Today we’d like to introduce you to Jaylyne Nguyen.
Hi Jaylyne, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born in Vietnam and moved here when I was 13. Spending the development parts of growing up away from my parents has not been easy, but I was fortunate enough to be able to quickly adjust to the American lifestyle, and stumble upon, I got to say, beyond amazing connections along the way. I have always known that I am meant to be doing something related to art, however, it took me quite a few “turns” to be on the path that I am on now. I owe everyone that I have met during my years here a thank you, and a huge hug, for their parts in who I am as a person today. That might sound cliche but I wholeheartedly mean it. I don’t think I would’ve gotten this far if it wasn’t for the people around me, whether they know it or not. Career-wise, I’m still trying to find my way through the industry. But I’m one of the lucky few that are making their way through the Graphic Design program at the University of North Texas (UNT). A lot of all-nighters and tears hahah. But I don’t think we would’ve gotten the same mentorship from our professors (who used to be industry-leading professionals by the way) if I was, say, learning graphic design online or something. Not that learning on your own is bad, but the tips and tricks that are bottled down from years of experience, you rarely find that in any online program.
I think I’m one of those that, luckily, school works out in my favor. I work very well with schedules and deadlines (as weird as that might sound for a creative). And I think I know a way to translate those “textbook” knowledge and utilize them for real-life experiences. I even did around a year and a half of freelancing outside of school before starting my internship at a creative agency not so long ago. So yeah! Although I’m busy almost 24/7, I’m having a blast working my way through school and internship right now.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has definitely not been a smooth road for me. I mean, everyone faces bumps in their ways, whether that’d be financially, emotionally, or physically. Emotionally, I’ve been going to therapy on and off for the past 2 years or so. It has been a significant tool that helps me through my tough times. Especially, as a creative, your mental well-being is that much more important, you know, with our work directly related to our emotions and all. To be honest, I think I can fairly say that I’ve hit rock bottom twice during the past two years emotionally. So, without my therapy sessions, I don’t think I would’ve made it to where I am today. If there is one piece of advice that I can give to my fellow creatives out there who are also finding their ways, it would be to seek help from professionals if circumstances allowed. On the other hand, I am so fortunate that my health and finances are always beyond well. Even though I work and support my parents as much as I can, it is still my parents that I owe my success to. Not saying that I don’t work hard hahah, but it is relieving knowing that if I’m short a hundred bucks on tuition or rent, my parents would be able to help me through that. Time management has also been a heck of a challenge to tackle–with school deadlines, work, internships, sometimes you don’t have that much time left for yourself. But I’m proud to say that, starting this semester, I have been taking care of myself really well physically–no all-nighters (so far), cooking at home 98% of the time, and eating 3 meals a day consistently. This is a significant improvement on my part because my health used to be at the bottom of my constantly growing to-do list. So of course, without enough nutrients or enough sleep, there was a time where I would just mindlessly going about my day feeling like crap. I’m glad that is not the case anymore.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a senior double majoring in Graphic Design and Design Management, with a Marketing and Art History minor at UNT. I specialize in graphic design, such as branding, concept construction, and marketing advisor. As of now, I’m still figuring out what branch of graphic design I want to be doing later down my career path. But for the time being, I’m still exploring my creativity through different platforms such as motion design, dance, set assistance, etc.
To be frank, I’m proud of all the random knowledge that I got from working with different clients and different projects. As a designer sometimes my work requires me to learn about a certain subject in-depth just so we can understand our client’s brand better, therefore propose better design solutions for their problems.
Those that know me would probably tell you that I am “too ambitious” at times, but I am proud of that! I know I am a capable and dedicated individual, so I want to utilize that to my advantage. I would say that my time management skills and my directness is what set me apart from others. I truly enjoy staying responsible for the different steps along the process of my projects, that’s what I believe would bring out the best of my creativity.
What makes you happy?
With a busy lifestyle, I don’t really have the luxury to travel or do all the extravagant activities like drinking or going out to clubs that often; instead, I think I’ve grown to be happy with the smaller things: the sunset skies when I’m driving home from work, waking up early enough to make breakfast and tea and throw in a quick yoga session before my morning classes, phone/FaceTime call with my parents, having my fridge and groceries all organized, random dance sessions in my bathroom, late-night conversations with the homies, you get the gist. I’m extremely grateful for the decision to spend my youth this way: nurturing my present and future self. I really believe that everything starts from home base: yourself, if you’re content with who you are, or in my roomie’s word “align with yourself”, then you would have more love to put into the world around you. So, yea! That’s a lengthy way to answer what make me happy hahah
Contact Info:
- Email: jaylynenguyen@gmail.com
- Website: www.behance.net/jaylynenguyen
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/jaylyne.design/
Image Credits
Sofia Leal
Mesha Thompson
