3DTotal: Hi Kekai, thanks so much for taking this time out to speak to 2DArtist magazine. To kick things off, can you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about how things got started for you in terms of digital art? And what you’re currently up to in your career as a concept artist?
Kekai: Hello, I am happy to be able to do this interview.  I was born and raised in Hawaii; I am of both Hawaiian and Japanese ancestry. I got my first taste of digital art back when I was a senior in high school; it must have been a copy of Photoshop 5, or something. And the Wacom tablet that they had was one of those huge clunky things the size of a desk with the pressure sensitivity of a brick! I was only able to use it for a short period of time and it wasn’t until I got into art school almost a year afterwards that I was able to truly start to learn how to use it. That was almost 10 years ago now.

I am currently busy working at ArenaNet on Guild Wars 2. My position now is Concept Art Lead. I still work on concept art, but also I have the additional responsibilities of taking care of my team and making sure everything is on track to ensure that Guild Wars is still recognized as one of the most beautiful games on the market.

3DTotal: Ah-ha, yes, Guild Wars! Such a title must bring a high level of responsibility and keep not you, and the whole of your team, at the top of your game and producing the quality artwork that the Guild Wars name demands. But just how do you go about maintaining a team of happy scribblers? What is the studio environment like at ArenaNet – do you feel the space that you work in as an artist has an impact on productivity? Any tips?
Kekai: It truly is a balancing act. On one hand you want your artists to be happy with what they are working on, but on the other hand it is a job and you do not want someone burning out on you. I try to locate where an artist’s talent lies and then try to funnel that type of work to them. I also make sure that the work is varied enough so that nobody gets bored and uncreative. Keeping them on their artistic toes is how some would put it!

There is no real time limit on most of the work that people do, except for those times when somebody really needs something right away or if there was a set deadline beforehand. Allowing an artist room to breathe and time to explore a concept is very important here at ArenaNet. However, at the end of the day, this is a job. I trust the artists to be responsible with their time. If someone is spinning wheels on a pretty painting that does little to push the concept that was assigned to them, it is partly my responsibility to get them back on track. There are many assignments that may not be the most glorious jobs to work on, but they must get done and done to a level that matches the high artistic standard that we have worked so hard to establish here at ArenaNet.

To this end, the environment here is both loose and studious. The environment you work in can play a huge roll in your productivity. Too many distractions can detract from your concentration while eight hours a day, seven days a week of no talking and just drawing can quickly kill creativity. One of the big strengths of working in a team is the interplay of thought and ideas. Sharing thoughts with one another creates a fertile ground for bigger and more unique ideas. In this way it is not just one artist working on a concept; it becomes a team effort, with everyone contributing in their own way. If there is one particular tip I can give it’s that information is key. Being an informed and knowledgeable person will help others because you can bring something new to the table to share.