Ida Hay is aSwedish/Norwegian illustrator and visual designer based in British Columbia, Canada who started drawing as soon as she was old enough to hold a pen.
She has always been colour sensitive, already as a young child her family noticed her special relationship to colours and later on it has been suggested that she probably is a tetrachromat. Simply put, this means to possess an extra channel for perceiving colour in your eye (four channels instead of the normal three).
Ida is a creator and an artist that is driven by the need to constantly be in flow, creating in a plethora of mediums. Throughout her life she has indulged in everything from bookbinding, embroidery and printmaking to witchcraft, playing the musical saw and burlesque dancing.
She’s also a charming conversationalist, as we found out when we got to shine our member spotlight on her this week.
How did you get into the industry?
I have been drawing ever since I was old enough to hold a pen. My family is full of creatives who have always encouraged the revering of each sacred opportunity to create.
The next important part of my journey towards where I am today was when I started reading Harry Potter as a child, as soon as they came out in my native language (Swedish).
The Swedish book covers by artist Alvaro Tapia were my whole world and when I realized that it was an actual job to illustrate words, it became my aspiration to one day become a visual artist myself. Today, Tapia and I are mutual fans of each other’s work and it is the most humbling thing.
Where are you based now and who do you work for?
My freelancing business, Ida Hay Art, is now set within a deep forest, located in the Central Kootenays of beautiful British Columbia, Canada. Surrounded by nature I live and work off-grid together with my husband and our Hungarian Vizsla.
I am originally Swedish/Norwegian and moved to Vancouver on the west coast of Canada in 2017 to pursue a Bachelor in Graphic Design, from which I graduated in 2020.
If you weren’t in your current industry, what would you be doing?
This is a hard one! I live, breathe, sleep and eat art and have been for all of my life so I believe I still would have been pursuing something creative. Possibly an amazing tattoo artist, brought up under the wings of the extremely talented, inspiring and multi-award-winning tattoo artist Heidi Hay, who also happen to be my very own aunt!
Or maybe I would even be a musician or a burlesque dancer and performance artist — if I ever got over my stage fright!
Can you explain your creative process? What makes it unique?
I am constantly inspired. Even when my physical body is exhausted, my mind is still racing, producing ideas. While watching tv; talking to my ancestors; going to the grocery store; while I sleep; whenever. I have an on-going list of 200+ project ideas constantly on the back burner.
When an opportunity shows itself to start a new project, my process is mostly in text form rather than visual sketches and as soon as the idea is clear enough to me I start on the actual product. 99.9% of the time it’s a one-and-done piece. I very rarely go through different renderings — unless of course there are client revisions involved.
I believe it is because of my constant state of inspiration that I am able to see patterns in the things around me that might not be straight-forward at first glance. This process makes me particularly fond of incorporating unique and playful concept development in my work.
Which individuals do you gain inspiration from? Do you have any heroes in the industry?
My main art deity has been, ever since I was a kid, and probably will be as long as I live, Alphonse Mucha. He forever changed the game of graphic design and illustration in advertising while simultaneously celebrating the woman.
Mucha has even been said to be the first ever graphic designer. Not only is he inspiring in his actions and opportunism, but his effortless way of blending organic shapes and plants together with graphic linework, geometrical shapes, hand lettering and beautiful portraits is something I always go back to when I find myself stuck.
Another influence from beyond the grave is Frida Kahlo due to her exploration through colourful and sometimes surreal self-portraits, filled to the brim of symbolism.
Lauren Hom is a contemporary hero when it comes to social media game, personal branding, talent and overall clever and unapologetic sassiness.
How would you describe your style?
My Art History-inclined mother once called me a maximalist mannerist, a description I am still very fond of. As I am very sensitive to colour (it has been suggested many times that I might be a tetrachromat), I love incorporating a plethora of colours in my work and to explore how they collaborate with each other.
Most of my graphic design work incorporates either my custom made illustrations and/or surface pattern designs, making each and every project unique. Just like my greatest influence Alphonse Mucha I am extra fond of strong linework, hand lettering and female portraits.
I am explorative in my work, especially when it comes to tools and material. There is a constant hunger for learning more and to keep the tool box growing. I pride myself on being multifaceted as a person, which shows in my work, as well. I strongly believe the possibilities are endless, the opportunity just has to present itself.
What tips would you give to aspiring creatives looking for work?
Never stop exploring and experimenting! Keep putting yourself out there, because you never know who will stumble upon your work who are looking for exactly you.
What tips would you give to other professionals to get more clients?
It really is the same thing there. Personally, being a shy introvert I find it excruciatingly difficult to “sell myself”, so I focus on my work doing the “selling” for me. One simple little way I do just that is to print my work on phone cases, computer sleeves, tote bags etc: things I use in my everyday life.
When someone sees it and asks about it, I have an amped opportunity to let them know what I do. Kind of like business cards, but more fun!
What kind of tools/kit/software could you not do without?
Ink brush pens, fineliners, Opera Pink gouache and Procreate.
What’s your secret to staying inspired and motivated?
Few people realize this, but inspiration is a muscle that needs to be flexed just like drawing. I constantly have my eyes peeled! God knows how many of my loved ones need to have a certain degree of patience simply to survive me constantly stopping to take photos, notes, and/or googling things around me to continuously scratch that itch.
I feel it is crucial to look for inspiration not only within our own boxes but, equally as important, to seek inspiration outside of them. This is to say: if you’re a graphic designer, do not just look for inspiration within graphic design. Watch a tv show about food; listen to a podcast on ghost stories; take a walk in nature or go to an improv show. Flex that muscle!
What’s the work achievement you’re most proud of?
It must be one of my most recent commissions where I was honoured to illustrate twenty portraits of women spanning over three centuries (including Oprah Winfrey and the late Queen Elizabeth II), for the book Branding Queens by Kim D. Rozdeba.
Not only am I proud due to the feministic approach to highlighting strong and inspiring women within the world of branding, but also because it was a technical challenge to collect enough reference material to realistically portray all of them in the same style — by hand — without accidentally breaking any copyright laws when there were too few photos to refer to.
What is the one thing that you would change about the industry?
How it is saturated with companies looking for “a graphic designer” when in reality what they are asking for is 1 graphic designer, 1 programmer, 1 animator, 1 3D modeler, 1 social media marketing specialist, 1 UI/UX front-end developer, 1 shaman and 1 Jedi — all in one.
I don’t know where it all went wrong but it is affecting all of us. Do you want a Jack of all trades, master of none? Or would you rather want someone who is in fact an expert in their own field and can give you the best results?
Any websites, books or resources you would recommend?
My obvious first choice would be my own website, idahay.com, but as to not shamelessly plug my own stuff, here are some other recommendations:
Everything written by Austin Kleon and Adam J. Kurtz should be in your personal library. Lisa Congdon’s Find Your Artistic Voice: The Essential Guide to Working Your Creative Magic is a profound read. The Reverse Symbolism Dictionary by Steven Olderr is a goldmine if you, like me, are into that stuff. And of course, Branding Queens by Kim. D Rozdeba, fully illustrated by me!
Finally, Skillshare and Domestika are both invaluable online sources for expanding your knowledge and skills and make you an even better creator than you already are.
