Meet Yena

Beautiful people making beautiful work. Raindrop is full of talented and creative characters. Just Raindrop Things is a new blog series where we feature our Raindroppers.


Get to know your art director, Yena!

What is your favorite brand and why?

Lego. I love their product, and they make some of the best ads I’ve ever seen. They are built on something so simple, yet yields boundless opportunities for creativity and imagination that spans generations.

How did you get involved with graphic design?

By chance, actually. I’ve always loved studio art and have always been enrolled in some kind of art class, from elementary school throughout college. I ended up majoring in Sociology (liberal arts college ho!), with a very last-minute minor in Printmaking. I had the unfortunate timing of graduating during the recession, so I tapped into the only real marketable skill I had—graphic design. Jacques and I ended up getting connected through my now-husband during the early Raindrop days, and I’ve been on this path ever since.

What is the most amazing adventure you’ve been on?

I went on a 4-day, 3-night backpacking in the Rocky Mountains with my husband a couple years ago. We went in an off-season in the early fall, so we ended up not seeing anyone for the entire trip, which for two introverts, was a dream come true. The farthest point of our journey ended at a lake, where we caught some fresh lake trout and cooked it lakeside. We also ran into a giant moose (they’re not very nice, plus this one looked like it had a lot of battle scars), so we had to wait quietly and make a giant circle around it to get back on the trail. Crisis averted!

What movie or book best describes your life?

The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I eat increasingly throughout the week, then cocoon up on the weekends. I’m still waiting for my metamorphosis into a beautiful butterfly. (Fun fact: Did you know that caterpillars retain their memories after they emerge from their cocoon? I’ll still remember you after my final transformation.)

Rumor has it that you are an amazing cook! What is your favorite thing to make?

I love the sense of family and comfort that I get when I cook Korean food. There’s nothing like the overpowering smell of garlic to remind me of home. I also love introducing people to the complexities and diversity of Korean cuisine, outside the popularity of all-you-can-eat BBQ. Most recently, I’ve been honing my skills with homemade dumplings. I make about 100 at a time, so drop me a line if you’d like to get in on it (in either the making or the eating)!