Meet the Artists: Jess Holdaway

In October we celebrated our 4th Birthday, and launched a series of art prints inspired by the wise words of a few of our past CreativeMorning/AKL speakers. A selection of talented artists & designers from our community have taken these quotes and crafted a stunning collection of art prints.

We’re introducing you to these talented individuals, and pointing you to the talks from which they gained their inspiration.

This week: the dope Jess Holdaway

For our SHOCKtober exhibition Jess took the words of Sarah Longbottom from Nga Rangitahi Toa, who spoke to the theme of Failure in August 2014. Watch the talk that inspired this poster here!

“Failure only exists in doing, and has nothing to do with being” by Jess Holdaway.

Jess Holdaway is a Graphic Designer who works at Curative, and co founder of social business Frank Stationary, which is helping children in need in New Zealand. Passionate about making connections and thinking about the world differently, she hopes to contribute to culture through creative design thinking. Eager to learn and passionate about people, Jess dreams of applying her Graphic Design skills to make the world a better place.

Who are you?
Jessica Holdaway

What gets you up in the morning?
My Alarm on my iPhone, and the sometimes annoying but lovely birds that sing by my window.

Oh and the thought of hot cup of tea. Yum!

Explain what you do in five words or less…
I make things all day.

What’s a surprising fact about you?
Some of my childhood was spent in South Africa, where I would frequently bring home snakes and insects to show my parents.

They bought me hiking boots and taught me to stomp my feet loudly (to scare away the snakes) so that I could keep going on a little adventures in the bush.

Tell us about your creative community:
The creative I am a part of is wonderful!

Creative Mornings, Design Assembly, and a drawing club of about 4 of us that meet to draw/watch youtube clips together.

I will also claim that Gemma O'brien, Jessica Hische and Erik Marinovich are part of my creative community even though they don’t know that, because I am a fan girl.

Best piece of advice you’ve received?
If something is worth doing, its worth doing it badly until I can get good at it.

Don’t avoid the ‘ugly’.

Who would you love to hear speak, alive or dead?
Ted talks are a dream to me because I get to hear so many amazing people talk. I’m sure that I haven’t yet discovered my ultimate 'speaker’ yet. They are out there somewhere.

When you get stuck creatively, what is the first thing you do to get unstuck?  
Go on a quest to learn something new. Anything at all. Learning something new and having fresh information in my brain seems to kick start my creativity.

What’s your Secret Superpower?
I can do the “ahh ahh ahh ahh ahh” voice that Eminem does in his song “Just lose it”

What’s the most recent thing you learned?
I just recently learnt how much the army controls what is on our super market shelves.

What shocks you the most about the creative process?
How easily it can either inflate and deflate your ego.If I’m feeling stuck creatively, I always have to be aware that it’s not about my identity as a designer, it’s just a moment of being stuck.Your level of creativity is not a measure of your worth, but rather a gift that you give to others. The more you give, the more you have.

Jess’ print is available for purchase from Endemic World. By buying this print you’ll be supporting CreativeMornings/AKL, helping us to continue providing you with breakfast and inspiration. Plus you’ll get a rad piece of art for your wall! Chur.