Mika Tohmon

Between running community workshops and publishing quarterly zines under SPILLLL, a collective of four ESEA queer women creatives, Mika Tohmon’s attitude to design is all about sparking dialogue and pushing boundaries. Whether it's client work or personal projects, she feels most at home on projects grounded in heritage or local environments. The twists and turns of freelance work and moving around the globe have been real, but maybe the messiness is actually alright, Mika explains below.

What I do

My creative practice
I am a graphic designer, independent publisher and visual artist.

Influences and inspiration
The members of my publishing and events collective SPILLLL. Working with them helps me take a leap away from some of the rules and hierarchies of the graphic design industry, both in content and form. The designs and content we co-produce are so raw and dear, helping me to believe that there is still so much we can put into the world as designers.

The broader ESEA (East South East Asian) and queer community in London has also inspired me. There is a constellation of community-led collectives that are so ready to support each other, have fun without extravagance and fight prejudice together – each in our own ways.

My training
I have a BA in Design Media Arts from UCLA, Los Angeles and an MA in Visual Communication from RCA, London. Both of my degrees profoundly helped me discover and re-discover that engaging in work related to regional crafts, ecological and traditional making, and community co-creation are essential for me. Actual design principles and software I learned more from working on projects in a team.

Favourite recent project
I am currently in the H inc. team designing a line of Shochu (distilled rice) liquor for a small but ancient family-run distillery in Japan. While the line looks completely revamped, the calligraphic letters are actually taken from the original labels, preserving the legacy of the small distillery that for decades asked locals and friends to draft their calligraphy. This idea warmed the hearts of the father-daughter distillery owners, who were previously reluctant to expand. Gradually, the project extended to include a wide range of their spirits, traditional happi outfits, noren curtains and more.

Every time I see their faces brighten over a solution that embodies their ethics and fits their scale, I feel like this is what I’m in this field for. I am humbled to be part of an effort to keep a dearly held tradition alive and relevant.

A day in the life
Very honestly speaking, my ADHD brain cannot ‘normal day’. So one day I’ll be hyperfocused in my community library for hours on end and others I’ll primarily spend in bed. I’m sharing this in hopes that my fellow neurospicies will be comforted knowing we’re not alone in this.

A starter pack for my job:
Frankly, mood has been this for the year of the fire horse so far:

But, I think it’s called ‘visual communication’ for a reason, and we can do something with this thing called design.

How I got here

Starting my creative journey
I went to Japan to work for Kenya Hara right after graduating from UCLA. It was my dream job, but I cried on the first day. Working in Japan was tough – even though I’m from there, I grew up in the States.

The three years I spent there were some of my toughest, most workaholic years, but I’m still awed at how precise, undeterred and thoughtful Hara can be with design. I’m so happy to have had that ingrained in me so early on. I also learned so much about the process of making an idea come to life.

Landing my first few jobs, clients and/or commissions
I have been going back and forth between being employed, being in school and semi-freelancing (as in, contracted by studios part-time and doing my own small projects with the other half of my time). It has always helped me to reach out to previous connections, like colleagues and clients, to move forward with new projects.

Biggest challenges along the way
For me, the biggest challenge is trying to explain or present what I do. My work in art, design and collective publishing differs widely; I'm still trying to understand myself what this means and which direction I’m heading in.

My social media and self-promotion vibe is…
Even though I design social media assets for community groups as a passion project, I’m horrible at running my own socials. I’ll have a crawl through others’ tips on this series…

Three things I've found useful in my career:

Courses, programmes, initiatives, access schemes or job boards I've found helpful
Applying for small grants from generous small organisations specific to my community and passion projects. What kept SPILLLL going in the very beginning was a small grant from the Women’s Action Network, Japan and besea.n, an organisation that gives event grants during ESEA heritage month. Grants not only ensure that you have enough to get the project started without eating into your own bills, they also ensure that there is a timeline and that you deliver an end project. No way out!

My greatest learnings when it comes to making money and supporting myself as a creative:
Most of my income comes from larger client projects with design studios, where I join the team as a contracted or employed designer. My community and publishing work funds itself, but no more than that. This does not make one more significant than the other.

Large-scale work is exciting to build – to know that I am connected to society and that I can influence values. Personal projects are a space for resistance and solidarity, so that we can publish outside of borders and systems together, just for the joy of it.

My advice

My most useful career tips
I’m still in the midst of figuring everything out, doubting myself every other second, and making twists and turns to make things work financially and with my Visa. That might be the tip – that things will always be a bit messy and that’s actually alright.

What I'd say to someone looking to get into a similar role
Make work that shows your best effort and be sincere with people. So much has changed in the world since I started out, but this probably won’t.