Creative Designer/Consultant.
Follow Vanessa on Instagram and check out her website here.
Who or what did you want to be when you grew up?
A few things come to mind …. Race car driver, rockstar, and more ‘traditional’ professions (accountant, lawyer etc) that required wearing 80’s power suits and toting a briefcase (really that was all about the potential wardrobe choices).
What is your professional background?
The past 15 years I have worked everywhere from small print shops in New Zealand through to heavyweight tech companies like Facebook in Singapore. I have done everything from creating brand identities for small businesses like your local laundromat through to planning and running events for huge international brands like Reebok. These days I run my own studio working with a small selection of clients developing their brands, designing their websites and creating packaging among other things. I also create limited edition artworks for local galleries and museums, including the National Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa.
For a more detailed look into my background, check out this interview I did earlier this year:
https://www.vanessasmith.co.nz/blog/2017/3/16/my-careerstory-interview-with-the-cool-career
When do you feel the most creative or inspired?
When I’m not in front of a screen. My best ideas happen when in the shower or when I’m outside. Having said that, executing my best work happens in an immaculately haphazard studio space. I also have an ace set of girlfriends who get together once a month to dance and practice our best ironic facial expressions within the confines of a private dance studio. That is a pretty good way to top-up the inspiration bank.
When are you happiest?
When I see my children smile and laugh.
What’s the best stress relief advice you’ve ever been given?
Frankie said to ‘Relax’ so I find that’s always a good starting point when things get stressful.
I also find putting on a silly song from the 80s (see my first point) and dancing round the room with purpose is also effective.
Recently, when reading about the heritage area I live in once owned and developed by Sir Truby King (founder of Plunket, doctor, scientist and master gardener), I read that he developed a treatment/rehabilitation regime for ‘lunatic’ asylum patients based on working the land. He believed healthy outdoor activity, fresh air and cultivating and caring for living things calmed the mind and improved overall health. I have a large garden, so if it worked for the asylum patients, surely dead-heading a rose here or yanking out weeds there can only be a good thing.
What is your most treasured possession?
My family, quickly followed by my health. Objects like jewellery, your house or the [insert thing your great aunt gave you here] is just ‘stuff’.
What is the most important thing life has taught you thus far?
That things always change, and sometimes change when you least expect it to, therefore you can’t take anything or anyone for granted.
What is your number one business tip for surviving (and thriving) in your industry?
Look after your reputation and make it a good one; Firstly, do excellent work. Consistently. Secondly, don’t be a d*ck. No one wants to hire one and no one wants to work with one. The industry has many talented people and word gets round fast (especially in a small town like Wellington) if you’re socially inept, unprofessional, arrogant, creepy or just an a$$. I would rather hire someone that has creative chops who is also an ace person over the award-winning creative that will make me cringe when taking them to a client presentation.
Lastly, the industry can be crazy. Just don’t let it get to you.
What is your big project or goal for 2018?
January always starts off with a hiss and a roar with my limited edition screen print series celebrating the Lunar New Year. I create this print each year and have it ready for purchase in time for when the official date rolls round mid February. I also aim to document a large interiors project I’m mid-way through completing. I have some hand drawn textile work that needs to be done and some furniture curation to happen before it’s complete and I am loving it. I also confess that at the time of writing this I have a 12 week old daughter and a three year-old son, so life isn’t all-business for me right now. This past year I’ve been carefully winding my client work down, keeping just a couple of favourites on board knowing family life is cranking up a few gears. I’m hoping to get more time in for personal work in amongst client work and child rearing, but realistically that may be a pipe-dream.
Who or what is inspiring you at the moment?
Sacha Walckhoff, creative director of Christian Lacroix is always someone who impresses me. The work coming out of that design house, particularly for Designer’s Guild right now, is so intricate and beautiful. For me it’s the perfect combination of majestic textile designs making fantastical interior spaces.
Vivienne Westwood used to inspire me with her fashion and for spearheading the era of Punk. As I’ve grown older I adore her for her sheer guts and elegant way of fighting the good fight for our environment. She is a champion of culture and sees the only way forward is to strategise for the long term and make radical changes to the way we consume. She’s the original punk and I named my daughter after her.
Lastly, my son is inspiring me to chill out and be spontaneous. Typically, he is a very creative three year-old who is always inviting me into his world of monsters to hide from and Cinderella-balls to dance at. His energy and imagination is my envy.
What do you continually ask yourself?
“How can I do this better?” and “How can this be more beautiful?”
Who do you collaborate with best?
In terms of clients, I collaborate best with people who are curious, daring and who can make confident decisions quickly.
I also work with some talented freelancers on specific projects and aspects of my business. These people are ace in that they know exactly what they’re doing, are masters of their craft, and can do the work without me hovering over them. They bring their A-game and ultimately make me (and my clients) look good.
Who has challenged you to be better than you once were?
Without a doubt my son, and now my daughter. You can only want to do the best you can when you are responsible for two other precious lives. I was always amazed and inspired by my son’s determination and resilience when he was learning to walk. How he gave his everything to keep his balance and move one foot in front of the other despite falling down until he mastered it. I keep that in mind when I’m finding things tough.
How does courage manifest in your work?
It depends on the project. Sometimes it can be as simple as encouraging a client to unashamedly own a colour and use it boldly or unexpectedly to set them apart from competitors. Or with my limited edition screen prints celebrating the Lunar New Year, I’m driven to create characters that are bombastic and who literally inspire us to be courageous for the year ahead.
Ultimately, no matter who I’m working with or what the project is, I strive to create thoughtful work that ignores current trends and aims to be more than just something cool to look at. I guess that disposition comes from my days in advertising … I prefer my work to have a story. And sometimes that does take courage as it requires you to go beyond the surface of a brief to find the story worth telling.
When has mentorship played a role in your life?
I have never formally had a mentor per se, but I have always paid close attention to the way people around me have operated, taking the good and leaving the bad.
Earlier this year I was approached by a younger designer for mentorship. Specifically they were asking for guidance on how to handle client demands which led to looking at and ironing out their work processes. I would say I border on military-style project management and that seems to be something other designers are curious about and would like a bit more of in their own businesses.
I think designers still have a reputation for being ‘airy fairy creatives’, but at the end of the day we are business people too. It’s about learning how to rock your creative chops by doing excellent work while also taking care of your clients (and ultimately yourself) by stepping them through and agreeing upon a clear process so everyone knows what expectations are and what happens when.
Clients appreciate knowing how this ‘crazy' ole creative process works and what they need to do on their side for the project to succeed. Things like how to draw up contracts, writing a creative brief through to how to ask for the right kind of feedback have been some things I have been asked to give advice on.
I’m stoked to hear that some of my tips and tricks have really helped. We all benefit when another creative is treated well and is doing well.