Colorado Creatives Series
In support of #AIGAatHome, we have launched the Colorado Creatives Series, an opportunity to celebrate and showcase local creatives in our area. Our Colorado Creatives will share a little about their creative process, some of their most worthwhile investments, current reading lists and more. Enjoy!
Name
Kody Goodson
Pronouns
He/Him/His
Where can we find you?
How have you adapted your creative process during this time?
My creative process hasn’t changed too much since starting working at home. With everything being on the cloud, my computer at home is the same as the one at the office but, the biggest difference I’ve noticed is just how beneficial the creative energy and vibe you get from working around others can be. Video chatting and sending screenshots has been a decent replacement, but it’s definitely not the same. Being with our team all working on different things generates fresh ideas and perspectives that I’m definitely not getting from my dog at home.
What are you reading, listening to or watching right now?
Reading: Educated
Listening: Conan O’Brien’s Podcast
Watching: Still trying to figure out exactly what’s going on with Westworld
What is one piece of advice you can offer to other designers right now?
Now more than ever, I think it’s super important to just try and stay positive. There’s an endless amount of terrible news coming at us every day, but we just have to keep a clear head and make it through this situation.
And if you’re unfortunately at home looking for work (I’ve been there), keep your head up and focus on getting your portfolio exactly where you want it to be, or finally tackle one of those dream projects to show off when things start ramping back up, that way you’ll be ready to jump at any opportunity that will pop up in the future.
Also, sanitize that keyboard every once in a while, it could probably use it.
What is one of the best or most worthwhile investments you’ve ever made? (Could be an investment of money, time, energy, etc.)
I bought an iPad Pro when they first came out and really didn’t start using it to its full potential until recently. It took me a while to get the hang of how to incorporate it into my daily workflow, but now it’s become part of my daily process. There are so many ways to use it, and now that they can easily be used as a secondary display, it’s probably the most versatile tool I have. Far from cheap, but well worth the money IMO.
What is an unusual habit or an absurd thing that you love?
Does binge watching 90 Day Fiancé count? Because lately I cannot get enough. It’s the perfect escape.
In the last five years, what new belief, behavior, or habit has most improved your life?
Spending way less time looking at social media. I have to admit I’m still looking most days, just a lot less than I used to. There are far better ways to spend that time.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, or have lost your focus temporarily, what do you do?
The best method for me is to try to give myself some time away from looking at any screens. It’s refreshing to totally disconnect for even a few minutes and I usually get my best ideas when I’m not trying to force them. At work that meant a quick walk around the block, or across the street to grab a coffee. Working from home that trip is usually to the fridge for the 10th time today and yup, there’s still nothing I want in there. Who keeps drinking all the La Croix? Oh yeah, it’s me.
What are you currently working on?
There are a lot of cool projects currently in the works, but my current favorite is a merchandise collection for an upcoming brewery out on the west coast. I don’t want to give away too much info, but it’s looking awesome and I can’t wait for it to debut.
