An interview with our intern Fragmantiq

The new year is here! Now that the holiday season is behind us, there is an important matter for many of you: Internships!

Here at Kaomoji we tend to employ one or two interns per period, depending on the expected workload. Our interns usually come from one of two studies: All-Round DTP and Graphic Design.

These two studies connect well with the types of internships we offer here. For the current internship period we have one intern working here, under the name of Fragmantiq. He’s been working with us since September, and will finish his internship at the start of February.

I’ve conducted a short interview with him here, to give those of you interested a bit of an insight on what to expect.

"So Frag, tell us a little bit about yourself."

"Hello! I go by the pen name Fragmantiq! I am an artist in training, wanting to be inspired by and inspire other artists! Some of my favorite things are studying, making art, playing video games and cooking!"

"What are you currently studying?"

"I am currently studying International Creative Business Development in Zwolle, where I do graphic design, marketing, make concepts and stories. All in English, which is exciting!"

"What made you choose Kaomoji for your internship?"

"Kaomoji and I have a bit of history together. I first met the founders when I went to the Shelter Live Tour in 2017! Ever since that meeting, we've formed a strong bond. I felt that I could add something to the team with a fresh pair of eyes. When the time came for Kaomoji to start an internship, I knew that this was something I had to apply for!"

"How would you describe your role in the company?"

"Being part of Kaomoji as an intern means that you are not only doing one thing. It means that you will be taking on a lot of different tasks, from brainstorming new ideas, to packing orders, to shooting photos, to making social media content for the next week. It really challenges you to be diverse since no day is the same. This means you will learn a lot of new things quickly!"

"What did you do before coming here?"

"Before I came here I was in Japan for 5 months for an internship! There I have traveled, seen and been inspired by a lot of art, graphic design and people! All of the things I have learned there were applied here. After being there for such a long time, I can tell what Kaomoji tries to capture in their own work. I do miss being there with my share housemates a lot, but Kaomoji keeps me in check!"

"How different is work here compared to your previous workplaces?"

"In Japan I was constantly on my toes! Working long shifts, being very humble to the boss, a lot of ''はい, うん, 了解します''. Really taking in the Japanese work culture, so to speak. It was rough, so coming back to the Netherlands to work at Kaomoji feels like you really don't have to worry too much.

We have a lot of fun around the workspace and time goes by really quickly. Comparing this to some of the other Dutch companies I have worked for is a breath of fresh air. You really belong in a team of people that think, feel and act in unison. Something that I really, really appreciate about Kaomoji."

"Have you learned anything new during your internship here?"

Where do I even begin... One of the coolest things I have learned is how intuitive it is how Kaomoji really makes full use of Adobe's software, by using various applications in conjunction with each other.

Before I came here, EVEN IN JAPAN, I was forced to work on a single application at a time, but Kaomoji loves linking everything together from videos, posts and even banners on the webshop. Everything is strangely connected and I really don't know how to work in any other way now that I have this newfound knowledge!

"Has the internship lived up to your expectations?"

"The internship has been great and I really felt the sense that I was part of something. Of course, being the one who is learning a lot, I felt really good when I was able to give feedback on certain things. It felt like I was really involved instead of the weak little duckling. So yes. Yes, it has lived up to my expectations!"

"What’s going to be your next step?"

"My next step is applying for four art academies and finishing college next year. Hopefully I will also be making my lifelong dream of becoming a comic artist a reality. I have a comic series planned, based around my time as a foreigner living in Japan during the pandemic, as well as a real fun fan project of Serial Experiments Lain!"

"Anything you would like to share before we end the interview?"

"Thank you so much for reading! If you are thinking of becoming an intern, then I absolutely recommend it! You can find me @fragmantiq on Twitter and Instagram where you can see me progressing as an artist!

And as a motto for young artists out there: ''Your life revolves around growth.'' Keep expanding and experimenting with your craft and I am certain you will find a reason to keep doing what you love."

And there you have it. Hopefully you found the interview fun to read, and maybe we even piqued your interest in following an internship here yourself…? For more information on how to apply for a future internship, look here (Dutch residents only).

Thanks for reading, see you in the next blog!