Holly Watkins: Design Student
Holly Watkins is a graphic designer from Kentucky. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Visual Communications Design at Northern Kentucky University. Holly primarily works in Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop, but uses other digital programs and analog techniques occasionally in her work.
The following interview is what Holly has to say about being a practicing creative during COVID-19.
Holly Watkins, NKU ‘21
What is the biggest effect COVID-19 has had on you, as a designer?
I’ve definitely noticed that motivation has been coming in waves. There are weeks where being creative comes so easily, and weeks where I feel like I just want to lay in bed and watch Netflix. I think that this is a product of isolation and not leaving my house. I’m learning that changing my environment can make the world of a difference in my work.
What is the biggest effect COVID-19 has had on you, that doesn’t relate to you as a designer?
I was furloughed from my job in March of last year, so I was not working for almost the entire year. It was hard to go from being so busy to doing what felt like nothing, but I think that in that time I’ve learned a lot about myself and I’ve grown so much. I am not the same person I was last year, in the best way.
Has it affected you, being a design student? Do you believe you’re still learning as much as you should?
Doing school online is really not my cup of tea. I enjoy being able to attend anywhere (mostly in bed), but I feel like I’m not getting as much out of it as I was in-person. My two biggest struggles have been keeping track of due dates and avoiding distractions. I feel like there is so much less structure and community, especially in the beginning of the pandemic when schools were scrambling to figure out what to do.
If and when, we go back to normal, do think things will change within the design world?
Most definitely. I think companies are realizing the benefits of remote work and there will be more opportunities for designers to land some really cool projects, especially nationally and even internationally.
How has COVID-19 changed you as a designer?
I’ve been consuming a lot more media this past year, and from that I’ve found new sources of inspiration. I think I have really started to develop my own style in the past year as well. It’s always been there, but I’ve been able to define it for myself even more.
Enchantress Candles
Does it differ your perspective at all, as a practicing creative?
I realize now how important community is. Isolation and a stagnant environment doesn’t breed creativity, at least for me. Feedback and keeping tabs on what others are doing are important to my own creative process, and losing that aspect has made me appreciate other creatives more.
Has COVID-19 opened you up to other artistic practices or hobbies, other than design, like it has for others?
For sure! At the start of lockdowns, I was drawing and painting much more than I was before. I have also recently picked up crochet, which wasn’t something I had any interest in prior, but I find it to be so fun and rewarding.
Has COVID-19 helped you or hurt you as a designer? Explain.
I think it’s been a mix of both. Spending more time with myself has given me an opportunity to get to know myself and who I want to be as a creative, but it’s also been a huge cloud hanging over my head. I’ve had a lot of growth in the past year, but also a lot of anxiety. I worry about the future more than I was before.
What is something positive that you can say about this journey of COVID-19? Related to design, or not.
I will say that COVID-19 has exposed a lot of problems with the world we live in and brought these issues to the forefront in a lot of people’s minds. It’s been hard to see the true colors of some of the people around me, but I know that there are people out there who have been growing as much as I have, and that’s the hope I’m holding on to.