Christian Solorzano [00:05]

Hello, you're listening to Underscore, a podcast by the Chicago Graphic Design Club dedicated to bringing you conversations with Chicago's creative leaders. On this podcast, we'll explore the craft, theory, and practice of graphic design, plus discuss bold ideas that push the boundaries of what's possible and ways in which we can create a more thoughtful and inclusive community. To learn more about us, visit our website at www.chicagographicdesign.club or find us on social media. Special thanks to the Chicago band Eighties Slang for our theme music.

Crissy Chahyadi [00:44]

Thank you.

Christian Solorzano [00:56]

Hi, today I'm your host, Christian Solorzano, and I'll be speaking with Christina Chahyadi, or Crissy. She's currently in the graduate program at MICA, the Maryland Institute College of Arts, earning a master's in graphic design. Her connection to Chicago is through the work that she's done for the Field Museum and Adler Planetarium. Originally from Indonesia, she came to the United States to study design at Dordt University in Iowa. Her passion for design and letterforms began as a child.

Perfecting her cursive in middle school led to a fascination with calligraphy. At the age of 16, she started a business called Life Within Words, where she designed invitations for birthday parties and weddings. Today she's a graduate program assistant, teaching intern, and student at MICA, and is actively involved in a local Indonesian typography club called Kali Grafina, and we're delighted to be speaking with her today. So welcome, Crissy. Thank you so much for doing this interview with us.

Crissy Chahyadi [02:02]

Hi, Christian. Thank you for having me.

Christian Solorzano [02:04]

And I wanna start off by congratulating you on your 2 pieces that were selected for the STA 100. Could you tell us a little bit about those pieces?

Crissy Chahyadi [02:14]

Yeah, so those 2 pieces are works that I made at MICA during my first year, yeah, my first year at MICA. It was a core class called Graffiti Typography, and the other one was from Publication Design. One piece was about— it's called Bio Diagram in the Long Run, and it's a data visualization of practically mapping my journey of running.

So Chicago actually got me into running a marathon, and that's a journey of like how I map out like the first time when I ran like 13 minutes an hour, just not running technically. But how I get to finishing my first Baltimore Marathon last 2 years, 2 years ago. And then the second one was a publication of like a small zine about migratory marvels. I'm a little nerdy, like when it comes to scientific facts and things like that.

So I play out this like the little zine of how to, like how bird, why bird does not get lost when they fly. Yeah.

Christian Solorzano [03:18]

It's about like bird migration, I read. And yeah, it's interesting. So yeah, congratulations. I think that STA is considered like one of the, yeah, like a pretty well-respected competition. So I'm sure you feel very happy to be selected.

Crissy Chahyadi [03:35]

Very honored.

Christian Solorzano [03:36]

And I saw that Ellen Lupton shared a post on LinkedIn where she actually mentioned that a lot of MICA students had their work yeah, their work selected. So Micah must be doing something right. Awesome. So I want to ask you a little bit about your upbringing, and you're not originally from the United States, but you came here to study. So let's go back in time and tell me a little bit about your introduction to design.

Crissy Chahyadi [04:11]

So when I was younger, I loved to draw, but I couldn't figure it out, if I like to draw or like something else. But what happened is, when I was younger, maybe in middle school, we have this class where we have to write cursive. And because I was the principal's daughter, then they were a little hard on me. They would make me redo a whole page if I miss like one line, or like, one curve is not excellent or not perfect.

So then after that, I began to develop this love-hate relationship with writing cursive that turns into, like love for letterforms.

I joined this club later on in life, and I feel like, yes, I don't think I can— I have like this ability to draw per se, but I love writing letters or like Writing, like figuring out the anatomy of like what makes a an a or B a B, like where's the curve, like where's the line, and those kind of curiosity gets me into writing letters and also creating hand lettering and also calligraphy.

Christian Solorzano [05:21]

When I was a kid, I had to learn cursive, but only when I was very young, and then I feel like after that cursive just got forgotten about and we just never like my brother, he's 11 years younger than me, and I don't think he was taught cursive. So how do you feel about cursive today? Do you still have like a love-hate relationship with it, or have you come to terms with your past?

Crissy Chahyadi [05:48]

That's my question. But yeah, I think I love cursive for more than just the materials of it? I love cursive because it taught me perseverance and all these other great characters, like drawing those letters, it wasn't like easy for me. It was very challenging. But when I got it right, there's this deep sense of just accomplishment and just being able to finish something, and it looks beautiful, and people, like give good positive responses towards it. So I love writing cursive.

It's not my main mode of handwriting, but I like being— giving that sense of joy, like in middle school, like I'll write this one name in cursive and everybody starts like, can you write my name? And can you write my name?

Christian Solorzano [06:34]

Yeah.

Crissy Chahyadi [06:34]

And like that sense of like developing friendships and all that comes with just cursive, I think it was so special for me. And I think it's— it left a very good impression towards the end. And that ends up in hand lettering and trying to figure out more types of styles and lettering and stuff like that. Also to calligraphy.

Christian Solorzano [06:53]

Yeah. And do you have a favorite word to write in cursive?

Crissy Chahyadi [06:58]

Flourish. I'm known for my flourish. When I draw, it's like zero, like triple or double zero brushes. At least when I used to do it that's what I did.

Christian Solorzano [07:09]

Nice. I really enjoy writing the word minimum because it's just a lot of like up and downs, and it's— and when you get it just right, it just feels so good. So when you're 16 I read that you founded your own business. It's called Life Within Words. Yeah, tell us a little bit about that.

Crissy Chahyadi [07:33]

So yeah, first of all, my friends started saying like, hey, I have a sweet 7 birthday. Can you— I'll give you a canvas, please write my name like a little larger. So then when people come, it can be like a guest board, I guess, where people can sign and like write some wishes for them. And then I think it just because of word of mouth, one friend from another friend. And in a little time, some people, 5 or 10 people requested me to do those things.

And my dad, I guess the idea comes from my dad, why don't you make a business out of it? And, you can like develop, see if this is something that you like to do professionally.

And I think it's a direction from my parents and also my sister who helped because I'm not a great— I'm not great at illustration, but my sister would support me in that way, and my parents would support me in helping me doing the books and accounting and, the side of things that as designer we don't really— yeah, or like a young designer, I say I wouldn't— yeah, take care of.

Christian Solorzano [08:38]

So it was like a real business with books and everything? It wasn't just—

Crissy Chahyadi [08:43]

Well, it's like, of course, intro for my parents to teach me about like, this is how you Steward money and all those things. I mean, growing up, it was different from my family. We don't really have pocket money or some sort. I'm not sure how people here navigate that, but yeah, we don't really have that. My mom always packed me lunch to school, so receiving money from like hard work, it was just like a different kind of feeling.

And it was, it was, I think it was great because it was also a platform where my parents can like kind of like step up and teach me how to do all those things.

Christian Solorzano [09:19]

So at 16, what was your— like, what was your— like, did you have a process or was it just sort of you just— you're given like a brief, like a project brief, and then you work through it? Or like, what was the— what was the experience of creating the designs?

Crissy Chahyadi [09:38]

So I usually ask them like, well, I guess the cursive is given. I didn't even give the option to like, hey, do you want sans-serif or this? I didn't give the option. It's all gonna be cursive, and it's mainly for women. So the style— I wouldn't— I don't wanna like generalize that all women are the same thing, but like in that age and that particular moment at that specific place, the style was just the same.

And like I guess if they ask me like certain specific things, it's fine. But I ask them what's their main color and what do you like best, or like what's your favorite, like kind of like asking what their interests. And from there, me and my sister will collaborate on writing the letters, and then she would like draw some illustrations on it. However it is, we make it work.

Christian Solorzano [10:25]

Yeah. And were you aware that you were doing typography? Did you recognize like the term graphic design or typography at that moment?

Crissy Chahyadi [10:34]

So I don't know design or art, typography, those things until probably midway through college. And it's, and it's a little embarrassing because like even in grad school right now, I mean, I have still tons and tons to learn. I learned publication design formally in grad school and not in undergrad. So a lot of things were on my own, like did some research, did some workshops and tutorials and stuff like that to just educate myself on that.

So, because like, I know a lot of people have some debate around this, but I feel like design and art are 2 big different things. And before I came to grad school, or after my Field Museum experience, it was solidified, like what it means, like what art means and what graphic design or design means. And what drew me to design or make that big switch is like, I guess subtle switch is that it's, we're solving problems. There's a challenge. It's not just expressive feelings.

And that's what I just like about design. I like that prompt, like having a challenge, like the creative brief is what gets me going when we start a new project.

Christian Solorzano [11:49]

That's great. So it's funny that you mentioned that, when you were, when you were in school, like the girls resonated more with like the cursive, because when I was in school here, it was the same thing. But the boys, they preferred like the black letter and like the Old English.

And yeah, there was like, I was never like a drawer, but other kids, like they would get commissioned to, they would write your name like on your binder in like Old English. And it was like the coolest thing ever. Like they would write it on your shoe and stuff.

Crissy Chahyadi [12:27]

Yeah, that's true.

Christian Solorzano [12:29]

But yeah, that's cool. So what did it feel like when— so you're doing all this design work and then like halfway through college, you realize that there's an entire field and like industry that's dedicated to exactly what you've already been doing for years. What was that like? Was it a moment of relief to know, wow, there's other people that are also doing this and you can make a living off of it?

Crissy Chahyadi [12:56]

Yeah, for sure. So I think I'll go back a little bit about the transition from Indonesia to America. When I was young, like I said, I used to write their names and then like write a little note in the back. And I think this is what I mean, shout out to people out there who feel they're like a little off or don't really fit in, but that's what I usually do. I write a little note when a guest speaker comes in.

I'll write their name, a little note, and say thank you? And I think that practice, just keeping at it, led to a scholarship actually. So when the university came to Indonesia, some universities came to Indonesia for some reach-out engagement stuff, they hosted a dinner. And after that dinner, I was just in my own element, writing letters and saying thank you notes. And they were very caught, they caught, like it caught their eyes, oh, this is beautiful, or some other positive response.

And they're like, hey, can you send me your portfolio? And that was a big step for us because I never thought that I would go to America to study. And because of that, I feel like develop or something that's been— I've been doing it for a long time, I keep doing it just leads to that. And when I got to Dordt, it was I'm very honored, very fortunate because it was all through scholarship. Most of it.

Christian Solorzano [14:20]

That's beautiful. It's amazing how those little moments that you least expect open doors or like you just, you go to one place and like you don't know what that's going to take you to. And cause I did read that you carry thank you cards with you and which I think is so cool. Like I, I've been sending some holiday cards this year, which I've never done before. And it feels good. It's a— it's like, I should do this more often.

Crissy Chahyadi [14:50]

Because it's like timestamp. It's like, I love that you have handwriting too. It's like, no one can replicate that. You cannot replicate time. You cannot replicate the person who's writing those to you. Yeah, it's a beautiful gift.

Christian Solorzano [15:03]

So you, so you come to, from Indonesia to the United States to attend Dordt University in Iowa. What was it about Dordt that inspired you to go to Iowa?

Crissy Chahyadi [15:20]

So very funny, because when I applied for my visa and when I had that interview with my school, my alma mater, about why I went to Dordt or how I got to Dordt, they're like, don't you know it's in Iowa? It's like, a bunch of cornfields and cows and stuff like that. And to me, I think the idea of being able to Do what I do, what I'm passionate. I don't know if you're familiar with the ikigai method.

Do what I'm passionate about and what I can be paid for, which is, if I'm not mistaken, like vocation. To me, that just sets the challenge at a lower significance. So yes, there are challenges, there are these things that probably are not ideal, but those things just push me forward and motivate me to go there. Oh, sorry. I think that answers your question.

Christian Solorzano [16:10]

Yeah, that definitely. So what— so could you talk a little bit about your time at Dordt and sort of like what were some of the things that you were learning about and what was that experience like?

Crissy Chahyadi [16:25]

So when I came to Dordt, they were out of art scholarship or design scholarships per se. And coming from Indonesia, it was something that our parents cannot afford if we do have to Do the whole thing, pay the whole thing. So my— there's this person, her name— his name is Dr. Curtis Taylor. He's from the engagement office. He works so hard to position the scholarship on my behalf, which I'm very grateful for.

And when I get there, like halfway through Dordt, I feel like a little— I keep getting like, all this people, I was able to see like, oh, people are actually developing in this field and creating amazing works. And I feel like at that time, wow, I'm so behind. And I don't really learn anything because, I mean, Dordt doesn't— isn't really known for their design.

But what I didn't see at that time is that because Dordt isn't such a big— they don't have a big program for design, I was able to work closely with the professor and the director. Of the design, which gives me more exposure and more intentionality to learn the pieces of design that I think help me succeed, in the field that I'm doing right now. With him, I would do assistant, which is covered, teaching assistant, and, sometimes, handle classes, teach some students, and also doing exhibition work.

It's just like a broad range of things that I would never ever get if I would go to another university, especially a big university. And I think it topped when the school requests me 2 things. One is a Belgian confession that they allowed me to write fully all in cursive, and it became one of Dordt's permanent artwork. And the second one was a 10-foot-long mural of lettering from Robert Frost.

Christian Solorzano [18:23]

Wow, that's amazing. So you have, you have, you have some, you have a connection with Chicago. You've done work with the Field Museum and the Adler Planetarium. How did that come about?

Crissy Chahyadi [18:37]

So when I, so I finished school like 3 and a half years, and then the last semester I was thinking of doing semester abroad, and I thought of Netherlands the first time, but I think of, oh, I want to work in the, in the United States afterwards. So I chose a more national or like local, yeah, local or national places.

And then they pair me up with this program called Chicago Semester where we go to Chicago for a whole semester, kind of like feel, like learn like what it means to like live in Chicago, live how it feels like experience the city. And I got accepted. So I went there and the first intern site that I was actually paired with was a local exhibition company.

And I feel like with me, I've always had a set of things that I wanted, and it didn't really match with like my values and mission and the things that I wanted to do. So I arranged to meet with some other employers or institutions. That's when I got connected to the Field Museum. I guess they have already had students before teaching there— I mean, interning there. So I interned there. Got accepted, and I interned there, and I really liked the job.

The thing is, I don't like museums. In the first place. But like doing the work, being involved in a team of people who have like a multitude of like skills, like from project managers, developers, people who design the actual physical exhibitions, and like my peers, my director who's no longer there. They're all very incredible, talented people, and they always have different and unique things, abilities, and ideas that bring to the table. And that's what I love about museum.

Once you see one side as a visitor being basking in all this, amazing collection, but you also get to experience a part of the making and, how these things, come alive.

Christian Solorzano [20:36]

Yeah. So I'm curious. You mentioned you don't like museums. Could you tell us a little bit about that?

Crissy Chahyadi [20:45]

Sure. So when I was younger, I mean, our family traveled a lot, and every time we traveled, my dad would always like, look at all these museums, let's go here. So to me, it's just like a daily thing, or not daily, but like a common thing. Okay, you go to museums, you walk around, sure. But I think I have more appreciation towards museums when I see how much of the hard work that's being put into it.

Like the words, everything is very intentional to the dot and commas and everything. And that fascination, I think, led to the overall fascination for museums itself. Like then I'm able to trace myself back and transfer like, oh, these are the history and like the reasons why things were made and how things were made.

But like when you're just exposed to a museum, I feel like the curiosity stops at the things that you're looking at, but you're not able to look past beyond the things that you're looking at, if that makes sense.

Christian Solorzano [21:47]

Yeah, no, that makes sense. Yeah, I agree. I used to, when I was younger, I used to also like, my school really emphasized museums, and I think because they were emphasized so much, they sort of lost like their magic. Because it was just, it's like, yeah, it's a museum. We're going to go there, but we're more excited about like going there, like the bus ride there or like everything else, like eating a lunch, not in school, like those types of things.

Crissy Chahyadi [22:17]

But that's so true. I remember that myself.

Christian Solorzano [22:20]

It's like, no class today, but I get to go to the museum. Cool. So you mentioned values and mission, and I think over the last couple of years because of the pandemic, like not just the design industry, but just the world as a whole has really been maybe like reassessing what our values and like what our mission or purpose is in the context of the work that we do.

So could you expand a little bit about like just your values and mission and sort of like how that's evolved throughout Your experience in design?

Crissy Chahyadi [22:59]

Yeah, so I— so my faith informs a lot of what I do, and if not everything that I do. And from a young age, I have this routine of— whether I do it every day or not, that's a different story— but I have this routine of having a quiet time in the morning, and that's usually like where I Draw and like write these letters and journal and all these things, and it carries over. I think it matched blend.

I guess it meshed together very well with the things that my parents taught me at a young age. Today, I think thinking of values and mission and vision, I think it's something that's very important to myself because. I know it's like a more institutional thing to think about those things, but I think of them as a, like a field goal, like you can play as much as you want as long as you know your boundaries.

You can go outside the boundaries, but you know where the boundaries are, so you know the risks that you're getting. So it's like playing soccer, like you can go back and forth. And that analogy actually is from my dad. Like he taught me that, and like he's saying like, okay, it helps you make your decision in the future, because, for example, should I take this job or not?

Then I can ask all these questions that are in my parameter and see, it just makes a better flow of decision-making. And, those values is what able to carry me today. And if I can share one of the, I guess, line that I really like, my motto or one line that I really respect and enjoy and just have a lot of, I guess, respect. It's from Ecclesiastes. I'm not sure if you're familiar. It's called— it says, the end of a matter is better than its beginning.

Patience is better than pride. And to me, that's always what I strive to be, and that's what I always look to because, and this is analogy again, I want to contribute this to my dad, but it's like a mountain climber. If I were to ask you right now, what do you think is a successful mountain climber?

Christian Solorzano [25:23]

What would I say? I would say someone that is able to be self-aware. Yeah, I would say self-awareness.

Crissy Chahyadi [25:36]

And I think that's a great— that there's a very important attribute. But I think what people usually overlook is to be a successful mountain climber, like my dad say, is somebody who can come all the way to the top and come back down.

If you're just on the top and you die there, yeah, not that successful, I guess, in one way. But, overall it's not. So what he meant by that is like, yes, you can be on top of the world and achieve whatever, but the end of a matter is better than its beginning, which means like you need to finish well.

And to me, it's like finishing well. It's like even in my personal statement, I wrote this, that like when I get this MFA, I want to contribute back to my community wherever I'm placed. And it's like that journey of like going down. And, spreading the word, encouraging people. And part of my passion as being an educator or like intern is also to bring this value to people. You share your excitement of going the mountains, you share the journey, the difficulties, the challenge, the joy and everything.

Christian Solorzano [26:45]

And yeah, no, that's really beautiful because I do think that sometimes you could, you could get stuck at the top of the mountain and forget what the bottom looks like. And it just, it limits your view of the world. And that could be dangerous, in my opinion. So yeah, that's great.

Crissy Chahyadi [27:10]

You want to live in the day that you can tell people about all the things you see in the top.

Christian Solorzano [27:15]

Yeah, that's beautiful. So, and I like that when hearing you, hearing you say this and explaining through, hearing you explain your, philosophy on this is I think of it similar to just having a compass, like having a wayfinding system that lets you know where you are in time and space. And I think, yeah, and I think that's important, especially I think in design, like a lot of the work that we do, like it's at the intersection of just about everything.

So it's important to bring that perspective.

Crissy Chahyadi [27:50]

And I think too that like all these terms and like lingos and the things that I've just shared to you, I think it pertains exactly to design because, making a brand identity, you're asking the same questions and then creating direction. Yeah, it's all the same, basically the same outlook. It's just like how you answer it can be different, but like the infrastructure, the framework, it's similar.

Christian Solorzano [28:17]

Yeah, one of my favorite graphic designers, her name is Corita Kentz, and she's a Catholic nun and I think over the past, I don't know, I think I've seen her work show up more and more over the past, year or so.

And one of the things that always surprises me is that, no one— I feel like the work that she does is great, but it overshadows her faith and Her— the fact that she was a Catholic nun and the fact that her religion and her faith and all of the work that she did there fueled a lot of her creative projects. And she had an entire art department where her entire philosophy of her entire way of teaching was rooted in Catholicism.

And like in Christianity, and I think sometimes religion gets a bad reputation, or like maybe especially like younger generations, like there's an aversion to engage because of like all the baggage that surrounds it. But I think when you get to like the root of what a lot of religion is trying to say is like, it's actually quite beautiful and like quite profound. And like applicable to just about everything that we do from the work that we do, how we treat each other.

Yeah, all the little things and the big things. So yeah, I wish more— I wish, I wish these type of conversations were more normal. If people felt more— because yeah, I don't find myself talking with designers much about faith. Or these type of things. So I'm glad we're doing it now.

Crissy Chahyadi [30:17]

Yeah, me too.

Christian Solorzano [30:18]

So tell us a little bit about now. You're currently— what are you currently doing? You're at MICA. You finished your education at Dordt. And what made you want to go to grad school?

Crissy Chahyadi [30:39]

There are a lot of things, and just to put it out there, I think it's also a true honor to be at MICA because ever since I found out my passion about design, I've always wanted to go to MICA.

Which puts me in like in Dordt, which is an undergrad. So when I came— when I had to go home, which is— okay, sorry, backtrack. When I was at Field Museum, I wanted to stay I have no desire of doing grad school or anything like that. Wasn't in the picture in the first place. So I applied for the job, but I couldn't get it because, as, like museums, they're very— it's a small institution. They don't have that many designers.

So then I said, I'm not so sure if I am allowed to share this, but maybe it's fine.

Christian Solorzano [31:26]

Go ahead.

Crissy Chahyadi [31:26]

So I said, okay, let me work for you for free. For a whole month. If you like me, then you'll bring me on board. Contractor, freelance, that's okay. But I really like the work. I want to support your mission. And this is like my way of contributing. Just like saying thank you of the internship that I've had with you. It's one month, has no bearing on like either one of us. And that gives me also time to wait for my OPT visa to come in.

Oh, sorry, OPT application card to come in. So they said, okay, sure. And then during those one month, I was able to get connected to another department that actually needed a designer. So then I became contractor for the anthropology department for a little bit. And then after that, they were able to transition me back to the exhibition and work for them for a whole—

For almost a whole year. So I think that journey itself, it's like so intricate and like which is why I am publicly joyful to share my faith, is because like, in all this like time-challenging situation, I don't think I would last if it's just solely grounded on determination.

Determination is great and like it will take you far, but not as far as like if you have something solid like, I just cannot do. So that informs a lot of what I do and how I navigate all this situation because like Whether we like it or not, being somebody who's not from America trying to move here and like doing all this adjustments, it's very tough and it's difficult and it can be tricky.

Christian Solorzano [33:05]

So yeah. Yeah. So right now, so right now you're at MICA and I understand that you're a teaching assistant. Is that correct? Yes. And what are sort of like your roles there in addition to being a student?

Crissy Chahyadi [33:25]

So at MICA, we have the opportunity to shadow a teacher or even participate in teaching. So every semester I take 1 or 2 classes, sometimes undergrad, sometimes grad school classes, to acquaint myself and give myself teaching experience, formal teaching experience. Which I'm also hoping to do after I graduate from MICA, whether it is a formal capacity or not. Education is at the heart of what I do, and I would love to share this to other people and other students.

So partly my role is to first, shadow the teacher, help them with attendance, or help them with building some of the projects, or even, lead the projects itself.

But another part would also be to give lecture and, share on a topic that I feel connecting, that is relevant to my studies and also to what they're learning. So recently, I concluded an internship experience and— I mean, teaching experience in exhibition design, which was really great because I was able to not only— it was an undergrad-grad course, it's a mix.

So I was not only able to share to them about what I do, but I get to work alongside the professor and see what kind of the tools and like the things they use these days, because I'm not formally educated in that either. So I have that exposure. And the other part is that I am able to work personally with students in a way that professors can't, just because of the amount of people in the class.

So we kind of divide and conquer, especially when it comes to like one-on-one critique. And yeah, got it.

Christian Solorzano [35:07]

So it sounds like you're doing a lot, and you're really involved. How do you, how do you, how, what are you doing to balance everything?

Crissy Chahyadi [35:14]

That's a good question. I think balance is something we need more these days. Yeah, I mean, I have my own things that I love to do. I like to try different kind of foods, like different places. On Sundays, I have my own worship and like quiet time in the morning. What I think is most prominent, or like the thing that I love the most, is running. And that is something I will owe to Chicago.

Because I'm not a runner. And if my high school athletic teacher sees me right now, he would not believe where I am. In high school, every time it's like PE time, I would tell them like, I can't run the loop because I'm gonna puke.

I mean, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, you know how all these things go. But yeah, like when I came back to Indonesia, we actually crossed paths and he was like, is that Crissy running? It was so funny. I think that was one of the greatest things. Yeah, just to be able to revisit that, but in a different light. Yeah, I love to run, and when I get tired and yeah, at least I run like 3, 4 times a day.

I used to be better than that, but—

Christian Solorzano [36:34]

All right, what was that for you?

Crissy Chahyadi [36:36]

I ran like 3 to 4 times like a week. Sorry, not a day.

Christian Solorzano [36:40]

Oh, I was like a day.

Crissy Chahyadi [36:41]

No, a week, a week. I used to do it every day, but no, I don't do anymore. And I used to run longer too, but I don't now. And I think that's part of being, like you said, being balanced, like when I was in Indonesia, I had so much time to— I have time to work 9 to 5, that's it, leave the work at work, and then run as long as I want. And we— sorry. And it's just, yeah, it's great.

But now that I'm here, I was kind of— I have to try to navigate like, okay, as much as I love running, I need to balance it out then. But yeah, it's still there. And that's what I do.

Christian Solorzano [37:24]

Yeah.

And it's, and it's always odd because I think if you really love what you do, like if you really love design and a lot of the work that you're doing, like it's difficult to take a break from it because there's just so much to consume and it's just very easy to get pulled in so many different directions because it's like there's new books coming out, there's, like people posting cool stuff and like you just always want to be keeping up with like Everything that's going on.

And if you don't have that balance, it'll just lead you to, burnout or whatever. So, right. So you have to— and I think especially, I've noticed for myself now that I, I'm, fully remote, is that because there's no— there's not really anyone to hold me accountable for, it's just Me. I have to— like, there's no one sitting next to me to tell me, hey, there's this meeting that's happening, over there. Let's go?

So it's— yeah, I feel like it just— with just everything that's been going on in the world, I think it— we sort of have this, added responsibility now to not only, survive, but to, Thrive or to excel. And I think that, I don't know, it's just, it's just interesting to think about and to find ways to define what that means.

Crissy Chahyadi [38:58]

Right. Yeah, like going back to that, are you familiar with that? Yeah, yes. And I think that's like so true, like you can't just do what you love or what you're good at or like, all these different combinations. I think those 4 circles all need to be tented. Like tend to, you can't just, fulfill the other and just neglect the other part because like, I mean, why do we even use the word holistic in the first place?

It's because like we want like all parts like to be, yeah, to attend to all those things. Like one of the things that I like about these things I learned recently is like, what's the word? It's like optimum Optimal. Like in user experience, like we learn about this like optimization where like you're not trying to have the best of everything, but you're trying to find that sweet spot of like, okay, maybe this has less, maybe this is bigger, but like where that meets in the middle.

And it's not like sometimes when I'm— or previously when I think of work, I think of like I have to be the best in everything. That's just like setting yourself up for failure, like so Having this mindset of optimization is a little bit— it's pretty life-changing for me, like knowing that like you cannot just suppress one aspect to zero, but like there needs to be a level where you can maintain.

Christian Solorzano [40:21]

Yeah, it's like, I'm sure you experience this when you're running, when you like hit that sweet spot and like your pace is perfect, right? Like everything just feels right. And if you like make a slight adjustment, like everything changes drastically.

So for anyone that's listening and that they're not familiar with ikigai, I pulled it up and it's, and it's a Venn, it's like a Venn diagram and it's, and it's 4 circles. And one of them is what, like what you love, what the world needs, what you can be paid for and what you're good at. And then that translates into your passion, your mission, your vocation and your profession. And then in the middle, that's ikigai.

Yeah, I was at a conference earlier this year, and there was a photographer, I forget her name, but she runs an organization called SeaLegacy that deals with just animal extinction, and she does a lot of environmental work. And her photographs, all the work that she's doing is amazing, but then she tied everything back to like ikigai and how like that's through that, through that philosophy, that's how she's able to manifest everything that she's doing. And yeah, it's incredible. Yeah.

Crissy Chahyadi [41:48]

That's great.

Christian Solorzano [41:49]

So outside of like the work that you're doing or all the things that you're doing, where do you draw inspiration from? What are some of your maybe perhaps favorite designers or just favorite things that inspire you and you reference when you're creating?

Crissy Chahyadi [42:13]

I think that's a lot of like big questions into trying to distill a lot of people into one or like circumstances. But what I can say, like for the past maybe 2, 3 years, Data visualization has been one of my core interests. I like that, having the challenge of trying to distill like this heavy, complex information, distilling it to something that a 5-year-old, 8-year-old, 10-year-olds can comprehend.

And I think that challenge was given to me at the museum, and I still love doing that, making sure that like, when we design things, it's not just for our own sake, but like when people— like what we communicate needs to be taken, like they need to be able to understand exactly what our intention are, the way we communicate things. So I think a lot of data viz people has been my— Has been a lot of source of inspiration. I love to read.

Every time I go to books, I look at the diagrams and how people import that information, like even in scientific textbooks. That's where I draw my inspiration. It's like, okay, like this layout and like this type of things like fits this way, and just like breaking things down. That's what already been made and seeing like, oh, maybe I can do this. How do I do this? And like, a lot of experimentation with like the things that I have and things that I see.

So I can't say it's like from one single 2 people, I guess, but it's just like for a lot of like combination of their work and like trying to like, again, like putting my philosophy in it, like how would I approach this? And, how is it different? How's mine working or not working? And how's this one's working, not working? So a lot of like self-discovery.

Christian Solorzano [44:11]

Yeah, and I think it's to your point, I think it's important to be able to step away from your work and look at it from the lens of a 5-year-old or someone that, is not you. Because I think sometimes, speaking for myself, sometimes when I'm working with teams, with other designers sometimes it's very easy to start to begin designing for other designers, like you're sort of, your audience becomes yourself and your colleagues.

And then when you put it in front of someone that doesn't have like the same, visual language as you, yeah, it just falls short. It falls flat. Yeah. But within your bubble, it's like the best thing ever. And it's like, the color is so great and illustrations, and it's just like really cool. And we get it, but then other people are like, yeah, I don't— I'm confused. So you are— you're involved with an organization in Indonesia. Could you talk a little bit about that? Calligraphina?

Crissy Chahyadi [45:22]

Yeah. So I have this— my best friend in Indonesia, her name is Natasha Dian. She also in the same similar field with me. We go to the same high school, and we drawing competition or mural competition, this and that together. And apparently she has the same knack with me, like writing calligraphy and all these things. So we, one time we saw this like little ad on Instagram. Somebody had handwritten— it was the most beautiful ad ever because it was hand-drawn.

And then it says like, oh, like typography meetup. I'm like, what's typography? I guess I can like write cursive, that counts. So we went to that. So I was very interested in it, and I asked my mom, we were like, okay, we'll make it this trip. And then so he drove me there. It was in Jakarta, which is an hour away from where I live. So we went there. I still remember the first time going to that coffee shop, being super shy, not knowing anything.

We ran straight for the bathroom, stayed in the bathroom for like a whole 10 minutes, and we were like, no, you go out there and figure this out. It's like introducing yourself and this kind of thing. It was the first time experiencing that. Yeah. Kind of like putting myself out there instead of other students. It was just like a bunch of professionals who actually know what they're doing. So we went out there, and they're the most amazing, talented, and like kind-hearted people.

And I think that's like the transition that I needed, exactly what I needed that I didn't know, that allowed me to transition very smoothly to undergrad. Because, in that meetup we would— some people have black letter background, or some people have Victorian script, or like all these other things, and we all come together and exchange, again, exchange names in like different forms and like study forms.

Like the owner or like the founder of the club would also share with us their resources, and like we would make workshops out of it, like Actually, my first workshop that I hosted was with another good friend of mine. Her name is Rachel Ajung, and she's a very big watercolorist illustrator in Indonesia. And we hosted our first, watercolor calligraphy, in collaboration with calligraphy workshop together.

And all because of that time just being in this, very intimate group, being able to share the same passion and, teach each other about the things that we know, the things that we feel in our experience. And I feel like through that, I was able to gain some insights of what working in the industry is like without exactly being in that space of working professionally at that time. Kind of like kind of half and half.

So with teaching, with exhibition, with the skills itself, being a designer, I feel like I've got those exposure within this calligraphina group.

Christian Solorzano [48:22]

Yeah. So I think community is obviously really important, and that's one of the things that the Chicago Graphic Design Club aims to do is to build a supportive community and just find ways to meet the needs of people and to create relationships and all that. So, and I'm always really fascinated with what people respond to when I ask, what is the meaning of community? And I want to ask you that, what does community mean to you?

Crissy Chahyadi [49:00]

It's a very good question. I think I like to think of community as a family you get to choose. I know it sounds a little cliché, but it's like, in your family, you don't really choose who they are, but like you have this deep sense of belonging and care to each other because of all this experience that bonded you. And I think it's more relative to time, or because of the essence of time.

Time is a huge part of that, but the closeness and like proximity and all those things. But with community, it's something that you intentionally choose, okay, you want to be here, and like you invest yourself in these people, and these people become your, kind of like second family. And it's not to say— I'm not talking about the community where, you live in a neighborhood.

I mean, you could, but, this community I'm thinking about, it's like these kind of clubs, like what you have with Chicago Design Club.

It's like you open your doors and, have people come in and, you share what you have and Allow growth and, like sort of like nurture each other and like in that way, because like, I mean, just to give a very quick example, it's like when I first found out about your Slack group, I was ecstatic, like I finally found here something that's similar to like Calligrafina without having this like hassle of like bureaucracy of like, oh, I have to pay this much, or like, I'm not saying that's bad, but like just like a little step towards, a more friendlier step towards getting into this professional club without maybe, with AIGA, it's like, I feel like the disconnect that I had was like, okay, here's you go, you pay this thing, and then you go there, which is great.

But as somebody who's new and like have no introduction at all, that kind of first gate was a little a little rough, with like all these clubs and community. I feel like it's a friendlier approach where like, okay, this is what the people are, and this is who these people are, and you can connect the way you feel like your flow, like you want to connect with.

And then from that you can go to the next step and the next step, and like those steps are the one that like kind of make that bond of like what you are as a family.

Christian Solorzano [51:23]

Yeah. And I think it just, it involves like, I think, like a collective passion for something. And it's, I like, I almost think about it as like going to a concert or like going to like any sort of like events and like you're all fans. There's no hierarchy. Like you're all, you're all equal. To me, that's what community means.

Crissy Chahyadi [51:48]

I like this like C.S. Lewis quote. I just pulled it up. It says, what draws people to be friends is that they see the same truth, they share it. I think it's great because, I mean, I'm not talking about the generic truth or like my opinion, your opinion, because like we can have our opinions, but like there is this one truth that just like bonds people together, and that's what connects people, like you said, like the community itself.

Because I guess in your community, yes, you have different opinions, but I'm sure you share that same truth or like that founding thing that you're— Able to compromise or willing to work towards and sacrifice and push yourself towards that.

Christian Solorzano [52:26]

So I guess to follow up on the, on the community question, what do you think is— like, what do you think our industry, the design industry or design communities, what do you think we need more of? And how could we enhance or like amplify the way that we that we connect with one another and the way that we build relationships?

Crissy Chahyadi [52:50]

I think I will, I will keep on discovering this answer again and again, even in the future. But right now, I think that's a very interesting question. I'm actually not even sure how to start.

Christian Solorzano [53:05]

Well, I'll tell you what, I'll tell you why I'm asking. I'm asking because one of the, one of the things that I think about a lot is Everything, things change so rapidly, like the needs of people, 6 months ago are very different than today. And just so we're always trying to like adapt and trying to pivot and whatnot. And I think it's important to ask other people like for an answer. I don't think the answer always needs to just come from one person.

So that's sort of like the lens through which I'm like, asking this question is like specifically today. Yeah. Just what comes to mind?

Crissy Chahyadi [53:53]

This might be a controversial answer, but I think that people these days don't see truth as something that's objective and everything is subjective. But I do feel like things like cancel culture, if I may, is sort of obnoxious in a way, because the thing is, no one, no one, I mean nobody is out of the question when it comes to being ever or like having done those the things that qualifies you to be canceled. No one's as free out of that.

Everybody in their time has done something that qualifies them to be canceled. What I'm saying is, what's my— I guess, what's my power as another human being to say that you're, out of this? And I understand there are systems and things like that, and I think the system is not always perfect, and there are things that we can always change.

But also just, yeah, the subjectivity of truth these days, I think it's very questionable, and I think we need something that's just like kind of like unify that. I know it's very broad and very hard to digest. But another thing too is that having yeah, having some sort of like that foundation of their mindset of like, I'm all over it. I think I'm gonna butcher this one, but that's like what I can think of.

I think like when you try to say your opinion, even though it is a free country, you're not entitled to your opinion. And I say that even like in the sim— in a very low significance of like my faith, like sometimes I do feel that it is not okay if I share my faith, but like for other faith types of faith to share their faith, it is okay. And like to me, that's like little subtle, like even things, it's like, it's something that I'm challenged.

And I guess if we want to just like chuck that whole thing out and like have like a more generic question is, I think we need to allow ourselves to be changed in a way that, times change, culture changes, and, we need to adapt. Like you said, having that self-awareness is very important in this kind of change because I think we try to attach our identity into something that's very fleeting, and that's what caused, all this, other— Ripple effect, I guess.

Christian Solorzano [56:45]

Yeah. Yeah, I agree a lot with what you say. And I, and just to talk about like the whole cancel culture aspect of things is like, I don't think, I don't think anything could be canceled. Like all you're doing is hiding it somewhere else. You're not, whatever it is that you're trying to cancel, you're not really canceling it by canceling it. Quote unquote. So yeah, I mean, I agree. And I mean, I think there are some things that perhaps, could be canceled, like when it's harmful.

Those type of things. But yeah, I don't know that I think that's a, it's an interesting answer. And I, and I also trying to be very careful with what I say because I agree a lot with what you're saying. And I, and I also Fear at times opinions or like my perspective might be misinterpreted and, right. And so I just like keep my mouth shut. But I'm like, I have so many thoughts.

Crissy Chahyadi [57:54]

I can, I can feel that.

Christian Solorzano [57:55]

Yeah. But yeah, but I agree. I think, I think just to go back to like the thing about like faith and faith is part of your identity. And I think today. Identity has become such a, such a, like there's been so much focus on identity and the various, attributes that someone could identify as. And I think faith is part of an identity. And I think it should be talked about just as, just as much as other identities or norms are talked about.

So if anyone wants to find you, or if anyone wants to reach out to you, every interaction that I've had with you, every time I've reached out to you, like you're pretty responsive and pretty easy to get in contact with. So if anyone has any questions about your story, your journey is it possible to reach out to you? How could they get in touch with you?

Crissy Chahyadi [58:53]

Yeah, my Instagram is open and I'm sure Christian can attest this. If you start with Snoopy, it's going to end. Better. The conversation is going to go better smoothly. So yeah, start with Snoopy and we can see where we're going to go from there.

Christian Solorzano [59:09]

Okay. And I'll include like your Instagram and just all your links in the, in the notes for this episode.

Crissy Chahyadi [59:17]

Thank you.

Christian Solorzano [59:18]

But with that said, if anyone is listening to this what are some like just quick words of wisdom or like what would you say to someone that is perhaps, getting into design for the first time, considering going to grad school, maybe thinking about coming to the United States or just anyone that might be situation that they identify with you as.

Crissy Chahyadi [59:37]

So one of the big questions that you need to ask yourself is why. And I know this has been brought up a lot in grad school. It's like, why are you making this? Why are you doing that? But it is very important, and it is not about right or wrong. It's not like you need to give a specific answer, but it's something that you can add to the list, as you go. But it keeps you focused and directed.

And then when you have that hard time, then you can come back to that list like, this is why I want to go for this. And that's why you're not relying on yourself or giving yourself to being too hard on yourself. Oh, I need to do this, have everything like set up. But just like by answering that why question, it's gonna get you one step closer to what you actually want. And also getting yourself one step closer to knowing what you want.

It's like sometimes we don't know what we want. And by asking that why question, you'll get— you'll discover more of yourself and wonder more of like what this industry is about. Yeah, like tackling that question. And I'd say definitely get involved in your local community. If there's not one, team up with a person, make that ad on Instagram, have— invite people over to a coffee shop. Let's say, I'll be here from 5 to 8.

We're just gonna meet up and Share design, share work, and like you can start with yourself. If nobody wants to start it, you do it and just stay there. I'm sure if you're patient and persistent, and you will get those people, you will find those people who share the same truth. You'll build your community. Awesome.

Christian Solorzano [61:14]

Perfect.

Crissy Chahyadi [61:15]

All right.

Christian Solorzano [61:15]

Well, thank you so much, Crissy. This was a joy, and I hope that you come to Chicago soon so we could meet in person.

Crissy Chahyadi [61:21]

Of course.