My name is Jack Kelly, and I am an Illustrator from Dublin. I design to spark joy and make others feel something as I believe this is the essence of being a creative. I am heavily influenced by human relationships, whether that be friends, family or meeting new people and I aim to create work that is capable of bringing humans together and connecting them. In the past, I have worked with others and have found collaboration to be a heavily motivating factor in creating. Working with a diverse variety of people and hearing their stories/ideas can be really inspiring. Although I like to tackle the topic of human connection head on, I like to keep my work light-hearted and approachable. Inspiring a hopeful world that takes everybody into consideration is my overarching goal as a designer!
Interwoven
‘Interwoven’ is an audio-visual, mixed media project relating to the feeling of ‘sonder’. This is defined as the realization that everybody has a life just as complex as your own. The story focuses on how the act of meditative drawing can encourage this feeling, allowing one to foster a sense of human-interconnectedness. The first half of the video is pessimistic, following the character as he goes around the city with his head hanging low. The second half is more optimist and showcases the character grounding themselves in the moment. At this point, rotoscope animated sketches are overlayed on top of the live-action footage, highlighting how the main character is beginning to notice the rich, vivid lives of those around him. The project has compassionate undertones, and its aim is to encourage people to be more present in the moment and begin recognising the beauty of our shared humanity.
Slowly, I Grow
'Slowly, I Grow' is a graphic novel based on measuring one's personal growth in confidence. The project's aim is to remind young men that progress isn't always linear and often times, things might get worse before they get better. The story has positive undertones and is based on a letter that I wrote to my younger self, offering words of advice and comfort. This concept gives young people the opportunity to learn to trust that their future self will inevitably figure things out. The illustrative style is busy yet coherent, thereby mimicking the untidy, transformative nature of personal growth and colour is used as a narrative device, where its presence symbolizes the development of the main character. Through this project, I hope that by shedding light upon my own story, I can offer encouragement to those struggling with low confidence and self-esteem.
