Creative Career Starter

A conversation with Ben McDougall, a high school senior and a talented designer and illustrator.  We’ll discuss how Ben learned about potential careers, shaped a portfolio to apply to the right colleges and now has begun to imagine life as a professional creative. 

A conversation with Greg Cunneyworth, the creative director and founding partner of Makeway—a digital design agency in Columbus, OH and Rochester, NY. Greg talks about the many ways young designers can get his attention and make the shortlist as he considers expanding his team.

Visit makeway.is to get a look at their work.

A conversation with Claire Cianca, product design illustrator at Flexport in San Francisco.  Claire has found success as an Illustrator in the agency world in NYC and LA and now in the corporate world in San Francisco. Claire talks about developing her skills as an illustrator and a business person and also talks about the challenges she faced figuring out her creative life as a high school art student.
To see her work visit: clairecianca.com

A conversation with Michaela Sansouci, graphic designer at Cloud Health in Boston Mass. Michaela leveraged her numerous internships to land multiple job offers. Hear how she leveraged them and ultimately decided to sign on with Cloud Health.

You can see Michaela’s work at: http://michaelasan.com/projects

A conversation with Andrea (Shaver) Carpenter, Digital Art Director at Karsh Hagan in Denver CO. Andrea made the most of her networking skills in securing her first job as a Junior Art Director at Karsh Hagen. Having moved to a completely new market to start her creative career, Andrea talks about her networking strategies and what she did to connect and find opportunities. 

To see her work visit: andreashaver.com

A conversation with Lauren Mays, Designer/Illustrator at Chase Design in Skaneateles, NY.  Lauren, a self-proclaimed shy person, shares how she overcame challenges like networking, reaching out with cover letters and interviewing during her job search. Lauren has a wonderful range of skills as a designer/illustrator and you can see them on display at: lauren-mays.com

A conversation with Ilana Griffo, Graphic Designer and Illustrator, who has had anything but a traditional career path. She talks about her journey fueled by a desire to do the work she loves to do!

Ilana creates surface design and hand-lettering for licensing as well as illustrations for brands including Party City, Pier 1 and Michaels stores. Her work graces home decor, stationery, publications and more. Her work, her book and her online courses can be found at ilanagriffo.com

I know a lot of you are feeling anxious and unsure of how to proceed with your job search in this age of COVID-19, so I’ve asked Jeremy Schwartz to come on and give us his thoughts on the process. Jeremy is the Chief Creative Officer and one of the founders of Truth Collective, an innovative and nimble agency that relies on young creative talent to help deliver smart and disruptive work to their broad range of clients. Jeremy has a lot of really solid insights to help you navigate these uncharted waters, so have a listen. You can check out their work at www.truthcollective.com

A conversation with Mike Burpoe, lead UI/UX Designer at Punchmark in Charlotte, NC. Mike talks about finding success in the design world when you are not necessarily the most talented visual designer. So many other talents matter, and he has them. In a wide-ranging conversation, Mike discusses being in high school and wanting to work in the creative industry as well as what it takes to impress him during an interview!

Episode 2: Relationships and Your First Job +Telling Your Creative Story

A conversation with Margaret Sommers, Product Designer at LendingClub in San Francisco, CA.  Margaret discusses managing her personal life and her new professional life while relocating for that first job. She also discusses focusing your portfolio AND your story as a way to win an interview. 

Margaret graduated with a degree in Graphic Design in May 2018 and after a few interviews at various design firms, chose to become a product designer in the financial technology (FinTech) industry.

To see her work visit: margaretsommers.com