UPB Graduate Interview: Holly Thomas Stein HTS Studios, Inc.

Today we are thrilled to bring you a designer interview with Californian based graphic designer, metalsmith and mixed media artist Holly Stein who graduated from The Ultimate Portfolio Builder class of March 2016.

When did your interest in design first start and how did that come about?

I’ve always been an artist. Even as a little kid, I was designing and creating patterns. We had an old furnace and when my Mom was working in the basement, I used to spend hours painting designs and pictures on the side of it with water. Even as I painted, the brush strokes would evaporate from the heat. There was great fun in creating those ephemeral images – very freeing!

What steps did you take to get to where you are now as a designer?

I always was in the art classroom and went from high school straight to art school – the American Academy of Art – where I had classical training. While at school and needing money, I started freelancing for a small advertising and design agency, which turned into a full-time job. My husband offered to support me when I started my own business; it took about a year to be self-supporting. I have been a full-time, self-employed designer for going on 30 years.

Some of my earliest clients were big manufacturing companies working with licensors like Disney, Marvel, DC Comics, Mattel and Nickelodeon. For these companies, using licensed art, I designed kids’ toys, sleeping bags, tents, clothing and stationery products. I’ve also created an amalgam of corporate branding and advertising for international clients. Along the way I have added metalsmithing, collage work, painting and owning an art gallery into the mix. Now, I am ready to turn all of my varied experience toward creating my own artwork to sell and license.

How would you describe your style?

Thoughtful. A bit unexpected.

What kind of designer do you want to be known as?

Someone who creates beautiful, intelligent work. Someone whose work stands the test of time and is still engaging 50 years from now. I also want to be known as someone who is pleasant, fun and professional to work with.

What are you working on currently?

Lots and lots of patterns – florals, holiday, seaside escapes. I just finished a series of notecards and event elements for a client meeting. I am in the middle of a big re-branding project involving international websites, domestic and international packaging and in-store merchandising. And I am finishing the last pieces of watercolor art for a client event based on a summer fair. Lots of fun!

What advice would you give emerging designers wanting to build their portfolios?

Look at everything you see as inspiration for your art. Practice at your craft every day. Love it. Work at it. Analyze your weaknesses and work to make them your strengths. Participate in local drawing groups. Take online classes – like any of the Make it in Design classes – where you can see what others are doing, get valuable guidance and feedback and have accountability.

What would be your dream design gig?

I am fortunate to work as a full-time artist. My personal goal is to have my work show up in Anthropologie. I’d like to generate work for licensing in home décor and stationery. It would be great to have my designs come to life on products people use and love every day.

Looking ahead what are your major goals for the next couple of years?

I am looking for an agent to help me grow as an artist and add licensing into my business model. I want to create my own work while continuing to do the corporate work I have relied on. Ultimately, I would like a nice mix of corporate design, pattern design and illustration.

If you were a pattern what kind of a pattern would you be and why?

A lush floral with lots of layers, details and complexity. Lots of rich and beautiful color. I love to garden and I love flowers. Flowers are on a continual cycle of regeneration – a metaphor for my art. Some designs move to the background or are left behind, while new and beautiful designs come to the forefront.

Holly’s thoughts on The Ultimate Portfolio Builder

What was the most important lesson you took away from UPB?

Be yourself. Create your own style and continue to work at it. Your unique aesthetic and ideas are your product and it should be singular to you.

What difference did it make to have a supportive community of fellow students and how important do you think that will be going forward?

It’s very good to have a sounding board of artists with similar experiences. I am in contact with many of my fellow classmates through the Facebook and Instagram communities. It keeps me aware of our parallel and emerging paths. I can cheer on fellow artists and also be cheered on.

Please tell us about your experience of the live briefs and student work reviews.

I can’t say enough good things about the live briefs! It’s so energizing to be prompted to think in other directions. I work alone in my studio, so the briefs are a link to a different way of thinking, to trends and to thought promoting approaches to my work. The briefs have spurred me on to make better art. In the classroom setting where fellow classmates are posting their work, it has the added benefit of seeing what your peers are doing and creates the ripple benefit of considering how others approach the same set of prompts.

I have been an artist most of my life — a graphic designer, metalsmith and mixed media artist. I love the process of creation, whether it is painting, working with silver and stones or designing on the computer.

I enjoy working with clients and the challenges of creating finished pieces that meet the needs of the market.

I have an Associates Degree in Advertising, Design and Illustration from the American Academy of Art, Chicago. I currently live in sunny southern California.