Fox Hyon Smith

Biracial Korean-American illustrator, designer, and storyteller, I relentlessly seek out that sweet spot at the intersection of my arenas of expertise to create experiences that connect people to ideas, community, and so much more.

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I graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree from Washington University in St. Louis in 2010. With a focus on graphic communications, I specialized in design and illustration and discovered a love for finding new ways to tell stories whether the story of a brand or the illustrations for a children's book. After graduating I became an art director for boutique publishing company, Hired Ink, for ten years where I designed and illustrated over 25 award-winning topical and educational books for organizations such as Centene, Build-A-Bear Workshop®, the St. Louis Cardinals, and Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital.

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During that time, I learned the ins and outs of branding systems, collateral creation, and user experiences both on a team and as a freelance designer and illustrator. I also launched my independent company, Rockette Fox, in which I directly connect to an audience with my own personal work encouraging empowerment, mental health awareness, diversity, and the importance of self-acceptance.

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When not furiously drawing or playing with typography, I spent my time as a storyteller, performer, and speaker. For several years I served as the president of the board for Super Heroines, Etc. (SHE), a 501c3 nonprofit with the mission to empower women and those who identify as women to embrace their inner nerd. I developed and ran events that ranged from a monthly thematic storytelling open mic to annual fundraisers. Additionally I've had the incredible privilege and honor to speak nationally on topics such as the importance of representation in media, creating inclusive spaces, and geek feminism.

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Once the pandemic hit, I found myself--like so many others--out of stable work. Focusing on my own company, I began to live stream storytelling, games, and performances such as a full-cast read of Shakespeare's The Tempest. As difficult as this shift in communal dynamic was it offered unexpected benefits such as holding events and workshops virtually, which allowed accessibility to increase and community borders to expand. Through live-streaming sites like Twitch, partnerships, podcasts, and slices of community spaces like Discord and Reddit, I've been able to continue reaching out, creating space, and encouraging those who may need it.

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Currently, I live in my home studio in St. Louis, Missouri with a dog, three cats, and menagerie of pets. When not working I'm building terrariums, hand-crafting jewelry from bone and other natural or vintage elements, attending a distance graduate program for Art Therapy and Counseling, and pushing myself as an artist, storyteller, creator, and performer. When I am on the clock I'm working one-on-one with clients on everything from books to branding, producing online live-streams, creating content that connects businesses to their audiences, and teaching.

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