From Animation to Fabric Design: Kristy Kay’s Creative Career
What happens when a career in Hollywood animation leads you to quilting, fabric design, and an entirely new creative business?
Kristy Kay of With Love by Kristy is a new fabric designer for Moda Fabrics, but her career as an artist began long before she entered the quilting world.
For more than a decade, Kristy worked in animation and visual development, helping create the worlds behind films including Hotel Transylvania 2, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run, and Smurfs: The Lost Village.
After years of creating digitally, Kristy found herself drawn toward something more hands-on. That eventually led her to sewing, quilting, textiles, and a completely new chapter in her creative career.
In this episode of the Craft to Career Podcast, Kristy shares how she made the transition from Hollywood animation to becoming a fabric designer and creative business owner.
In This Episode, You’ll Hear:
Why Kristy made the shift from animation to quilting
How more than a decade in animation influenced the artist she is today
What Kristy has learned about color and how she uses it intentionally
How the Mary Blair collaboration came about
What it has been like becoming a fabric designer for Moda Fabrics
How Kristy is growing With Love by Kristy
Why she decided to invest in a physical teaching and retail space
What other creative entrepreneurs can learn from her career change
About Kristy Kay
Kristy Kay is the artist, designer, and maker behind With Love by Kristy.
Before moving into textiles and quilting, Kristy spent more than a decade working in animation and visual development on films including The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run, Hotel Transylvania 2, and Smurfs: The Lost Village.
After becoming a mom and experiencing changes in the animation industry, she found herself craving a more intentional and hands-on form of creativity. She began sewing and eventually moved into quilting, textile design, quilt kits, and workshops.
Today, Kristy creates colorful work designed to spark creativity and celebrate the joy of making by hand. She is also a Moda Fabrics designer and has collaborated with the Estate of Mary Blair on a collection of textile-inspired projects.
Find Kristy here:
Website: withlovebykristy.com
Instagram: @withlove_bykristy
Listen to the Episode
Listen to this episode of the Craft to Career Podcast to hear Kristy Kay’s journey from Hollywood animation to quilting, fabric design, and building a colorful creative business of her own.
Her story is a great reminder that changing direction does not mean starting over. Sometimes the skills you built in your first career are exactly what will make your next one stand out.
Listen to These Other Episodes
If you enjoyed hearing about Kristy’s journey into fabric design and building a creative career, here are three more episodes of the Craft to Career Podcast you may love:
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From Animation to Fabric Design: Kristy Kay’s Creative Career
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