Today we’d like to introduce you to Meg Howard.
Meg, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I had always been pretty artistically inclined since I was a kid, always coloring and doodling on the sides of my notes, but It took until my senior year in college to actually fall in love with the process. I started drawing Mandalas as a form of meditation and therapy, and it really worked, I was consumed with art and design and the repetitive little patterns. At the time, I was gearing up to graduate from The University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Strategic Communications, but I knew thats not where my passion was post-college. I decided that if drawing and art was what I wanted to do for a career, then I would need to learn the tools to make some money and do it. For me that was Graphic Design, I taught myself the Adobe products and was lucky enough to land a job as a logo design specialist for GoDaddy. From here, I was never not drawing or trying to learn more about the Graphic Design world. I would sit on Pinterest and Dribbble and other design-focused sites learning and trying to figure out the design puzzle other talented illustrators laid before me. I made fake projects that I wanted to work on and really stretched my design muscles. About a year and a half ago, I found “lettering” and the meditative process of refining and perfecting each letter, and this just made the design spark grow stronger. I had moved jobs and was sitting in a fairly stagnant job and found myself spending most days working on letters and in the evening hours, I was focused on growing my freelance Graphic Design business. About six months ago I left my job to pursue the full-time freelance lifestyle, and I’ll tell you what- I’ve never been happier!!
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
My artwork has definitely been cyclical. I started doodling Mandalas and loved the meditative process of tiny repeat patterns and watching them grow, a part of me will always love the labor that goes into making that form of art, From there I moved into unique patterns. After Patterns, I got into a design phase and worked as a logo designer, so I fell in love with branding design and still do a fair amount of brand identity design. Then I found hand lettering, and I would say this is my current focus. It’s always a new unique challenge, and it allows me to use the details from previous stages of my “art life.” I recently purchased an Ipad pro and say I do most of my work on it now in procreate.
I try to letter phrases that make me feel something, whether its a creative pep talk to myself, (let’s be real we could all use a little pep talk now and then) or song lyrics that I really love. Im inspired by prohibition era details, mid-century modern design and the 1970s classic rock era- I try to bring a fresh new twist to old favorite’s. And if you follow my Instagram account- there is no lack of a Groovy Vibes,
What would you recommend to an artist new to the city, or to art, in terms of meeting and connecting with other artists and creatives?
I’m all about community over competition! Id say the best thing you can do is reach out to other artists! If you don’t actively try to build your community, it will always feel lonely. I can say I’ve honestly made so many friends (insta friends and real life) from just straight up being nice! If there’s an artist, you really admire, send a message or email- ask if they want to go chat or get coffee! I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how nice and accommodating most people can be!
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I post a lot on Instagram and always let followers know when I am doing an exhibition, live painting/ drawing, or pop up shop!
@meghowart
I sell prints of artwork and working on a new website with the ability to purchase directly from me.
You can also see my work on Society6.com/meghowart.
Contact Info:
- Website: Meghowart.com
- Email: Meg@meghowart.com
- Instagram: @Meghowart
Image Credit:
David Flores (bokeh.of.flores)
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