Personal Story

Hi there, I’m William; a creative content maker and multi-disciplinary artist who often finds himself sketching logos in his notebook or getting lost in the mountains. Feel free to read my personal story and get in touch 🎉


Brief Summary

First of all, my full name is William Van Skaik, but since everyone can’t seem to get my last name right, it’s probably easier to leave that part out.

I originally launched this website in 2015, back when I was a college student at ArtCenter College of Design.

At first, it was meant to display my design portfolio and artwork but later developed into much more.

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Proterial (Japan)

In 2017, I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree, with Honors; where I then accepted a position as a full-time Designer at Interbrand in New York City (only to later transfer to the Tokyo, Japan office in 2019).

Around 2021, at the peak of COVID-19, I started blogging about the things that kept me motivated and inspired.

During this time, my website took on a life of its own, as I started connecting with other like-minded individuals.

Today, I now blog to thousands of readers; sharing creative ideas and lifestyle tips to help motivate other artists to take action in producing creative content.

Feel free to check out a few articles to learn more.

Work Experience

As a creative individual, I’m constantly looking for new ways to express myself; which has opened the door to many working opportunities in my career.

In 2012, for example, I attended the California Institute of the Arts because I originally wanted to study theatre design.

As you can probably tell, that path wasn’t for me; so I transferred.

A few years later, I decided to double down on my design work and was later recognized by the ArtCenter’s student gallery numerous times.

Not long afterward, in the summer of 2016, I was fortunate to have landed my first internship at Blind, a design firm based in Santa Monica, California.

It was here that I grasped the business aspect of design.

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Proterial (Japan)

Upon graduating from ArtCenter in 2017, I started freelancing at various design firms and ad agencies; such as Apple and Saatchi & Saatchi.

I continued this process for two years; until 2019, when I was given a tremendous opportunity to work abroad at Interbrand Japan in Tokyo.

I’ve always been a big supporter of Japanese anime and artwork, so the decision to move was simply a no-brainer; it was a dream come true.

Since arriving, I’ve been honored to be a part of multiple award-winning projects; such as a runner-up for a RedDot award in 2021 (JLPGA) and a first-place winner for an iF design award in 2024 (MCUD).

It’s been a pleasure to call Japan home for the past five years and I look forward to exploring new methods in expanding my creative mindset further.

Various interests

For as long as I can remember, curiosity has always been my strongest asset.

From drawing cartoon characters as a kid to performing on stage in high school, and even designing campaigns for businesses, my desire to adopt a new set of skills never faded.

As my experience in art and design continued to grow, so did my confidence in other areas of my life.

Every year I took on new hobbies outside work, such as traveling, exercising, and reading, which benefited my overall lifestyle.

You could say, that despite being in my thirties, the sudden urge to learn something new was still alive.

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Proterial (Japan)

Today, I work full-time as a Visual Designer; however, my work-life balance has become a blessing since transitioning to a fully remote atmosphere.

With my flexible hours, I’ve explored more interests, like getting back into artwork and dipping my toes in photos again.

Even documenting my experiences in Japan has been an incredible project (more on this later), as the constant need to explore the country and embrace its culture has always kept me excited.

Overall, I know jobs are important, but I also believe it’s healthy for creative individuals to balance their time equally on and off the computer.

Life is too short to do just one thing, so go out there and explore.

Final Takeaways

If you’ve made it this far, then the first thing I’d like to do is say thank you.

We’re all busy with other tasks, but I appreciate you taking the time to read about my personal life.

So what’s next?

If you’re interested in learning more about my creative ideas and lifestyle tips, I’d be honored if you joined my weekly newsletter below.

Nothing crazy of course, I often like to share my thoughts and hope to find new ways to help motivate artists to take action in producing creative content.

Additionally, feel free to send a message here if you’d like to collaborate or access my full design portfolio (some projects I’m not allowed to share online).

As a final thought, life is a journey full of adventure; so don’t be afraid to try new things and re-invent yourself.

Thanks for reading,
William