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3 THINGS WITH A B3 TEAM MEMBER: HOW I FIND CREATIVE INSPIRATION
Have you seen the gorgeous line drawings on our new tote bag? They’re the work of our very own Senior Graphic Designer Jaclyn Hudak, and we couldn’t love them more. We’ve always marveled at how Jaclyn is able to churn out creative work on a regular basis (and sometimes on a crazy tight deadline), so as part of our 3 Things With a Team Member series, we chatted with her about how she finds creative inspiration. Read on to find out how her artsy parents fostered her creativity, what her creative process looks like, and why she likes to stare at sea anemone.
B3 MAGAZINE: Have you felt like a creative type since you were a kid, or is it something you came into later?
JACLYN: I was definitely creative early on, but I think a lot of it has to do with my parents. They don’t do creative jobs for a living, but they’re creative people—my dad is a ceramicist and my mom has always liked crafting. They always encouraged that in me. You know those booklets with community classes? My mom used to give me that every time it came in the mail and let me choose a class. I’d always choose an art class because I hated sports! Then we’d do the class together.
B3 MAGAZINE: What great parents! Did they also encourage you to go into a creative field as a profession?
JACLYN: Definitely. I actually felt like I should go into something more “practical,” like nursing or finance, but they really encouraged me to pursue something artistic.
B3 MAGAZINE: It’s not always easy to find work as a creative. What did your professional path look like?
JACLYN: I studied graphic design in college, but I graduated right after the recession hit, so there weren’t many jobs available in my field. I freelanced—which I liked a lot—and then I started working for B3. I love that there’s so much variety in what I get to do here!
B3 MAGAZINE: Creative types aren’t exactly known for finding inspiration while sitting at their desks at work. What are three things you do when you need to get the creative juices flowing?
I SEEK OUT ART. My favorite museum is LACMA—there’s such a wide range of art, and it always features artists doing really interesting, cutting-edge work. We don’t have as much in the way of art museums in Portland, so I seek out art-based events like First Thursday and PICA’s Time-Based Art Festival.
I GET OUTSIDE. I really like finding inspiration in nature—I’m sort of obsessed with naturally occuring textures. I like taking short videos to capture the movement and color palettes. For me, nature is inspiration in the broader sense: It’s not so much that I take what I see in nature and create art based on that, but more that nature is calming and helps lift me out of whatever space I’m in.
I GO TO AQUARIUMS. I just love how much symmetry and repeating patterns you can find in the animals there. It feels really personal to me. I’ll stare at sea anemones and take some pictures of them, and I feel inspired.
To celebrate Jaclyn and her beautiful drawings, we’re giving away one of the tote bags she helped create! To enter, tell us how you find creative inspiration in the comments below.
Have you seen the gorgeous line drawings on our new tote bag? They’re the work of our very own Senior Graphic Designer Jaclyn Hudak, and we couldn’t love them more. We’ve always marveled at how Jaclyn is able to churn out creative work on a regular basis (and sometimes on a crazy tight deadline), so as part of our 3 Things With a Team Member series, we chatted with her about how she finds creative inspiration. Read on to find out how her artsy parents fostered her creativity, what her creative process looks like, and why she likes to stare at sea anemone.
B3 MAGAZINE: Have you felt like a creative type since you were a kid, or is it something you came into later?
JACLYN: I was definitely creative early on, but I think a lot of it has to do with my parents. They don’t do creative jobs for a living, but they’re creative people—my dad is a ceramicist and my mom has always liked crafting. They always encouraged that in me. You know those booklets with community classes? My mom used to give me that every time it came in the mail and let me choose a class. I’d always choose an art class because I hated sports! Then we’d do the class together.
B3 MAGAZINE: What great parents! Did they also encourage you to go into a creative field as a profession?
JACLYN: Definitely. I actually felt like I should go into something more “practical,” like nursing or finance, but they really encouraged me to pursue something artistic.
B3 MAGAZINE: It’s not always easy to find work as a creative. What did your professional path look like?
JACLYN: I studied graphic design in college, but I graduated right after the recession hit, so there weren’t many jobs available in my field. I freelanced—which I liked a lot—and then I started working for B3. I love that there’s so much variety in what I get to do here!
B3 MAGAZINE: Creative types aren’t exactly known for finding inspiration while sitting at their desks at work. What are three things you do when you need to get the creative juices flowing?
I SEEK OUT ART. My favorite museum is LACMA—there’s such a wide range of art, and it always features artists doing really interesting, cutting-edge work. We don’t have as much in the way of art museums in Portland, so I seek out art-based events like First Thursday and PICA’s Time-Based Art Festival.
I GET OUTSIDE. I really like finding inspiration in nature—I’m sort of obsessed with naturally occuring textures. I like taking short videos to capture the movement and color palettes. For me, nature is inspiration in the broader sense: It’s not so much that I take what I see in nature and create art based on that, but more that nature is calming and helps lift me out of whatever space I’m in.
I GO TO AQUARIUMS. I just love how much symmetry and repeating patterns you can find in the animals there. It feels really personal to me. I’ll stare at sea anemones and take some pictures of them, and I feel inspired.
To celebrate Jaclyn and her beautiful drawings, we’re giving away one of the tote bags she helped create! To enter, tell us how you find creative inspiration in the comments below.
