For some of us it’s nails on the chalkboard. Others it’s gum snappers. Or nail biters, loud talkers, dirty dish leavers… whatever it is, your pet peeve drives you totally, inexplicably nuts. Since we’ve all got ‘em and we can all relate, we launched the Pet Peeves design challenge to encourage the community to turn their biggest irritants into awesome art. Today we announce the winning design: “I’m Listening” by artist Jey Kim! Read on to learn more about Jey, and shop the winning design here!
Congrats on your winning “I’m Listening” design for our Pet Peeves challenge! Why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Hi, I’m Jey! I’m a Korean raised in Jamaica and a self-taught graphic designer.
What’s your biggest pet peeve in the whole wide world?
My biggest pet peeve is when my text is read… and there is no reply.
Are there any common pet peeves that typically drive other people nuts that don’t really bother you?
Scratching a wooden spoon on ceramics? That always bothered my brother. You can also say that I always bothered my brother.
How’d you get your start in art?
My start in art was the legendary DBZ!
Do you experiment with different mediums, or typically stick to one? If it’s the latter, what is it?
I experimented a lot in my teens. These days I stick to Photoshop, but I am experimenting with styles.
When considering what to create for this challenge, where did you look for inspiration?
For this contest, I sought the ever-eluding inspiration from whatever annoyed me. Strangely (actually not so strangely), I found it from my girlfriend.
How did you land on the final concept?
I landed on the final concept through the amazing Threadless forum!
Would you mind taking us through the creation of this design? Feel free to share any WIPs, if you have!
So, you’re opinion on today’s smartphones: life’s greatest technology, or the biggest distraction ever?
Today’s smartphones are definitely the world’s greatest technology. But can’t that also be a distraction? I love my phone to death but it really does damage me a lot.
Any other shout-outs?
Shout out to @BeanePod! He’s always on the forum helping so many people, including me with this design and I’m really grateful. Thank you Threadless for making me and many other artists continue to pursue their passion. Peace!
