Kickstart Spotlight: Shay Klassen
This month we’re turning the Kickstart Spotlight on one of our Lead Designer’s here - Shay Klassen!
Tell us a little bit about yourself, Shay!
Hi I’m Shay! I’m an Environment Designer / Lead here at Kickstart and let me tell ya a little bit about myself. I live in Fort Langley, BC on a small hobby farm with some of my favourite people in the world - my family! On my down time you can usually find me hollering at our three little pigs to keep the oinking to a minimum, or chasing one of the many dogs around the farm that has something in their mouth that they shouldn’t. When I’m not being “Farmer Shay”.. You can usually find me adorning one of my other forms which include “Guitar Shay,” “Skater Shay,” “Swiftie Shay,” “Home Renovation Shay,” and last but not least “Couch-Sitting Shay.” These are not all the “Shays” but rather, a glimpse.
What was your first job?
One of my first jobs ever was working in a gelato shop where the owner was INSISTENT on getting the exact weight of the scoops right by just eyeballing it.. I don’t know what that was about, but if you ever need your ice cream eyeballed.. You know where to find me.
How many years have you been working in this industry?
I’ve been working in animation for about 5 years now! I started as a BG painter and slowly worked my way up to where I am now. I love this industry and how much I learn daily about my process and how to be a better artist. I’ve done some incredibly rewarding work over my time in animation and I can’t wait to see what other projects I get to be a part of!
How did you get started with Kickstart Entertainment?
I got started with Kickstart because I saw they had a job opening in a designer position. But what I have learned about Kickstart over the last year is that it has a wonderful work culture, superb management and employees, and a dedication to making the studio and industry more inclusive, diverse and welcoming of all people and their stories. I really believe in them, and I feel like they believe in me and my contributions as an artist which can be rare in this industry.
What piece of advice do you wish you had been given when you first started working in this industry?
If I were to give one piece of advice to younger artists it would be to not be so stressed about your lack of knowledge or experience on your first couple shows. I remember being so worried that someone was going to find out I got my first job by total accident because I clearly wasn’t skilled or talented enough, and I had obviously just done a really good job tricking the people who hired me. But from the vantage point I have now, I’ve learned that.. 1) I was way too hard on myself and 2) This is a unique industry where we are constantly learning and changing the way we do our work. Which is fun and keeps things interesting, but also can foster some uncertainty or imposter syndrome.. and that’s OK! Embrace notes as a learning opportunity, use moments of uncertainty to connect with other artists and mentors and remember that most of us feel this way at one time or another and you’re not alone!
If you could give one piece of advice on how to get through a hard day, what would that be?
Whenever I get stuck on a design or painting I find that walking away for 10-15 minutes and doing something that’s creative in a different way can help me get back on track. I like to play my guitar for a bit or journal or read. I find if you can still keep your mind in the creative zone that it can dislodge a lot of artist block
What is the highlight of your career so far?
The highlight of my career so far was working on this show called “Dogs in Space” on Netflix. It was my first show as a color key artist and it started me on a whole trajectory which has led me here. I feel I’ll have some career highlights come from my current project as well, but only time will tell ;)
What’s your idea of a perfect Sunday?
Ah the perfect Sunday.. That would be me waking up in a beautiful villa in Hawaii, grabbing a cup of coffee and heading out to the deck for some heavenly “oinkless” ambient noise. Then I’d fly home and go for a nice couch sit. Perfect.
What superpower do you wish you had?
Hmmm I used to think about this a lot.. I’ve wrestled with a few favourites but I think I’d like the power to play any instrument I stumble across without having a single lesson. I’d like to rip on a Tuba with no practice.
