Meet Stan Kong | Creative, Educator, Volunteer, Friend

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

Hi Stan, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
Ideally, I think a wonderful work life balance would be 8 hours of work, 8 hours of personal / play time, and 8 hours of sleep.

When I first came out of college, I was a workaholic. It was in great part due to the rigor and competitive environment of ArtCenter College along with wanting career advancement and monetary rewards quickly. For the first time in my life, I felt a sense of achievement and recognition along with financial stability. I found myself working a full-time job and freelancing as much as I could with my extra time. I enjoyed the work and my colleagues, even with the long hours.

After leaving ArtCenter, I was invited back to teach one session of a 12-week high school design course. It was a career changing moment as I felt a sense of tremendous reward, more than my professional career as a designer. The class was a great success for the students and program and I was offered the class the following term. I was eventually asked to develop a similar class for college-level and other classes afterwards. I was still working my full-time job, freelancing, and at a crossroads in my career – working as a designer and gaining recognition and financial rewards vs. teaching and earning less but enjoying a deep sense of purpose. The choice was clear – I followed my instincts to become a teacher and was fortunate to eventually have teaching positions at ArtCenter, Pasadena City College, the Institute for Educational Advancement, along with involvement in Pasadena Unified Schools, which I had attended as a kid. The career shift was incredibly gratifying and my schedule allowed more time off during holidays and breaks. I have been fortunate to serve as a teacher as it never feels like hard work and academia allows me a good work/ life balance. The icing on the cake has been the gratification of helping thousands of students, many of which have become close friends.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I was once asked, “what do you do?” and I replied, “I design to improve life and I teach to improve lives”. I worked hard to become a product designer and was proud of the “things” I designed. They improved life momentarily until the next new “thing” came along. I found teaching was more rewarding and my job helped improve lives of the students I had. Many became designers and they would be the ones creating more “things”.

I’m most proud of my work as an educator and the many community projects I’ve been involved in – workshops for students, career days, Earth Day activities, and public art projects, to name a few. They were challenging in many ways – large projects, limited budgets, and short timeframes, however I was able to leverage the network of friends to help make them very successful, impactful events.

My journey wasn’t easy, particularly through my youth and early adulthood. Having “failed” early in school and finding my way forward taught me valuable lessons about vision and perseverance. I didn’t think of it as a huge problem but more as a challenge to overcome. I learned early in life to be resourceful and problem solve. Making friends, having a broad network, and listening to others is key, along with a positive attitude and producing results. There’s always someone willing to listen and help. This is something I remind students of and above all, to have fun together and enjoy the process.

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 love L.A.! I LOVE California! I love the culture and diversity!

I would mix it up, a combination of time in nature and different places in the SoCal area. A hike on a trail or some time at the beach. From the San Gabriel Mountains to Big Bear or the beaches from the OC to Venice, Santa Monica or further north on PCH to Santa Barbara. We could visit different neighborhoods and experience the people, places, and food. Downtown L.A., Little Tokyo, China Town, Leimert Park, Korea Town, the Westside, Hollywood, the Valley and others. Soap Plant / Wacko, Venice / Abbott Kinney, the Brewery ArtWalk, the Arts District, museums, and the LA County Fair are some of my favorites. Grand Central Market, Pie N Burger, Clifton’s, Golden Deli, Daikokuya, and The Farmer’s Market at the Grove are a few fun places to grab a bite.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many people that deserve a shoutout for their support throughout my life and career.

During my academic life, it was my teachers that believed in me when I was struggling. Most were my art teachers where I thrived because I was able to be creative. They gave me encouragement and a safe place to be during times of self-doubt.

Throughout my professional career, I was fortunate to have many colleagues that were a pleasure to work with and were supportive of my projects.

I do want to recognize a few that are special and dear to me.

My wonderful wife and best friend Lisa. She has been the inspiration of my life and always by my side. She has been my biggest cheer leader and supportive of my endeavors. I also owe to her my well-balanced sense of work and play. With her, I learned to take the time to care for myself and to enjoy the everyday things in life.

All of my art and design teachers, particularly my mentor and close friend, John Caldwell, along with his wife Susan. John helped me believe in myself and pursue my education and career as a designer. Susan has been one of my biggest supporters for the volunteer work I do.

Alex Kritselis and Ramone Munoz. Two outstanding individuals and great friends. Together, we collaborated on many projects for both Pasadena City College, ArtCenter, and the local arts community.

My best friend Mark Dokter and his life partner, Anna Cuevas. We shared good times and challenging times. They always made me smile.

And several other wonderful friends and colleagues: Kathy Sjogren-Klein, Rob Ball, Kit Baron, Kay Yee, Carole Butler, Gwen Hourihan, and many others along the way.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stan-kong-a65050a/