Kory
Design
Q: Where you are from?
Utah, USA
Q: If you knew it was going to be your last meal, what would you eat?
That would depend on how I knew it was going to be my last meal.
Q: What led you to pursue a career in your current field, and how has your professional journey evolved over time?
I have worked as an independent contract artist for all of my adult life. My work has spanned through many many different disciplines. However, a couple years of public health work with the Peace Corps in rural Nicaragua in 2008-2010 was sort of a catalyst for transitioning all of my experiences into a cohesive and important field: Gamification in Education. I am a firm believer in the potential power of using the same logic that causes people to continue to play Pong–bouncing a square ball back and forth–applied to the wider world of education and training.
Q: What motivates you to come to work every day, and how do you stay engaged and enthusiastic about your job?
I like to think that the work we are doing will leave an impact on society for the better. What else is there, really?
Q: Can you share a defining moment in your life or career that has shaped who you are as a person (rather than a worker)?
During my Peace Corps service, it was the first time that I was a “have” among the “have nots.” Being in a position to help others has always been my focus but that was the first time I was (relatively) funded to focus on just that.
Q: How do you maintain a work-life balance, and what activities or hobbies do you enjoy outside of work?
My work-life balance comes from a decision I made a long time ago to make sure that if any of my children were ever asked what their dad does, they would be able to answer with confidence and never say, “I don’t really know…” I have worked remotely for about 25 years with occasional stints in a physical studio space. Balancing work and life is a matter of knowing where there is a hard line between the two and where they need to blend a little. I have a (mostly) open-door home studio and my kids and wife are meaningful contributors to my work.
Q: What do you hope the future of work looks like? (Please give an example of a challenge you see today, and what a solution might look like, or a specific thing you hope for in the future workplace)
The only thing I have ever hoped for in the workplace is integrity. In all things. There is always so much effort spent on trying to circumvent the right way to do things, which just creates an imbalance in the Force.
Q: What advice would you give to someone starting out in your field or looking to grow to their utmost potential?
It is a short time that we are here and our job is to make it suck a little less for those around us. The less we focus on ourselves, the more we can achieve.
Q: Where you are from?
Utah, USA
Q: If you knew it was going to be your last meal, what would you eat?
That would depend on how I knew it was going to be my last meal.
Q: What led you to pursue a career in your current field, and how has your professional journey evolved over time?
I have worked as an independent contract artist for all of my adult life. My work has spanned through many many different disciplines. However, a couple years of public health work with the Peace Corps in rural Nicaragua in 2008-2010 was sort of a catalyst for transitioning all of my experiences into a cohesive and important field: Gamification in Education. I am a firm believer in the potential power of using the same logic that causes people to continue to play Pong–bouncing a square ball back and forth–applied to the wider world of education and training.
Q: What motivates you to come to work every day, and how do you stay engaged and enthusiastic about your job?
I like to think that the work we are doing will leave an impact on society for the better. What else is there, really?
Q: Can you share a defining moment in your life or career that has shaped who you are as a person (rather than a worker)?
During my Peace Corps service, it was the first time that I was a “have” among the “have nots.” Being in a position to help others has always been my focus but that was the first time I was (relatively) funded to focus on just that.
Q: How do you maintain a work-life balance, and what activities or hobbies do you enjoy outside of work?
My work-life balance comes from a decision I made a long time ago to make sure that if any of my children were ever asked what their dad does, they would be able to answer with confidence and never say, “I don’t really know…” I have worked remotely for about 25 years with occasional stints in a physical studio space. Balancing work and life is a matter of knowing where there is a hard line between the two and where they need to blend a little. I have a (mostly) open-door home studio and my kids and wife are meaningful contributors to my work.
Q: What do you hope the future of work looks like? (Please give an example of a challenge you see today, and what a solution might look like, or a specific thing you hope for in the future workplace)
The only thing I have ever hoped for in the workplace is integrity. In all things. There is always so much effort spent on trying to circumvent the right way to do things, which just creates an imbalance in the Force.
Q: What advice would you give to someone starting out in your field or looking to grow to their utmost potential?
It is a short time that we are here and our job is to make it suck a little less for those around us. The less we focus on ourselves, the more we can achieve.
