Hi Kel, my cat also died of heart disease recently 😢thanks for talking about it, I sympathize with what you feel ❤️

Does anybody know the font that’s on the shirt that Kel’s wearing? 👀

Are the NDAs you mentioned for the work you completed that was accepted/printed into merch, or for work you designed that was rejected? Maybe I missed it i the video, but if anyone else is familiar with how that works in the industry, please explain!

Lol 3:01 they're coming closer She like me fr

16:37 anthropomorphic?

kel!!! I’m the cookie artist that made valley’s cookies that featured your art. it was SO cool to hear you say your goal is to bridge the gal btw fans and artists. since day 1 my work with artists has had that same mission; to connect to them as fellow artists and reflect their lives and art through my art. since an artist’s merch designs, album covers, visual identity, fan art, and colors are the tools (along with cookies of course) I use to do that, it’s SO so special to be connected to your work in the same way. i love art! i love connections! i love music! i love kel! this is awesome :’)

It's crazy how similar your story is to what I have been through in recent years, I totally relate to you. I also burnt myself out into sickness from working crazy hours and never saying no to any project, feeling miserable although I had all of these great opportunities and progress in my career (at the expense of my physical and mental health), even the relying on alcohol to get yourself through work, that's exactly what I was doing as well (and I'm also working on my sobriety now), which I ALSO found out was largely tied to my untreated ADHD and how I was using it to just cope. I eventually started feeling drowned by work, fumbling projects and opportunities, sunk into debt because I just didn't see any point in trying to live a somewhat healthy life, because I didn't even feel like I deserved it (catholic guilt is a helluva drug). I had no life besides work and drinking and had nothing to show for it. My mental health got to a really dark and critical place, and my body was starting to shut down in several ways. Could it be a generational thing? lol (I'm also the same age as you) idk, but I am so glad you are in a better place now, I know how it feels to have your life spiral out of control that way, to fall out of love with the the work that makes you happy, to lose purpose and to feel like you're perpetually chasing some impossible ideal that just makes you feel inadequate all the time for not achieving. I am also so sorry about your loss, I can't imagine what it was like to go through that on top of everything else. Right now I am still working as a designer, but being more mindful about the projects I take in, I no longer feel like I "have" to reach some sort of ideal or milestone. I moved out of my hometown and have a much richer personal and inner life. I started taking methylphenidate as well lol, and going to therapy, which have done wonders to my overall wellbeing; things get dark sometimes, but I'm much more well-equiped to deal with that. I'm coming up to 6 months of sobriety in a couple days, and my body and mind have thanked me so much for it (and yes, it has been really hard). Like you said, I still have some fires to put out, like my financial situation which is still in shambles, and just the starting from scratch aspect of moving to another city, but I _want_ to live now, and that is enough to keep going. I now have a partner and a beatiful tortie companion that brighten my day and love me and give me purpose, and I'm finally excited to produce great work again. There's still a lot of work to do, but I'm glad the worst is finally over for now. All this to say, I've been following you for a while now, and I want to thank you for being so open about these issues, because at least for me, a total stranger living in another country, it was so reassuring to know that I am not a failure for struggling, that I am not alone even though we have never met, and that a better life is possible. I've become so sick of all of these internet personalities trying to portray a perfect succesful life, only to sell you a course with the promise of becoming rich quick, the hustle culture of it all, the endless race to prove that you are not a loser, the obssession with productivity and optimization. Thank you for being a human.

Damn, beauty and brains combined!😮 Your talent is as stunning as you are.

Hey, i just had to say it, but you are actually a really good person and you deserve the good in your life, keep up the good stuff!

omg I was just thinking how hard valley's visual identity is going lately!!

yay Kel!! love seeing everything you design 💗💗

Great work! I actually had that adobe caslon thing on a moodboard before lmao

if you see this comment could you share the brand of the brown hoodie?! i love hoodies with no strings!

The Gracie Abrams sweater was my favourite!!! 💙

Haven’t seen your videos for a while but love to see how far you’ve come and your recent work is a dream ❤ love it!!

OMG WELCOME BACK! I missed u so much 🤧❤️

I always AT LEAST get a shirt (preferably with dates or city specific)… I’ll get a sweatshirt or poster if it’s particularly cool or signed, city specific merch, stickers or random items you don’t typically see or might not be as common(ex. patches, hats, trinkets).

At a concert, I'm generally looking to buy a poster or tote bag, maybe some physical music or a t-shirt if the design is great. I strongly prefer designs where there is a connection with lyrics of a song or the overall album theme rather than only the artist name or face on them

Your story on your old job reminds me of my current job that I just recently got hired to where she is constantly telling me that I need to work on my designing skills and blocking my creativity. This is my 3rd week working there and I am already feeling so drained out/losing my mind.

I bought the tour shirt when i saw gracie and LOVED the design and knew it seemed familiar, great to see it was you !!!

Love how this speaks to battling perfectionism in making art. I feel less alone 💛

as a graphic design student who wants to get into commercial design, this was super cool to watch!! i've gone to so many concerts this year and i usually find myself buying at least one t-shirt and a poster. although for my favorite band, waterparks, i ended up buying a zip-up that i actually wear all the time!

Graphic designers are NOT forgiving to anyone starting later in their journey… y’all toss around terms like geriatric left and right for being 27 and still not at the exact point in my career I would like to be and its left me feeling like “why even try???” like honestly that’s the only reason I keep trying- to try and prove all of those who think I’m “too old” to keep learning wrong.

randomly stumbled across this video, and as a gracie fan its so cool to hear your process on how you created the merch! i got the heather crewneck that you designed at gracie’s tour and its quickly becoming one of my favorite sweatshirts!

Watching this felt like I swapped the masking tape holding up my soul with band aids lol. I remember working at a company where my boss *selected* the work he wanted to do and unapologetically gave his tasks to "his team" -- who were either junior contractors or fiverr workers abroad--- I.was.STUNNED.

I am really buying based on design and color. I have too many sweatshirts, tee shirts, and hoodies. I’ll probably spend 200 MAX! More likely ~ 100

I know nothing about graphic design but it seems unfair for your work to be under nda? shouldn’t every artist get credits for their art

I went to all things go this year and got that sweatshirt, it’s cool to see who design it!! :)

i have been a fan of your work for so many years and really like gracie's and valley's music, its really cool to see that you created those design that I wish I could buy. great work :)

Wow. You have all my respect. I aim to be as sure and pleased with my creations as you are. Plus you’re super articulate!

You don’t have to explain yourself I’m just glad ur back girl

definitely enamel pins! stickers too if they have those.

as a girl who goes to a LOT of concerts and is very selective about what merch i buy, i'd say the drawings/images are the most important aspect for me! the text and colors are great, but when a merch item has a really cute image/design/print on it, i need it!! and if ti has the tour dates on it as well, omg IMMEDIATE purchase. there's just something about seeing your city on the back of a shirt or hoodie or on a poster. :) but yeah generally the most important thing is that it has an image or drawing that somehow relates to the artist but also looks cute as an everyday shirt that i would wear regardless of it being merch. sorry i yapped so much omg 💀

omg, you were at the portland gracie show too??!!??!?! I was there!!! small world haha (finally someone online lives in portland)

i don't usually buy merch unless it's something that would be a cool/interesting/fun design even if i didn't know the artist/band - most recent thing i bought was the julien baker jersey (not a fan of it being polyester but the design is very good). generally avoid anything that has the artist's actual face on it esp. if it's just a photo because it feels either kind of cheap or gives off Intense Fan vibes that idk i want. lucy dacus' cerebral shirt & lucy loves me/dads fear me fish hat are also 10/10. also! went and listened to valley's album after seeing your design of the cover and am gonna be seeing them live next year which will be fun :)

algorithm brought me there, and i'll never leave

next video: changing 15 logos i made in 15 minutes, in 15 minutes!

i buy shirts or hats that dont have tour dates - i honestly almsot prefer it to have zero words period. album cover art/abstract images, also preferably not with the artists face or anything. my favorite shirt ive ever owned was a shirt from the band brand new that was this really cool olive green and had the cover art from their album i am a nightmare on it. i think its because i dint like the shirt to scream to anyone who can read “im a fan of this band and that is most of my personality”. but if another fan of the band sees it then theyll know

my favourite thing is going to events and wondering "did kel make this , it looks like their work"

honestly when i am buying merch i buy whatever item has the coolest design on it. if i love the design enough i will go with hoodie (but it has to be a nice hoodie blank) otherwise a tshirt or a tote. i also love a a good enamel pin or keychain. it just has to be a cool design and a quality item and i will buy pretty much anything. Also i LOVE tour exclusive vinyl variants.

I looooove unique and big prints, especially front & back t-shirt tour merch with dates on them! I usually buy t-shirts cos it's hot here in the PH to wear sweaters

That valley poster is so unique I love it

Hahaha, this comment is for the last part :p I usually spend between 50 to 100 euros on merch at concerts and it depends on the merch the artist has... Usually, 100% of the time I buy a T-shirt or a hoodie, if I'm on a low budget spending, I buy a T-shirt for sure and maybe a poster or an accessory (when I buy accessories I love pins and jewelry). If they have a hoodie that I really, really like, then I only get the hoodie and if I love the band, I just save a for months to get everything I can on the merch store cx

My sister went and saw Harry Styles and got me the small bag that says treat people with kindness. It is one of my favorite pieces of merch hands down. I love that it is so useful and I get to see it all the time but didn’t have to add to my ever-growing tshirt drawer. I wish there was more accessory type merch like this!

gdang ur designs are great

Congrats on such a big year! I was at ATG NYC this year and wanted the sweatshirt you designed! I waited in line as was so bummed to discover they didn't have any sizes above an L left. (I believe XL and XXL were already sold out). So, I'd say if you have any sway or can offer feedback to the people doing ordering, please please encourage them to extend sizes. Everybody wants their hoodie to be oversized, smaller people end up buying larger sizes, leaving nothing for plus size fans. I know more sizes are more of an investment, but it would be so cool to see bands and festivals offering all their merch in more inclusive sizing!

i’m buying a zip up!!! and a poster

everything is soooo dreamy. LOVE