Meet Hunter: Our New Tenderhearted Species
We're excited to introduce you to Hunter Simpson, the newest species to join the Modern Species office! She is our second intern from Western Washington University's Design BFA program, and we're so excited to have her join us for the summer. Thoughtful and inquisitive, Hunter can be found reading, attending a lecture, appreciating some plants, or drinking a delicious cup of coffee.
When did you know you wanted to be a designer and what influenced your decision?
I've always felt drawn to creative fields off and on, but it took a while for me to find graphic design specifically. I have always had an interest in clothing and style since I was a little kid. I knew I wanted to be working in fashion and I didn't know any job other than a fashion designer, so that was the goal for a while. There was a period where I had a plan to be an archeological osteologist, photojournalist, and author, all at the same time. Then I got really into HGTV (I still love House Hunters) and wanted to design interiors and homes. In middle school, I started working on the yearbook staff and that was my first introduction to graphic design. From that point my dream was to work at a fashion magazine doing layout, photoshoots, etc., and I was using all of the career tools and websites they give you in middle and high school to figure out what type of degree could get me there. I knew all of the buzzwords (visual communication design, graphic design, digital design), so I knew what to look for when finding a university. Once I got to college I had the introductory design course as one of my first classes, and after that, I never questioned what degree I was going to pursue. Now in about a year, I will graduate with my BFA in Graphic Design from Western Washington University and try to make my way over to NYC.
Who are your favorite designers and what do you like about their work?
I recently learned about Timothy Goodman (I think I'm a few years behind the curve), but more than anything I love the emotional level of his work. He uses lettering to communicate his experiences of feeling unworthy, unlovable, confused, etc. and I think it speaks to the side of me that over-analyzes everything. I love when vulnerability and design meet and I think his work can be a vehicle to share the intimate side of his story.
Another favorite is Laura Berger. She might be more of an artist but I always come back to her work and it ends up on most of my mood boards. Her work tends to center around women, often supporting one another, which definitely speaks to me and my values. She also has beautiful warm palettes and sometimes uses my favorite pukey green color.
If you had to pick 3 foods to eat every day, what would they be?
Pomegranate seeds are my favorite food and are pretty much all I eat when they are in season (one of the reasons fall is my favorite) so that would be an easy transition. I also joke that I only eat coffee some days so that, and the little orange tomatoes that I think are called sun golds.
If you could take a vacation anywhere, where would you go and what would you do?
The Faroe Islands! Highly recommend a Google image search if you don't know about them. It's a collection of 18 islands between Iceland and Norway that you can access by boat or plane. I want to go there because 1. I love being on/in the water and the islands are a 19-hour boat ride from Iceland 2. I want to live in a tiny black cabin with a green grass room next to the water with a dog and somehow live off of walking my dog and reading all day.
What book should everyone read?
A very student answer, but the book Brand You by John Purkiss was the most helpful book I have read while in school. It's kind of more of a workbook that helps me orient myself when I don't know where I'm going or I've just accomplished a big goal and then feel aimless for what to do next. The book helped me craft my first mission statement which keeps me accountable when working on projects, especially in school where I have so much freedom. I also often come back to an activity that has the reader list 20 artists they want to collaborate with or are influenced by, 20 arts organizations you would like to exhibit in, have residency with, work for, etc., 5 graduate schools you would like to attend and identifying a mentor within each of those graduate programs. It keeps me searching for new opportunities and I can track how my interests have changed over time to assess if I need to adjust my course.
How much wood, would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
Did anyone ever ask if he wanted to chuck wood?
Drop a wisdom bomb on us.
The quote that has helped me the most in various imposter syndrome/low self-confidence moments is this one by Ira Glass:
“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”