Meet Garrett Kaida | Educator and Illustrator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Garrett Kaida and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Garrett, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
As a freelance artist, your work-life balance is constantly shifting. There are moments when you have nothing to do. Only to be followed by months in which you work on three to four separate projects at the same time. I used to take any job that came my way earlier in my career. There are advantages to this, as it broadened my customer base, provided a constant stream of income, and provided me with valuable experience working on a range of projects. The disadvantage, as I discovered after about a year of doing this, is that you will burn yourself out. It took that burned out feeling to start balancing my life. Now I am a little more particular about which projects I work on. And I also have less of the fear that saying no to a job means I’ll never get another opportunity from that company again. I also tried to set specific working hours so that I’m not pulling all-nighters or working through all of my weekends. I used to think that I could push through the work and then take a break afterwards. However, I found more often than not that as soon as I had pushed through one project, two more would present themselves. Now I tried to sprinkle in the breaks during the projects. Overall, I’m quite happy with my current approach to freelance work, although it took me a while to arrive at this point. My advice to any young artists and illustrators just starting their freelance career would be: don’t be afraid to say no to a job. There will be more around the corner. And when you start working consistently, make sure to take care of yourself as well as your clients.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My journey has had a few twists and turns. I originally studied marine biology. I quickly found out that the field was quite different from how I imagined it, and I wanted to do something more creative. I did not know how to draw or paint well at this point, so I chose graphic design. During my time progressing through my intro art and design classes, I discovered two things. Through Marti Fast’s figure drawing class, I discovered that I could learn how to draw and how to draw well. And number two, there was a thing called illustration, and it was exactly what I wanted to do.

In my own artwork, I like many things. Sci-fi and fantasy work is a lot of fun to play around with. However, that scientific side is never really gone. I equally enjoy going out into nature and drawing and painting on location. Some of the most imaginative and beautiful things are all around us if you simply take the time to sit and watch them for a while.

My professional work started during my master’s program at Cal State Fullerton. In addition to my coursework, I began teaching and working freelance. As a freelance illustrator, I wouldn’t say I have a signature style. Many of the projects that I have worked on have required me to adapt to fit the look of that particular project. Aside from style, I think there are some common themes in many of my pieces. I am always interested in depictions of vast amounts of space and the juxtaposition of scale. Sci-fi lends itself well to these ideas, as you can depict a small individual dwarfed by the enormity of the universe or some enormous vessel. Brushwork is another area that interests me quite a bit. Artists like Sargent and Zorn so eloquently express what they’re seeing through the medium of paint.

I wouldn’t say any parts of my journey were easy, but the closer I got to my goal of becoming an art instructor, the more excited I became. The hard work felt worth it.

I don’t think there is any one piece that I am most proud of or excited about. Rather, the very fact that I have made it this far and will continue to move forward is what makes me most proud.

I’m definitely not the best artist out there, but what I hope people can learn from my story is that incremental growth and persistence will eventually lead to success. It took around 10 years to learn to draw and paint well. It took me five years before I felt I was a competent teacher. And I still don’t feel like I am a “professional” artist. But every time I feel that inner panic, I don’t know what I’m doing. I sit back, take a few deep breaths, have a cup of tea, and continue forward. I don’t succeed every time, and the work isn’t always easy, but I am thrilled that I get to draw and paint for a living.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I think, compared to most people, my idea of an exciting trip would be a little quaint or mundane. I would take them to Porto’s for empanadas and the guava cheese strudel. We would go biking on Balboa Island. If we found ourselves in Torrance, I would swing by Kings Hawaiian Bakery for a slice of paradise cake. Irvine Regional Park is a great place to spend a relaxing afternoon. Mitsuwa Marketplace has a variety of fun shops. We would go to Mama Lu’s Dumpling House for some pork and crab dumplings and seaweed fish. And selfishly, I would drag them to Wing Hop Fung so I could buy more tea.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to shout out Marti Fast. Marti was my first figure drawing instructor. Through her class, I discovered that drawing is a skill like any other. Even someone like me with little experience could learn to master it. Besides being an excellent instructor, Marti was always there to support and guide my future steps. After I had finished my bachelor’s degree, Marti mentored me by allowing me to student teach in her classes. That gave me a place to ask questions and receive constructive feedback. I cannot thank Marti enough for all the help and wisdom she has given me over the years.

Website: https://www.artstation.com/gkaida

Instagram: g.kaida

Other: Email: garrettkaida@gmail.com