Do I Actually Like This? Blair Kelly on ideas, art direction, and illustration in a strange new era

cgoucher
6 days ago
5 min read

Blair Kelly has been illustrating long enough to know that a creative career rarely moves in a straight line.

In this week’s 6Qs with Christine, Blair talks about research and wordplay, the quiet confidence that comes from building a process you can trust, and the strange place illustration finds itself in right now, with generative AI reshaping the landscape.

We also get into what makes a great creative director, why a cover never gets boring, and how to make something interesting even when the subject is, frankly, mortgage tax.

When did illustration start to feel like something you wanted to pursue seriously?
I was exposed to the term commercial art in high school and it really intrigued me but only during my 3 years at Sheridan did I realize what illustration actually was and I was hooked after getting my first job while still in school. That was a while ago and since then my career has ebbed and flowed and has been a bit non-linear. Back then, I don’t think I fully understood why clients were hiring me or what they expected from me. Nowadays I am much more confident in my work and conscious of the future and where I want my career to go. The world of illustration is in a strange place with generative AI so I am trying to diversify by dabbling in animation, experimenting with new (and old) media and exhibiting at galleries and markets to hopefully expand the range of my work and audience.
When you begin a new piece, what usually comes first for you?
For client work research comes first...research on the subject matter, image research, wordplay and lots of thesaurus/dictionary references, then sketching out ideas and trying to make connections between the words and images..unless I have an immediate idea which I’ll scribble down then go back through my process and see if I end up at the same thought or not. Once I have a few ideas I usually take 1 or 2 and see how far I can take it by revising each one over and over by changing it fully or slightly and I usually wait til the next day to sort through them all with fresh eyes.

If it’s a personal piece I usually tend to write down themes I want to explore then kind of ruminate on that and come back and sketch with less of an expectation but it’s always harder when you are your own client.
What part of your creative process still feels the most challenging?
The part I have struggled with the most is creating an image for a project that I would really want to create given the subject matter. For example, if I’m commissioned to create an image for an article on mortgage tax, how do I make something that doesn’t suck even though the article is on mortgage tax. Somehow over the years I’ve been able to make that happen more so by only submitting ideas that I actually would like to work on versus thinking that maybe it’s something the client might like or expect. I am constantly asking myself ‘Do I actually like this?’ ‘If this gets accepted, is this an image I would want to create anyway?’ I think also because I have been creating a lot more personal work than I ever have, the line between personal work and client work has become less obvious, at least I hope.
From your experience, what actually makes for a good art or creative director?
Someone that is open to new ideas but can also guide me in a direction if I veer too far off course. When they see something in my work and want to push me out of my comfort zone a bit, not too far though. I also love it when my work is paired with great design, it’s one thing to create an image that looks great and solves the problem in an interesting way and it’s a whole other thing when that image is used in a layout with beautiful typography, that’s magic.

Speaking of magic, I recently received amazing art direction on a project for a Magical Moon Calendar for Llewellyn Worldwide. They said I could interpret 3 spells literally or more conceptually but pretty much gave me creative freedom in a realm that I don't have much experience with and after submitting a bunch of ideas I ended up with 3 images that I am truly proud of. It was so fun!
Looking back on your career so far, what has surprised you most about how your work or approach has evolved?
I am most happily surprised that I am far more comfortable coming up with ideas. When I first started I would literally run around the house frantically stressed about coming up with even one idea that made sense for the project at hand. Deadlines also really freaked me out.

I am also happily surprised to have found a process or workflow that I can rely on and it doesn’t seem like some kind of divine intervention but rather a process I have developed that makes sense for me and the way I think. I’ve tried many ways of creating artwork over the years that were very limiting and/or risky. That being said, the second I get bored I want to blow things up again. I’m currently experimenting with brush and ink again and I also bought all the supplies for monoprinting so we’ll see where that takes me. Even if nowhere, I like it when traditional media affects my digital work.
When you feel creatively stuck or overloaded, what helps you reconnect with making?
When I’m stuck and working on multiple projects simultaneously I like to just move over to another project I’m working on. I find that when I go back to the piece I’m stuck on I can bring with me the thoughts and nuances from the other piece and let it affect it in a positive way. And if I’m just creatively stuck in general I have found that creating something with no purpose or project in mind can help me figure out what I like to draw in general as I’m always asking myself that question or just get the juices flowing again. Some of those random things have turned into real pieces and others remain just experiments just for me.

Riding my bike or watching a good movie can help unblock ideas as well, like what can I take from my ride to inspire me? Or how can I let this director’s perspective be an inspiration or reminder of the things or feelings I like to convey in my work?

Bonus Question: What kind of brief or idea are you always happy to see land in your inbox?

I’m always happy to see any clients’ email in my inbox to be honest but my favourites would be ‘Cover and 2 spreads for a large magazine with a week for ideas and 2 weeks for finals’. A cover will never get boring. I don’t mind rush jobs but really do prefer more time to mull things over. I also love receiving any email that involves participating in a group show or exhibition in a gallery setting. It really makes me want to produce something that someone would be happy to hang on their walls. When I think of illustration that way it helps me to want to elevate my work as far as it can go.

What I appreciate about Blair’s perspective is how grounded it is.

Blair talks about how idea-making used to feel like panic, like he was waiting for something to strike.

Now, it’s workflow. Research. Wordplay. Revising. Coming back with fresh eyes.

Inspiration helps, but process is what makes it repeatable.

This series grows through word of mouth and the creative people who nudge me toward the next conversation. If someone comes to mind whose creativity inspires you, send them my way.

Until next week, Christine