How to turn your creative passion into a career: Top tips from Kate Moross
Expert advice from the British art director.
Kate Moross needs no introduction in the design world. Renowned for their typographic illustrations, Moross has worked with some of the world's biggest brands, and now runs their own London-based agency Studio Moross.
Speaking at Adobe Max 2020 recently, Moross shared their experience of starting a business and the process of transforming from a one-person show to a brand with now 11 employees. The passion Moross has for their job, brand and colleagues is clear when they talk, so much so it's not hard to see how their passion and talent has led to such success.
In the final part of Moross' presentation, they shared some valuable tips on how to turn your creative passion in to a career. Here's what they had to say...
01. Build great relationships
"I've never felt that success was something I’ve measured by creating an iconic piece of work, because I don’t think I fall into that bracket," Moross explains. "For me, success is building up great relationships, building up great recommendations and having clients and artists that use our services who want to come back."
But it's not just about the clients when you're running a business, Moross says. "Success is about bringing in new people into the company because they’ve heard about how we work and want to join."
02. Don't get too comfortable
"Obviously you have to make sure what you’re doing is enjoyable," Moross advises. "And that you have enough time to relax and be switched off from your work so that when you come back to it, it’s exciting again. Make sure you have enough challenges, that your work isn't too easy and you’re not too comfortable – feel like you’re always pushing yourself forward."
03. Invest time in software
"In the design, visual arts and motion graphics industry, the software we’re using is pretty much the most important thing," says Moross. "We use programmes like Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects, Premiere and Cinema 4D to create everything that we make. We have to always be pushing those softwares, understanding them and keeping up-to-date in order to keep moving forward and creating things in new and innovative ways.
Get top Black Friday deals sent straight to your inbox: Sign up now!
We curate the best offers on creative kit and give our expert recommendations to save you time this Black Friday. Upgrade your setup for less with Creative Bloq.
"We’re always excited about new features in software because it might gives us an opportunity to maybe do something different," they continue. "And I do think those features influence design, there are obvious classic, historic features that will stay around forever and we’ll always use, but sometimes something new comes in and it will revolutionise the ability to make work."
Want to get started with Adobe's creative software? Download the Adobe Creative Cloud suite and bring your artistic visions to life. You can watch Kate Moross' full presentation over on the Adobe Max website.
Read more:
- Photoshop neural filters: New AI tools are mind-blowing (and a bit terrifying)
- Is this the best new painting app for iPhone?
- Download Photoshop: How to try Photoshop for free or with Creative Cloud
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Kerrie Hughes is a frequent contributor to Creative Bloq, and was once its editor. One of the original CB crew, Kerrie joined the team back in 2013 after moving from her role as staff writer on 3D World. Since then she's written regularly for other creative publications such as ImagineFX, Computer Arts and Digital Camera World. After a stint working for the police, Kerrie is back reviewing creative tech for creative professionals.
Related articles
- 50 years of Dungeons & Dragons: art and insights from Tony DiTerlizzi, Ralph Horsely, Anne Stokes and other leading illustrators
- Traditional art of the week: COTOH
- How AI was used to create 'melty' VFX transitions in Here, the millennium spanning movie starring Tom Hanks
- First Impressions: freelance illustrator Marie-Alice Harel loves "the freedom" her work offers