how we think, feel and act.
How did your perspective on a career in illustration change between the beginning and end of university?
At the start, my perception of illustration was about drawing and creating fun visuals that connects to an audience. I didn't really have much thought on it beyond that. When I realised that the course pointed towards a particular direction that wasn't exactly where I wanted to go for my own career path, I often questioned if I would still be considered an illustrator or not. It seemed like I was always somewhere in between disciplines.
“I was always curious about what goes on in other disciplines, and wondered why there was so little transparency between us.”
I was always curious about what goes on in other disciplines, and wondered why there was so little transparency between us. Alongside my illustration, I wanted skills and projects that were outside my course, which meant crossing over boundaries and seeing how disciplines overlap and compliment each other, rather than exist independently.
Even now, I can't exactly describe what kind of illustrator I am or want to be, because it's always going to change as long as my work keeps evolving. We can give ourselves a job title, but ultimately what we create is what gives clarity to who we are.
© Kirsty Ho - The Morning
Why did you choose to branch out from your degree and explore the world of branding and animation?
Illustration covers a massive spectrum – it doesn't always exist as a standalone piece so it's hard to define where it stops. To me it's more about how I approach what I create, and how that approach doesn't have to be restricted to pure illustration. Being able to branch out and bring an illustrative approach with me meant that I was finding new ways to apply it.
Branding wasn't something I intentionally looked for, but having illustration and animation experience became a really attractive asset to my career. It was interesting exploring the space between design, illustration and animation, and how clients reacted when it gives their brands another view point to their story.
“It gives brands another view point to their story.”
It wasn't so much that I was moving away from illustration, because that will always be my foundation. Developing animation alongside illustration is like adding another layer to make it stronger. I don't need it to be completely new and different, because it's more about giving a different perspective and angle to what I already do.
Last year you took the leap to go freelance, then Covid threw a curveball. What’s helped you get through and now that you’re one year in, what’s been your biggest learning?
Learning how to accept reality and move on was definitely a big thing for me. I always imagined finding a new creative job soon after I left my previous job, so it was never my plan to go freelance. Not having things go to plan is always going to be a let down, but I think letting that demotivate us will only make us resent the reality even more. For me to make it work meant seeing it as an opportunity to learn, grow and build up a stronger network, rather than it being a backup plan.
“Not having things go to plan is always going to be a let down, but I think letting that demotivate us will only make us resent the reality even more.”
It's important to be confident in asking for guidance, but at the same time to be confident in valuing my own decisions. When we're constantly faced with many options, it can feel like a burden trying to choose the right one while not missing out on the rest. I realised that saying no didn't mean I was wasting opportunities, because it made me value what I was investing myself into.
In the past year of freelancing, learning to take the initiative to explore and create when the aspect of work is removed was important. I always associated creativity with work, and very rarely created anything that I was personally interested in. Freelancing meant I wasn't going to be working full time, and the lockdowns gave me more time and flexibility, so it was the perfect chance to play with the kinds of illustration and animation styles really excites me, and how it fits in with how I brand myself.
© Kirsty Ho for Northern Rye Bakery
Why do you create sketchnotes and at what point did you decide to start sharing them publicly?
It's always been a natural way of taking notes rather than it being a deliberate choice, and over the years it's developed into the style that you see today. It helps me retain information because as I'm listening, I'm considering how I sketch out certain words and concepts, and it leaves an impression on me as opposed to when I write down every word.
Sketchnoting during recent events has developed into capturing the essence of someone's journey, and I almost see it as like creating a portrait of someone. When you draw someone you want to highlight their defining features in the best way, and when I'm sketchnoting, I want to highlight what defines them and represent it in the best way so that when they see it, they go 'Yes. That's me.'
“When you draw someone you want to highlight their defining features in the best way, and when I’m sketchnoting, I want to highlight what defines them.”
Sketching them digitally gives me more ways to experiment with lettering styles and colours, and it's adapted well to social media because it fits in as part of my creative work. Not everyone is able to attend every creative event out there, so sharing them gives others a quick insight into what I gained. It's heartwarming to me when the speakers themselves get to see these notes, because the essence of their story, with all their challenges, thoughts and hopes all get captured in one sketchnote, and I'm glad I get to do that for them.
© Kirsty Ho - Sketchnote of Nikky Lyle’s Industry Leaders Podcast with Maisie Benson
Having attended lots of virtual events in the last year, what advice would you give to people who feel uncomfortable or unsure how to 'network'?
I found introducing myself a really awkward thing to do, but something I learned is that the more time I spend obsessing over every word I'm going to say, the harder it is to move on if I make a mistake. I don't want that to demotivate me from trying again.
Typically we feel we know ourselves best, but it's helpful to get someone else's view on what we say. We can replay everything in our minds, but we won't know how it actually comes across until we say it. It's easy to think that people are going to criticise everything we say and how we say it, but I think we need to believe that people are willing to help. Take the feedback, use it to improve, and then try again.
I think an organic way to start building up a good network is reaching out to those we genuinely appreciate. Following someone on social media is quite straightforward, but sending a message to learn about them goes a long way. There are many people who have done great things, and often it can seem like they're put on a pedestal, but at the end of the day, they're also people who value being spoken to as people. Rather than only networking for job opportunities, I think we can learn to be genuinely curious about others and what makes them do what they do.
“Rather than only networking for job opportunities, I think we can learn to be genuinely curious about others and what makes them do what they do.”
© Kirsty Ho - The Borderless Network
Ben and Dom have always wanted to do 36 days of type but have never got round to it. How have you found it and what have you learnt?
It was a last minute decision for me, and it was definitely a challenge to stay committed, but I'm glad I did it! When it comes to creating my own illustrations, I'm usually refining it over a period of time, but with this being a daily challenge, it pushed me to think on my feet, get ideas down, and learn not to be too precious about it. Rather than having the most clever ideas and perfected results, it became a way to try out new animation techniques and styles which I previously not might have used. Looking back on it now, it's become like a collection of ideas and experiments which I can use as part of more developed projects.
What are you most excited about for the coming 12 months?
It's been a pleasure getting to build up my creative network around the UK, but I'm looking forward to the days I can comfortably meet and collaborate with my local creative network. Newcastle has so much talent, and seeing what they do over the past year is really exciting! Something that the pandemic has reminded us is that we all really value genuine connections. No underlying intentions, just real support and honest conversations.
Follow Kirsty
Instagram / LinkedIn / The Dots
If you’d like to reach out to Kirsty, drop her a DM or email to: hello@kirstyho.co.uk
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