Krista Perry is an illustrator and designer living in Massachusetts. In 2015, she received an honors BFA in illustration from Massachusetts College of Art and Design, where she took a very serious oath to make something fun every day!
Krista loves F-U-N! She believes in hard work and hard play and will NEVER turn down a good meatball sub. She loves to make art with a sense of humor and is inspired by bright colors, nostalgia, vintage ephemera and ham.
ANY PERSON WHO REALLY HELPED YOU IN YOUR AWESOME ARTISTIC JOURNEY?
My brother. He inspires me so much and is so hilarious. I love how curious he is and enjoy hearing his point of view — and he has a killer taste, so I trust him when he says he likes new work that I put out :-). When we were kids he used to play Zelda and I would spend time watching him and working on drawings at the same time.
LISTEN TO MUSIC WHILE YOU WORK? ANYTHING SPECIAL IN YOUR WORK SPACE THAT UNLEASHES YOUR CREATIVE JUICES?
Music or bust. Years ago I heard a coworker say, “I don’t really like music” and it was the strangest thing I’d ever heard. I have a poster of the Beatles in their Sgt. Pepper suits hanging above my art desk and it's like having four friends cheering me on. My whole studio is a haven for me, there are trinkets and posters and cool stuff hanging everywhere.
HAVE ANY SPECIAL TRICKS OR INSIGHTS INTO HOW TO CONNECT WITH YOUR AUDIENCE AND MAKE ‘EM RESPOND?
Make ‘em giggle real hard — humor is so fucking relatable and memorable.
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE THING TO DRAW AS A CHILD? WHY DID THAT LODGE IN YOUR HEAD?
I drew the Spice Girls a lot. Like, a lot, a lot. From a young age I remember the push and drive that music gave me, and drawing anything music-related made it double amazing. It definitely made me want to pursue art as a career.
ANY ACTIVITIES, EXERCISES OR STRATEGIES TO PULL YOURSELF OUT OF THE OCCASIONAL ARTISTIC RUT?
Take a lot of time off to just not do anything. Pushing yourself to keep creating when you actually need a break is kinda unnecessary and dumb. Boundaries around working is kinda new to me, so I try to listen to myself a lot more now.
ON A PROJECT, WHAT’S THE RUSH LIKE WHEN EVERYTHING CLICKS?
It’s more of a relief. I think, oh great, I CAN handle this. I dread the business side of illustration but I soar like a bird when it comes to the art-making.
