5 steps that get you your dream job- Johana Kroft

Okay so clearly this tittle is the “catchy” kind to get you on my site: these 5 steps won’t automatically get you an awesome job BUT they damn well will get you closer to one! In this interview Johana gives some really good insights to how she managed to redirect her career from working on projects that limited her creative freedom to working on the most interesting and original projects that make her happy today. Take a look at her site first so you can get a feel for her crazy and ingenious brain.

P.s. At the very end you’ll see a short list of the “5 steps to your dream job” that I’ve gathered from her words.

In an interview with Capsules Book you said you had to rethink your career because you didn’t like what you did. What was it about your previous occupation that you didn’t like and what steps did you take to redirect your career?

That is right! I started as a Junior Art Director in an Ad agency and the main problem was that I didn't get the creative freedom that I thought I would get. Most of the time I spent just talking about stuff. But I don't regret it, I've learned a lot. The biggest change in my career was making the move to London. To be totally honest, that changed my life completely. The beginnings were hard. I've tried to continue my career in any of the many ad agencies around London working as an Art Director or Creative. I didn't realise how different the definition for those positions would be. My portfolio was basically that of a Designer, not of an Art Director. I decided that I shouldn't pursue a career that I wasn't happy with and I started to do what I always wanted to do - Illustration and Animation. I started to draw and I worked late every day on my portfolio to find an opportunity as a Designer. After some time I got a gig to design a storyboard for the BBC, which was huge for me! Thanks to my husband Maxim I started to mess around with 3D, but since there were very few female 3D Designers I thought; “it's just too hard and scary”. However, after attending lots of design festivals and meeting so many passionate people, I eventually I understood that It doesn't matter how you call yourself or what software you use as long as you create what makes you happy.

In this interview you also mentioned your ambition for being one of the best art directors in the world. Why do you think you had this ambition?

I've always been inspired by the biggest artists, designers, and directors in history. I want to be like them! Creating a vision that you have in your head and seeing the output is one of the most magical moments of being a creative. Having more technical knowledge, thought-through ideas or doing deep researches makes the vision more truthful and it gives you more confidence, self-reflection, certainty, and uniqueness.

You seem to have a very graphic design based style. Did you study/work in graphic design? If so, how has this affected your work? Do you think having an understanding of graphic design is important as a 3D designer and animator?

Thank you! That's nice to hear. I've studied Graphic Design at High school and Multimedia Design at the university. I think it's great to know the basics, but you can really figure things out without education. I've met many people without an art/design background, they are super talented and successful. For example my husband. :) I know people struggle with how to use colours and palettes, for myself I'm happy to find a lot of inspiration in design.

Have you ever had new opportunities come from social media platforms like Instagram?

Yes! I had the opportunity to work for many great studios like Buck or Tendril. I think they are always watching new talents and are giving the opportunity to individuals with a unique style to collaborate with.

How has moving to London affected your career? Have interesting opportunities come from being situated there? Do you have a favourite collaboration or project that came from being in London?

As I mentioned, moving there completely changed my life. London is all about opportunities, even now in the post-covid and post-Brexit era, it’s still one of the biggest creative hubs in the world. I have so many great memories from living there. I was lucky to work for BBC, Google or Vice, but most importantly I fell in love with English culture and people.

What advice would you give people who may want to redirect their career as you did, or become awesome art directors like you?

Life is just too short to do something that doesn't fit you well. Don't be afraid and try as many things and possible and you will definitely find your niche. :)

5 steps to your dream job

So there you have it! There are some awesome tips here that we could all learn from! I’m going to quickly point out the key points:

1. First up is identifying what your dream job is. This will probably require experiencing some not-so-cool jobs until you find your best fit.

2. Have people to look up to. Investigate to see what steps those people took in their careers and take note of what makes their works so amazing.

3. Be present on social media! Johana isn’t the first to say that amazing opportunities can come from these digital platforms.

4. Move to a place filled with opportunities. No matter how good we get at working remotely, there are some things you simply can’t replicate from having in-person experiences and meeting new people in the industry.

5. Don’t loose track of what fulfills YOU.