Steven Kropp
From Artist to Designer.
My whole life I wanted to be an artist. Just ask nearly all of my school teachers—they were the one’s telling me to focus and stop drawing. I never imagined all that doodling, and “not paying attention,” would lead me to my dream job—being a creative person for actual money!
I graduated from CCAD (Columbus College of Art & Design) in Columbus, with a primary focus on Graphic Design and Advertising. Besides all the day-in and day-out creative aspects of going to such a school, I reveled in the excitement of competition. In nearly all of my classes, we would put our weekly or monthly projects up on the wall for critique and display. This was my opportunity to see where I failed, and I’ll admit it, who all I was better than. Every project, I wanted to blow out of the water, most unique, most creative, best execution. There were so many great artists in my classes, I was honestly just happy to be in the top 5.
Transitioning to the Professional World.
From College almost straight to Sevell + Sevell, I freelanced at a few firms around Columbus, but then just months after graduating, I interviewed with Sevell, and have not left since, and now my name is in the company name. Many of my colleagues have moved around a lot over the years—different jobs, different cities, but when you work at a great place—why ever leave?!
I honestly detest talking about myself, I am self deprecating by nature, but if I had to brag, and clearly I am about to… I would say I am mostly self-taught, and I know how to hustle. Nothing was ever given to me, most of my life has been an up-hill battle filled with tons of failures, but I’ve learned from all of them.
From teaching myself how to code, to now re-discovering my passion for painting and fine arts, my days are filled with constantly challenging myself. It is nearly impossible for me to settle for just “Okay” or even “Pretty Good”. Still to this day, my desire to hear the word “WOW!” is what truly fuels me—it’s what I live for, well, that and my amazing wife and daughter.
My Love to Create Fine Art.
When I am not coding or designing, I still try to find time to paint. My style is steadfastly intricate doodles. Whether it’s graffiti-like doodles or mesmerizing detailed patterns—I know I am in my happy place when able to flex my creative muscles in this fashion. Below are a few examples of my latest works.
