Today we’d like to introduce you to Tess Land.
Tess, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My career in art & design had a couple of different catalysts – the main two being chance and grief. In 2016, a friend of mine who loved the doodles I would occasionally post on Instagram asked me to make and hand paint wooden signage for her wedding, as well as the place cards that would be at the wedding party table. This was a huge chance she was taking on me since I had never done work like this before and didn’t trust my ability to execute it to the degree it deserved. I ended up successfully completing the job, and since I had always thought that being able to make money from any kind of creative work was impossible (or exclusively for the super talented) I was on cloud nine.
Around this same time, my Nana, who had helped raise me, passed away. I was also trying to recover from a sudden breakup. These were situations I couldn’t control or recover from immediately, so I tried to regain some control over my life and decided to go back to school. With the wedding job successfully under my belt, I walked into a career counselor’s office at San Diego Mesa College that summer with intention of walking right back out with some sort of artistic major picked out. With the interests, I had mentioned and limitations I gave him, he suggested majoring in Graphic Design, eventually transferring to San Diego State University.
When my first semester started a few months later, a received a homework assignment in which I was to interview and shadow someone that worked in the field I was pursuing. I asked my friend Janice, who at that time worked at Fox 5 San Diego if she would let me shadow her for a day. She refused, saying that I would learn about what she does by “coming work for me instead.” I started as a Freelance Designer a few weeks later. She took a huge chance on me since I barely knew how to use Photoshop or any other design program when I started. But I learned quickly, was eager to help out where I could, and ended up working there for five amazing years. Also, the experience I gained there also gave me a leg up when job hunting after graduating from SDSU.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
In 2017, I was in a toxic relationship that drove me so close to the edge I had to be hospitalized for a short time. I ended up being diagnosed with clinical depression. Navigating this new diagnosis was challenging, but I was able to find a voice for myself and an outlet for my emotions through art, specifically through diary comics. Then again in 2018, this toxic situation resurfaced (thankfully) for the last time. I entered into another depression and ended up dropping out of all of my Spring semester classes, interrupting my SDSU transfer timeline. Since SDSU only accepts transfers and their applications in the fall, my education plan was set back an entire year.
In time I started therapy and set goals that focused on self-love and self-improvement. I’ve grown so much since then, with the past two years of my life being the happiest and most satisfying I can remember. Also, being set back a year in school actually ended up being a good thing! If I had stayed on course and graduated on time, I would’ve been part of the Class of 2020, having no ceremony, no parties, and no summer vacation road trips. By the time May 2021 rolled around, all of those things could be done safely, since more and more people were being vaccinated.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I currently work as a UX Designer at a tech start-up, which I’ve been loving. Previously, I’ve been a “jack-of-all-trades” Graphic Designer, doing anything and everything a client might need or want. But my true love and passion is Illustration. I love to draw and I find that expressing myself visually to be one of the most satisfying experiences ever. If you know me or follow me on Instagram, you’ll probably know me best for my diary comics. I use comics to tell funny little stories about my day or to expound on deeper thoughts and ideas, such as mental health. A lot of people have reached out to me saying how much they’ve appreciated my work, that it’s something they could never do themselves, but are so comforted to know that another person understands.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I’m terrible at predicting creative trends. If you’ve seen my closet, you know I’m not the one to ask! However, one big change/challenge I’m predicting, one we can already see taking place now, is the shift from in-office work to remote work. Surprisingly enough, even after a whole pandemic, some office cultures are not willing to incorporate or transition to remote setups. When I can do my entire job sitting at a desk on a computer, then why do I need to come into an office? I also see unlimited PTO becoming more of a standard rather than an exception. Employees are expecting more and more from their jobs, reasonably so, since we spend a third of our waking hours there a week, and if they don’t deliver, people will move on. I can see entire companies failing, not because business is bad, but because of their inability to hire new people and keep their current employees happy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.haveyoumettess.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haveyoumettess/
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/haveyoumettess
