yadav venugopal
Jul 20, 20223 min
Updated: Sep 14, 2023
The other day I got talking with designer extraordinaire Kristin Portsmouth who creates amazing visuals focused on productivity and personal growth. I love how Kristin uses her design skills to convey meaningful messages that help people get through the day, and inspire them to take action.
Here she talks about her career, love for design, and more:
I graduated from Roger Williams University (RI) in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering.
a. What led you to choose this branch of engineering in general?
I chose mechanical engineering because I was always interested in how things fit together and how toys worked. I enjoyed taking things apart and thought why not learn how to put them together. I have many engineers in my family who inspired me and encouraged me to pursue this field.
b. What was the toughest subject in college?
I would say the toughest subject for me to grasp was differential equations and machine design. There were a lot of strenuous classes but I was lucky enough to have some really amazing professors.
c. Have you worked as an engineer?
I worked professionally as the sole mechanical design engineer for a small company in New Jersey for a year and a half. It was really interesting to work and I learned so much finally getting more hands-on experience. While I enjoyed the job, the company was not the right fit for me.
I started learning more about graphic and web design in 2019. I have always loved design, drawing, and being creative, but I never knew I could make this my full-time career. I have been working towards creating a successful freelance business for myself for the past three years and have learned so much along the way.
My top 5 movies/shows of last year would have to be:
Luca
Squid Game Series
Locke and Key Series
I absolutely draw inspiration from the various movies and tv shows I watch, especially animated movies and shows where you can really see how much creativity and effort went into making them.
Don't know what to watch? Subscribe for a free streaming guide to original OTT content
It really depends on how much detail I am putting into a visual. It can take me anywhere from 15 minutes to a couple of hours. I usually dedicate a couple of hours to working on my business, Twitter, and other freelancing projects. My end goal with these visuals right now is to inspire people and motivate others to work towards their dreams.
It has been a crazy ride so far! I really can't believe how much I have grown in such a short time. I have posted every day consistently for about 3 months and doing that really let my work get viewed by so many people. I had a viral thread that really started all my growth. It was amazing to see how much everyone liked my work and how much everyone connected to it.
I haven't monetized my visuals just yet, but that would absolutely be a great next step. I currently just work on freelance projects as they come along. I would love to work on more projects that I can share with others.
At college studying to be an engineer
Graduating college and working as an engineer
Making the shift to graphic design
Not everyone understood why I wanted to stop engineering but I knew it was the right decision for me
Current life as a designer
How I see the future
Like this conversation? Subscribe for more!