thank you, Crayola
Was my path to design always meant to be? I’m not sure. But as I reflect on my childhood, I’m realizing that I’ve always had a natural inclination towards creativity and design, even if it wasn’t apparent from the start.
Picture this. July 2001 in Madison, Wisconsin.
“Hello, is this Mrs. Lin?”
“Yes, this is she. May I ask who’s calling?”
“Yes, hi. This is Madison Public Library calling for your permission to use your daughter’s drawing on our website.”
And that’s the story of how my first published drawing made it onto Madison Public Library’s homepage. Most of my talents at age three included racing my sister on my tricycle, making a mess out of my food at mealtime and waking up at the crack of dawn to watch Saturday morning cartoons. But aside from my chaotic three-year-old lifestyle, drawing and coloring was always my getaway. My 24-pack of Crayola crayons remained my companion through family road trips, preschool, playdates, even at night when my parents thought I was asleep. These crayons were truly my first exposure to endless creativity. I drew anything that came to mind: animals and landscapes, and most frequently, pictures of my family- which ultimately ended up on Madison Public Library’s website (and yes, that’s me at the very end, with no body, arms, ears or hair).
As I grew up, I evolved as an artist and took interest in watercoloring and canvas painting. My summers consisted of searching through Pinterest and Etsy for design inspiration, then mimicking designs onto my own blank canvases.
Growing up with an introverted personality, I struggled with ways to express myself. During activity time or lunch, instead of choosing to play outside with my friends or eat in the cafeteria, I’d beg my teachers to let me stay in their classrooms so I could spend time sketching in my notebook or recreating pictures from the never-ending bin of picture books.
When I got to college, I plastered my freshman year dorm room’s walls in my art. When I brought my friends over, it always became a topic of conversation.
“Where did you buy those?”
“Wait, you painted those yourself? How did you do that?”
The answer to me was always simple. It was my hobby, the way I’ve always expressed my thoughts. But the reason behind how this started was never clear to me.
Until now. I’m realizing that my 24-pack of Crayola crayons ignited my passion for art and imagination. And every piece of computer paper filled with my messy, incomprehensible drawings was just more fuel added to the fire of my creative mind.
Even though I’ve progressed and evolved as a creative designer, the journey of how I got to this point always leads back to my Crayolas. I ultimately chose to study advertising and design because I wanted to pursue a career that would allow me to work in a fast-paced environment and help me grow as a creative artist, only this time with teamwork and collaboration of ideas rather than with crayons and printer paper. As a student in the Hussman School of Journalism and Media, I’ve been able to really delve into my creative stroke in class through Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and Indesign. Through my internships with Sophie Blake NY and USA Today Network, I gained a more comprehensive outlook on the world of marketing and how visualization is such a powerful tool in influencing decisions.
As I head into my full-time job next September as a designer for Deloitte’s in-house ad agency, Green Dot, I can’t help but think about the irony of where I started to where I’ve ended up. My first published drawing was for a public library in Wisconsin, and here I am, almost 20 years later, about to pursue a full-time career in design, with my designs being published on more than just a public library website. Thank you, Crayola.