Can you tell us more about you and what you do?

Can you tell us more about you and what you do? I’m Kitty, a designer, illustrator, and letterer who loves to work with layers, texture, and colour, whether through a digital process, analog means, or a combination of both. There’s so much joy in creating with tactility and print in mind because of their contradictory nature—that they feel final and permanent, but eventually fade and age in time.

Every artwork tells a story. What inspired your cover design, what narrative or message are you conveying through your cover design, and can you share the creative process that led to its final form?

I wanted to capture what luck means and illustrate various symbols and totems that represent it. Game pieces, celestial objects, animals, plants—things that various cultures have decided to hold the power of luck. Then, as I was completing my artwork, I realised some of them can be as deliberate as they are lucky, such as chess being a highly strategic game, or cherries growing in specific seasons. While we have no control with the cards we’re dealt with, we can still put matters into our own hands and make our own luck.

How does creativity connect to self-expression for you?

There’s always this intense push to create, making something from a spark of an idea and iterating it over and over, and losing myself in the process. It’s that flow state of profound discovery and experimentation that I enjoy the most when I make things. I don’t think too much of the end result or the concrete message I want to say at the beginning, because most of the time it shows up in surprising ways by the end. That’s more interesting to me.

How do you define your individuality as an artist, and in what ways does this uniqueness manifest in your creations?

I think people put a lot of pressure into finding a style as immediately as possible; I experienced this pressure myself earlier in my journey. What people don’t say is that style is a product of the things and processes that interest you, and not the other way around. In my case, it was this growing subconscious love for print—for books, magazines, stationery, ephemera—that suddenly slowly manifested in my creative process until I embraced it wholeheartedly. Now, I create with the intention of print in mind, whether as an actual physical object or as a digital facsimile.

In your perspective, what role does creativity play in empowering individuals and communities, and how have you witnessed this power in action?

Creativity and the need to create is so deeply inherent in us that hindering it is almost a crime in itself. People should not only have access to tools and resources to bring their ideas to life but should also be given the agency and freedom to try and experiment making art. I’m a big believer in funding the arts even at the most grassroots level, because art contributes largely to our culture and our communities. Filipinos are so talented and I’m inspired by them everyday, and I hope we continue to be empowered through support in all its forms, encouragement, and empathy.

Have you faced any challenges in maintaining your individuality in your work, especially in the face of trends or external expectations? How did you overcome them?

Definitely! I try not to be swayed by trends, numbers, or the algorithm, but sometimes on bad days I tend to overthink about myself and my work. One good way to combat it has been to stop scrolling social media altogether, hide my phone, and immerse myself in other forms of art and storytelling not related to what I do, like a good book or a movie. They end up informing my work in unexpected ways, and I find it very pure and instinctive to create art from something that has moved me.

What advice would you give to emerging artists who are trying to find and express their individuality through their work?

It takes time! I know it can be frustrating to get where you want to go, but it’s taken so many years to realise you never actually know where you’re going. You only ever know the ground beneath your feet, and a vague idea of the direction you want to go. Your best bet is yourself and your interests (the kind that keeps you up at night) and you can always work from there—passion projects, self-initiated work, even fanart. And to come in full circle with the beginning of this interview: you can always make your own luck, and the rest will follow.

What’s the one thing you want to accomplish this year?

I really want to pivot to book design and create covers for books. Fingers crossed an art director or a publisher reaches out soon :)

Where can we see more of your work?

My links are the same everywhere: kittyjardenil :) I’m active mostly on Instagram where I share works (whether my own or my favourites from others) and occasionally the poster of an upcoming show, movie, or album that I’m excited about. Say hi!