Sad Mag: Who are you?
Monika Koch: I’m a puppy tamer and a scorpion fighter.
SM: What do you do?
MK: I make things. I make things look nice. I ride my bike, usually fast. I sleep when I have no other choice.
SM: How did you become a designer?
MK: I was one of those kids who was constantly commissioned by peers to draw cartoon characters in return for snacks in elementary school. Thankfully, I am no longer paid in snacks, because the lightning-quick metabolism is gone and I can’t pay rent in snacks. My pursuit of design as a grownup must have been ignited with my decision not to go to art school.
After about a year of university, the need to create became unbearable. Sadly for my GPA, from then on I committed myself to nurturing my skill in every way I saw fit. Design came as a natural outlet- my dad taught industrial design, and I grew up fiddling with Adobe software. I freelanced and stayed sharp with illustration and personal projects. Somehow I managed to graduate, and kept at the freelance thing. My best friend, also a freelancing designer at the time, saw me through that period and I couldn’t ever thank him enough for his support and the inspiration to just do what I love.
SM: Where do you live?
MK: Mount Pleasant.
SM: What’s your Halloween costume?
MK: I’m not telling. Not because I’m waiting for my brilliance to save me at the last minute.
SM: Favourite magazines?
MK: ACNE Paper, Circus, S, and Interview.
SM: What are you excited about for fall?
MK: As a New Englander, I am excited for colder temperatures and anything that resembles that kind of autumn, even for a day or two. This year’s has been beautiful, though. Mostly I just want to wear more clothing, look like I dropped out of Sartorialist and feel cold air on my cheeks.
Sad Mag presents: The Queer Cultural Awards and Show
The Cobalt (917 Main St)
8:00PM-1:00AM
Advance tickets $6, at the door $8
Full details on Facebook.