Tag: Freelance

  • Evelyn Berry

    Evelyn Berry

    “It’s just that when we’re conceptualizing art, we always think of it as something that has happened, but not something you can do in your own life, like in the current moment.” 

    Evelyn Berry, poet and educator from Columbia, SC, uses her voice to champion authenticity and queer Southern storytelling. Through workshops, editing, and her acclaimed poetry, she inspires writers to embrace vulnerability and speak truth to power.

    Interview

    Transcript

    Lexi Raines 00:00 

    Alli, okay. So, first just give us a little introduction to yourself. What do you do for work and where are you currently working from? Yeah. 

    Evelyn Berry 00:08 

    My name is Evelyn Barry. I was born and raised here in South Carolina. I am an author of a book called grief slut, which was published last year by sundress publications, as well as some chat books called buggery and glitter husk. I have another book coming out next year called Tea for tea, from a small harbor press. In addition to writing and publishing, I teach workshops at organizations, whether that’s a nonprofit that’s looking to bring me in for a workshop series, a literary festival that wants to bring me on for a panel, a conference where I’m going to do kind of like a masterclass seminar with students, either online or in person, as well As universities. Where I might come speak to the classes, lead a couple of classes, and then usually do like a masterclass in reading at that university. In addition to that, I am an editor. Yeah, I would say, big role, besides writer and educator, is as a freelance editor, so I work one on one with writers all across the country on their manuscripts. This might look like helping build better writing practices where we talk about how they can deepen their craft, or it might look like helping them navigate the like the world of professional publishing. How one seeks agents, how one seeks publishing opportunities, how you write cover letters and things like that, or even find out about these kind of publishing and funding opportunities. And then my day job, which probably comprises of, like, probably two thirds of all of the money I made last year, is as a library communications strategist. So, I work with staff at a pretty large library system here in South Carolina and help with employee communications that might include anything from drafting all staff emails to share operational updates, creating talking points to help staff talk to and discuss kind of interesting, relevant topics with our communities. This might be a new initiative, an art gallery. Maybe it’s something that’s happened in the news that we want to make sure staff are equipped to talk about, and also staff newsletters, so this includes a lot of blogs that feature staff stories’ this could be anything about a staff who really likes speaking, and it’s about their love of baking, or it might be about staff who run programs using tabletop role playing games, or sometimes like a Storytelling Festival that we’ve had at the library, things like that. So, anything kind of communications wise that might be shared with staff. I usually have a hand in, and I’m sitting on different committees for different projects. 

    Lexi Raines 03:23 

    Awesome. You sound very busy, but that all seems very exciting. 

    Evelyn Berry 03:27 

    It is very busy. It’s a full schedule. Yes! 

    Lexi Raines 03:32 

    I’m sure. So how long have you been writing?  

    Evelyn Berry 03:38 

    So, I’ve been writing since I was a kid, which I think is pretty common, though, I’d say probably started writing seriously around the age of 16, when I was that’s also when I started to publish in literary journals. I was around the age of 16, you know, both obviously in my like high school literary journal, but also in some community literary journals, and then a little farther afield by the time I got to college. I kind of started in high school publishing short stories and poems. I also used to write some articles and a semi regular column for like, a local arts alt weekly newspaper in Augusta. 

    Speaker 2 04:19 

    Georgia. Oh, that’s so cool. That’s all, that’s actually awesome. One of my first paid. 

    Evelyn Berry 04:24 

    Writing gigs, and I think I was just a precocious teenager. Very much precocious.  

    Lexi Raines 04:32 

    What’s one thing that you love about working as a creative in South Carolina?

    Evelyn Berry 04:38 

    In South Carolina, there’s a fairly close-knit community of writers. I think that one of our one of our strengths, is the small size of the state, both in numbers as well as geographically, which means that it’s really easy. Get to one another. I live in Columbia, so within two and a half hours I can pretty much get to any other city which offers a lot of really cool opportunities. When I started to write, I probably had no real business like teaching or writing book reviews, or, like, writing articles in magazines. But a lot of older writers took me under their wing and kind of believed in my work, and, you know, helped me navigate those processes, helped introduce me to new opportunities, and that was tremendously helpful. I don’t have, like, an educational background in writing. I did study English, and I don’t have an MFA, don’t have a PhD, but what I do have is, like a massive village of writing mentors throughout South Carolina and beyond. Who care really deeply about community, and so that’s, that’s a big thing I really love about South Carolina. It’s gotten to the point now where, you know, anytime I go to pretty much anywhere, no matter how small. I know someone there, you know, and I know someone I can grab coffee with, or who would be glad to have me over at their house and, you know, eat dinner their family. Just because, like, that’s kind of what the writing and the arts community at large is here, which is, is really beautiful.  

    Lexi Raines  06:26 

    It is super beautiful. I’ve heard a lot about that in my interview. So it is, I think it’s super awesome to hear that. It really is just a huge community. So, what does South Carolina bring to your work compared to anywhere else.  

    Evelyn Berry  06:43 

    I mean, I grew up in Aiken, South Carolina. I went to school in Charleston, South Carolina. I live in Columbia, South Carolina. Now I’ve you know, spent the majority of my life here in South Carolina. So. it’s kind of impossible for the landscape, the culture, the language, the stories of South Carolina not to seep into my work. I write confessional poetry which is often very biographical. So, the experience of living in the South, especially as a queer person, has kind of informed most of my creative work. Also, in the past, I’ve had the opportunity to work in different capacities in archives, as well as write in response to materials from archives, and it’s gotten me really interested in South Carolina history. I specifically am really interested in South Carolina’s queer history and the ways in which queer people have kind of fought for our rights here in South Carolina, whether that’s the like 1989 ACT UP die in at the state house, or the first Pride festival, which was only like 35 years ago, or, you know, even some of the more, like illicit parts of history, like the history of cruising down in Charleston, South Carolina, from like the sailors and things like that. So there’s all of these, like interesting stories, whether it’s like stories of resistance, or kind of sordid stories, or really fun stories. And I think people don’t think about that when they think of South Carolina, other parts of history. And I’m really always interested in what different spaces and places offer up in terms of their history. 

    Lexi Raines  08:39 

    I completely agree. I think South Carolina has, like, a very diverse history that, like, not too many people know about, like outside of those specific communities. So, I feel like just bringing out that research is super cool. That’s awesome. 

    Evelyn Berry  08:55 

    Yeah, it’s been super fun, especially, you know, I’m not an academic, I’m not a historian, so I get to have the freedom of doing things creatively, which gives you a lot of leeway with these things, which is, which is a lot of fun. How 

    Lexi Raines  09:10 

    Would you define professional or personal success in your creative endeavors? 

    Evelyn Berry 09:15 

    Um, I think that personal success, I think usually comes when you’ve written something that people respond to, that speaks to them. That might change how they think or how they feel, or just move them in some way. I would say the best kind of response that I’ve gotten from like books, is people I’m talking about what it meant to them, whether that it’s, you know, helped vocalize something about their own life that they had never seen on the page before, or that it helped them write something about their own life. Think, which I think is always super cool to see. So I think that’s kind of personal success, professional success, I think is a little bit trickier, because, you know, we do live in a society where you got to pay rent, got to have health insurance. So, I think that if you can consistently get projects and you know, say for poetry or novels, it’s consistently getting published, consistently getting invited to festivals and conferences to teach, so that you can kind of maintain a steady income, which is extremely hard to do because, you know, funding in the arts is very unpredictable. Some years you might, for example, get a fellowship, which I’ve done in the past. Like, last year, I got the South Carolina Arts Commission fellowship. And, like, you know, that’s, that’s like, $10,000 you know, on top of what I usually make. And it’s a big, you know, that that’s, that’s a huge thing for me. And then, you know, having to think of, okay, next year you’re not going to have that. Well, how are you going to make sure to maintain what you’re doing? Like, what will you have to do differently? So I think finding sustainability is really the key for professional artistic success. 

    Lexi Raines  11:27 

    Yes, I would completely, completely agree with that. So, um, this kind of goes along the same lines of that, what was your biggest fear when you first decided to pursue the arts professionally? 

    Evelyn Berry 11:41 

    Well, you know, I mentioned that I didn’t really study English. I really wanted to, I really, you know, when I was applying to colleges and high school, all I wanted to do was write. I wanted to write stories. I wanted to write novels. I wanted to write poems, plays, whatever I could get my hands on. And everyone kind of tells you that it’s a dead end, that it’s impossible. But I think that’s also because they don’t really know anyone who’s ever done it. It’s a weird thing, because, you know, we have, culturally, an idea of artists as something from the past, right? You know, when we think about if you ask someone their favorite artist or their favorite writer, they’re more than likely going to name someone who’s dead, which is not a problem. It’s just that when we’re conceptualizing art, we always think of it as something that has happened, but not something you can do in your own life like in the current moment. So, I think that was the big thing. Is just kind of like falling on my face. I’ll say I remember feeling so like defeated at one point. So, I had a I had my first novel come out when I was very young. So, I like signed a contract when I was 19, and then all came out when I was 22 which is like, maybe irresponsibly young to publish it, to be honest. And, you know, of course, like I was in college, I had this very romantic idea of what a right being a writer was like, I, you know, got to go to, like, one or two conferences and festivals and be like, here’s my novel. And then like, reality set in really fast, which was like, you know, there’s hundreds and hundreds and, you know, there’s 10s of 1000s of novels out there. And so now, just because you’ve, you know, published one, how do you make people actually care about that? How do you sustain that kind of momentum as well? I didn’t have anything else ready to go, you know, at that point, because I’d been college through that entire editing process, and it was a couple of days after, you know, it was months after the novel had come out, interest had already dried up. Like six months in, I’d stopped doing events, and I finally graduated college, which was a crazy kind of thing. And then I remember the very next day, I was like, working at this restaurant, and I was like, a busboy and a like, I like, came up on this table, and it was like a mother with her daughter, and they were touring the college from which I had just graduated, right? It just graduated from the Honors College or top honors, and I dropped the plates in front of them, like I, like, tripped and, like, dropped plates. And the mom looked down at me and pointed at me and went, see, that’s why you need to go to college. And I remember just being like, Oh no, crazy that I’ve, like, you know, thought that I have, like, reached this height, and you think that you’re going to, like, have a single success, or you’re going to graduate from college and then launch yourself into some sort of, like, career of miracle after miracle after just like, coincidence. Yeah, but it’s much harder work than that. So, I think that’s the biggest fear, was realizing that it would not be as easy as I thought, or that, you know, luck and coincidence can only take you so far.  

    Lexi Raines  15:18 

    An English major, actually going back to your first point, like, I was terrified to be an English major. I didn’t come into college as an English major. I was originally a computer science major, and I just hated it, like it was so miserable. And like, I’ve always really enjoyed writing and like reading, and so when I made that switch, I was so much happier. And so I feel like people saying that they don’t have there’s no jobs in English is very, very untrue, obviously. So I feel like just being able to keep your options open and look for those opportunities is something that’s really important. 

    Evelyn Berry  16:03 

    Awesome! Well, I mean, I’ll just say, in response to that, like, something that I would say to anyone who’s graduating with, like, an English degree, or say, like sociology, or any kind of degree that people are generally saying that doesn’t make money, there’s, there’s a lot of jobs out in the world that you’ve never heard of that actually need the skill set that you have, and the skill set that you have, whether it’s like writing and communicating clearly, is becoming more and more rare. I mean, I’m sure you see it in your own peers. Like the ability to write a like cogent and coherent essay about a literary piece without using AI is like a huge deal these days. I see it in, you know, my communications work all the time where, like, you know, being able to quickly and correctly write, or even knowing, like, the basics of grammar or the basics of sentence construction, that’s something I take for granted. I’m like, everyone, everyone knows that. Like, duh, everyone can but that’s not true. And the more that you kind of like work in the world, you realize, oh, actually, I do have a set of skills that might be really useful to some people, and my I might be able to leverage it in real ways. Yes, 

    Lexi Raines  17:24 

    I’ve, really noticed that. And I think coastal does a good job with preparing English majors to, like, really market their skills. So it’s awesome. Can you describe, like, a defining moment in your creative journey? 

    Evelyn Berry 17:38 

    You know, what’s kind of interesting is, you know, when you’re doing creative work, every Turning Point feels like the big break. You know, in some ways, I would say the biggest thing for me a big turning point. A couple of years ago, a mentor of mine encouraged me to apply for a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship in creative writing. So these are governmental fellowships that are given to 25 writers per year. It’s a tremendous amount of funding. And beyond that, it’s quite like an honor to get it is, you know, one of those awards that people recognize on a resume and will bring you in. And at the time, I didn’t have a full length poetry collection out. The novel had been kind of a flop. I was starting to publish in different places, but I still didn’t feel like a quote, unquote, real writer. You know, I still felt like I had failed to live up to that kind of potential, and there was a massive amount of insecurity around the fact that I never went to graduate school and never studied writing. The older I got, the further I felt behind my peers, despite the fact that, you know, I was reading the same books that they were in graduate school. I was, you know, having the same conversations, going to the same events, doing this in kind of community volunteering and getting involved in the literary community. So, you know, this sort of fellowship wasn’t a sort of thing that I thought someone like me was one supposed to apply to, because it would be a waste of time, right? That it would be something no one without proper training, no one without that kind of pedigree already would be able to get a fellowship like that. But I decided to apply. I applied twice, and on the second time I got it, it was, it was really life changing. I actually didn’t believe them when they pulled me on the phone that I had gotten the fellowship, yeah. And it was just really cool to, like, have that moment of like, okay, like, this is real. Like this is, you know, it kind of was funny because it eclipsed a lot of other failures, because it didn’t really matter anymore. It’s like, well, you have, like, this seal of approval, which sounds silly, like, you know, a lot of especially universities, they look for those. Seals of approval, right? And or before they like invite you to come teach, or invite you to come read. And sometimes when you’re able to get a fellowship or an award like that, it’s just the one thing that can help you kind of stand out in the crowd. And that was really a turning point for me. I think that I was able to take myself a little bit more seriously as a writer, I was able to demand a little bit more in terms of, like, what I charge from, you know, people who were hiring me and mostly it kind of gave me, like, the confidence to continue to actually say to myself, like, okay, like, this isn’t just something I do for fun. It is actually, like, my vocation. It is the thing I’m doing with my life is to write and share stories and share poems. Congratulations! 

    Lexi Raines  20:53 

    On that. That’s actually, so that’s awesome. So it was really great.  

    Evelyn Berry  20:58 

    Cool. Yeah, I think, um, it was kind of interesting. Last year, a like, some academic did, like, a qualitative study on, like, who got these kinds of fellowships, and I was the first one to receive that fellowship, I think, in like 30 years. Like, the last person who did it was James Dickey, and so it’s kind of like, yeah, like even that, like Southern writers, rural writers are, like, massively underrepresented for these fellowships. You know, the majority of writers who get them are people who are already well-established. They’re already teaching at major universities and things like that. So it felt really good to like represent for my state as well. And I didn’t realize that until someone pointed it out, and I was like, wow. Like, it’s kind of wild, because I know so many amazing artists and writers here who deserve support, sometimes ignored by like, the national art scene. 

    Lexi Raines 22:01 

    Yeah, that makes it even more meaningful. Congratulations again. Like, what is the best and worst advice you’ve ever received? 

    Evelyn Berry  22:10 

    Unfortunately, the best advice, and I think this goes for any creative path, is just do the thing that you want to do. What I mean by that is, I know a lot of writers who think, Well, I would love to write a novel, but before I can write a novel, I need to go take a creative writing class. Before I write a novel, I need to read 10 books about writing a novel. Before I write a novel, I need to like prove myself in some way, same with being an artist. You know, I will become an artist. I will start making art once I get to the certain point that it’s proved myself. But the only way that you can actually develop craft and develop as an artist, as a photographer, as an actor, is to practice that craft. And, you know, often practice looks like failure because you’re not going to be good at it at first, right? No one is no one is like perfect or no one is skilled at what you do first, and you still might feel inadequate years later, too. But once you start comparing you know how you’ve developed, you’ll see growth. So I think that’s really important as to whatever you’re doing to begin now, you know to not kind of wait for any kind of permission, to wait for any kind of degree or certification or seal of approval from anyone else, but just to start making and also start sharing that work, even if you don’t think it’s very good, you know, upload that photography to Instagram if you’re writing stuff and you know, you know, go ahead and send it out to literary journals. If it’s not getting published in literary journals, like print it in a zine. Share it with friends. Once you start to get into that cycle of creating and sharing art, you’ll kind of you’ll do some more often, the worst advice I’ve ever gotten, I think that the worst advice I’ve gotten is that one should separate, not write about politics. I think a very common thing, what used to be a very common thing in the arts, and especially in writing, was that, you know, people didn’t want to read, you know, quote, unquote, political stories or political art, because it was very heavy handed, which it definitely can be for sure. You know, we’ve all read work that is very heavy handed in that way. But I think it’s really important to think about why that advice is given and Who Gives it often. You know, the lack of politics is not. A lack it is just like a defense of the status quo. And so art that does not engage with values that might be seen as quote, unquote, political are still political. You know, they are. They’re maintaining a kind of status quo, a patriarchy of white supremacy, you know, kind of this, this, this kind of paradigm, right? That is seen as the quote, unquote norm or seen as apolitical when, in fact, it’s very political. All of our lives are very political. And as a poet you know, writing about like being queer in the south, it’s impossible for pretty much anything I write not to be viewed by others as political, even if I don’t mean it that way. And so I remember getting some advice, like definitely, from like, fiction writing mentors and teachers to kind of avoid, you know, talking to explicitly about politics, despite the fact that it kind of informs our every day, I feel like it 

    Lexi Raines  26:04 

    Would be hard to ever completely avoid that topic, because it makes up who you are. It makes up the community around you. It really makes up everything a lot, influencing you. 

    Evelyn Berry  26:14 

    Yeah? So that’s what? Yeah, exactly. It’s an impossible piece of advice unless you are, like, the single most privileged person in the world and are able to insulate yourself completely. 

    Lexi Raines  26:25 

    So, can you please walk us through a typical work day for you, like, what does your process look like, and what’s kind of expected of you on a daily basis? Yeah, 

    Evelyn Berry  26:33 

    Let me take you through kind of a general day that includes all of my different jobs. So I usually wake up at five in the morning, which I know is not fun to hear. If I have real energy, I’ll work out. Otherwise, I’ll go shower. I will say I this is so I mean, maybe it won’t sound weird, but like, you know, I’m not the biggest physical fitness person, but I do think that exercise and just moving your body, whether that’s walking or going to the gym or like playing a game with friends, actually can, like, help boost your creativity. It puts you in a better mood, and it helps bring you energy that doesn’t necessarily fade throughout the day. So I think it’s a really good way to get one’s mind ready to write after that. I usually end up coming home showering, putting on makeup, etc., and I will go right. So sometimes I write at home at my desk. More often, I will go to like a local coffee shop, and write for anywhere from one to two hours before work. And the reason I do this is just that I’m a morning person. It is like when I do my best work is when I wake up by the time like one o’clock rolls around, I’m a little less sharp, so I want to give the best version of myself to my creative work. Then I usually go to work at the at the library. So this usually looks like spending the morning, usually dealing with more immediate needs. So that might be helping write an email, helping finish up some projects, maybe being in meetings so often I will find, like, we have meeting rooms at the library, so I like to find, like, a quiet place have my like, noise canceling headphones, and just really dig into the deep work. So anywhere from one o’clock to five o’clock is when I do that kind of deep work for communications, that’s strategy building, or just something that’s going to take a long time to write. I will say I’m very lucky in that sense, like I have a job in which people generally leave me alone unless they need something or they’ll send me an email, so I get a lot of uninterrupted time to, like, think and sit, and I think that’s really important to kind of have, like, you know, I’m also totally allowed if I wished to, like, leave the library and just like, wander around, because that might help, like, write something that I need to write, and get me in the right mindset to do it. So, yeah, that’s generally what that workday looks like after work. I might do different things. So I help. I helped start a local collective here called queer writers of Columbia. We hold like write ins and workshops and open mics. So often, if that is happening, I will leave work and go grab something to eat, maybe with some of the friends from that group, and we will go and write together even more. Sure, generally in that setting, I’m actually not writing my own work. I’m usually helping other people navigate stuff, just a lot of moving parts. So it might be, you know, just mentoring people basically to get published or to seek opportunities. It might be going to support people at open mics. I’m at the point in my career now where, like, I don’t necessarily have to do those things, you know, like, I can get paid to go read poetry, so I don’t need to go to an open mic and, like, have that kind of exposure. But I think it’s still important to engage with like, everyone in your community, no matter like, level of development they’re at, because, you know, that’s kind of how I had any opportunity at all as a writer, is that someone took a chance on me and gave me an opportunity before I was ever ready for it. So that’s, that’s a big thing that I believe in, is, you know, encouraging people to say, hey, you know, you should really host this. And they’re like, I or teach a workshop, you know? And usually people say, like, I don’t have anything that I could possibly teach others. And I think that when you start doing it, you’ll be surprised by what you can teach others. Something else I really believe in is like, to not get, keep, like, publishing secrets. There’s a lot of norms around literary magazine publishing, wearing agents reaching out to bookstores that are not like written down in many places. You might learn them in an MFA program, but even then, probably not. So the only way to learn them is through trial and error or from just another writer telling you. So I’m a big believer in, you know, mentoring writers to make sure that their talent is not being unnoticed, that they’re able to develop and both within their community and beyond. Yeah, 

    Lexi Raines  32:00 

    So,it sounds like you again, you’re very, very busy person. How do you, like, create a good work life balance where you’re able to maintain both, like, your professional creativity and your personal creativity. That 

    Evelyn Berry  32:15 

    Can be hard sometimes. You know, I think one of the challenges that you run into, like I write for work, and so when I’m done sitting at a computer for eight hours, I don’t want to go sit at a computer anymore. So one of the things I do is prioritize my personal creativity. I think of that as you know, despite the fact that it doesn’t make me as much money, it is the thing that I want to give, like the best part of myself to, which is why I tried to do it before work, right? You know, I say that’s a typical day, but, you know, maybe going and spending time with other writers happens maybe once a week. You know, I’m also very conscious, and even more so these days of like self care, make sure to have time to myself. One of the huge benefits of working at the library where I work is that it has a big emphasis on work life balance. So we have open PTO, which means we can basically take as much PTO as we need. I’m able to work from home one day a week, which is where I am now. I’m not at work right now or not at the workplace. So, you know, it allows the flexibility, which is really great because, you know, I work with people, with families who, you know, need to like to pick up their kids from school in the middle of the day or drop their kids off at daycare. And it’s really nice to work for both a organization as well as for a manager who cares about your personal well being like, beyond anything else, like the actual parts of my job, sometimes they’re fine, like, I like writing articles, but a lot of it’s very boring. It’s very boring writing. It’s very technical, it’s very straightforward, but that doesn’t really matter to me, because what’s more important is that I’ve chosen a career that can sustain me enough that I have the energy and the time and the ability to pursue my creative passions. So for example, like last year, I went on book tour for grief slut. And, you know, I was able to take, you know, several days off, sometimes weeks, or like, a week at a time, to go travel around the country and tour this book. And it was really important to have support from the organization. Person I was working for. And not everyone has that. So like, you know, if, again, you know, if I’m would give advice to someone, I’d say, like, you know, think about the values of the people for whom you’re working, because they will also, you know, sometimes help shape you will they see, like, your art career as something that supplements them, like it’s like something that they’re very happy about, or do they see it as a rival for their time? And so if you can find someone who supports your art as well as your livelihood, it’s a really beautiful thing. I agree.  

    Lexi Raines  35:39 

    That is, I want to find would be an amazing opportunity for a lot of people. 

  • Kelley McDonnell

    Kelley McDonnell

    “You should love what you do, because even if you love it, there are still days that feel a little mundane.” 

    Kelley McDonnell is a content manager at Visit Myrtle Beach. She channels her passion for storytelling into promoting her hometown’s creative spirit. 

    Interviews

    Transcript

    Emma Plutnicki  00:02 

    Okay, so to start, what do you do for work and where are you currently working from? 

    Kelley McDonnell  00:08 

    Okay, I am the content manager for Visit Myrtle Beach. In Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. 

    Emma Plutnicki  00:13 

    Amazing. How long have you been doing that?  

    Kelley McDonnell  00:16 

    For just about a year.  

    Emma Plutnicki  00:19 

    Okay, amazing. And so, what’s one thing that you love about working in Myrtle Beach specifically? 

    Kelley McDonnell  00:25 

    In Myrtle Beach specifically? Well, I am from here originally, so when I majored in Film and Media at South Carolina, and then when I graduated, I went to LA and did film production over there, and then I went to Nashville, and then Savannah, Georgia, and then I had kind of gathered all of this information and new skills and decided that it was time to move back home and apply those skills. So, I think my favorite part about working in Myrtle Beach is that I am from here originally, and I feel like all of the growth that I’ve seen since I was last here, when I was in high school or early college, has been insane. So now I feel grateful to have a job where I can kind of show that to the rest of the world, how much Myrtle Beach has grown, but in a creative way. 

    Emma Plutnicki  01:16 

    Yeah, amazing. And so, you’ve been all over the country, it sounds. So, what is special about South Carolina, and does it have any unique influence on your work as compared to other places that you’ve worked in?  

    Kelley McDonnell  01:32 

    Yeah well, I think again, it’s more because I’m from here originally, that makes it feel extra special. But I think that there’s a lot of interest in South Carolina. I know that there are some other destinations within the state that are looking into having a local film commission. I know there’s a lot of film production and sorry, that’s my level of expertise. So that’s what I always talk about. I know there’s film production a little bit in Charleston. I know we here at Visit Myrtle Beach are very passionate about starting up a local film commission here as well. So I just think there’s a ton of interest, and I think that eventually it’s going to start to catch on, and people such as yourself and the people that are studying these types of careers are going to find a way to make it happen, because I feel like that’s kind of what I did, is I didn’t feel like there was a lot of opportunity for me at the time when I had graduated high school and even a little bit of college, and then I kind of went out and learned and came back, and then I realized I could do anything. I can do it here, for sure. So I think it just takes some education and some other people that work within South Carolina who can kind of share what they’ve learned and what they’ve gathered over the years and hopefully inspire people to stay and not feel like they have to go out of state to work in the arts. 

    Emma Plutnicki  02:57 

    Yeah, amazing. And so, how would you describe the local professional community here? Is there a lot of support that you lean on? 

    Kelley McDonnell  03:04 

    Yeah, definitely. When I first moved back here from Savannah, there were a lot of local people that worked in film production that were freelance, so this was all they did. And so, I was able to find some work through them, and because of that, that was kind of how I got introduced to the folks at Visit Myrtle Beach and how I have the job that I have now. But I think, you know, our stakeholders, my superiors here at my company, are all very passionate about moving it forward, especially professors at CCU like Michael, you know, who have expressed interest and in growing the education of film production and just art in general, in the area. So, I feel, like I said, there’s a lot of interest. It’s just a matter of taking the actual steps. 

    Emma Plutnicki  03:56 

    Yeah, definitely. And within a creative career, it can be hard sometimes to know what success is. So how do you define success, both personally and professionally? 

    Kelley McDonnell  04:08 

    That’s a great question. I feel very passionately that success, to me, is defined as feeling excited about getting up and going to work every day. And, you know, obviously there are those days where it’s, you know, but generally speaking, I feel very grateful to do what I love. I know that there are a lot of people out there who don’t and who dread going to work and who just do it for the paycheck, and I feel grateful that I love what I do. I love the people I get to interact with. I love creating and putting content out there for everybody to see. I love interacting with people. I love knowing what they think, and how can we be better, and everything’s always moving and changing and evolving. And I love that kind of fast paced speed of it. But I think that success is just looking forward to going to work and not feeling like you’re just collecting a paycheck. That’s how I feel, at least.  

    Emma Plutnicki  05:02 

    Yeah, that’s definitely refreshing to hear. But did you have any fears going into this career? 

    Kelley McDonnell  05:07 

    Yeah, definitely when I first started. Actually, the majority of my career up until this point has been freelance, and that is definitely scary because you don’t have any job security, and kind of have to fend for yourself to get work, there’s a lot of hustle involved. And that’s really why I wanted to sit down and talk with you about this. Because when I was in college, somebody came and spoke to our class about, you know, the first couple of years getting into the industry are really hard, but you just have to keep pushing through. You kind of feel like you’re not sure which way is up and what’s happening, but, if you just keep your head down and keep putting the work in and remind yourself how much you love it and how great it’s going to be when it does work out, that’s kind of what got me through. But the biggest challenge was definitely not knowing when my next job was. Am I ever going to get a check from those people that were kind of sketchy, that kind of thing? So, it was definitely a little nerve wracking, but it got me to the point where I am today. So just, you know, keeping your head down, keep on trucking. Do follow your instincts kind of thing.  

    Emma Plutnicki  06:16 

    Yeah, I love that. And throughout your career, has there been a specific moment or project that you’ve worked on that really stands out in terms of, you know, having a significant impact on you or your creative journey? 

    Kelley McDonnell  06:30 

    Yeah, that’s a very interesting question. A handful of years ago, I had the opportunity to direct a promo for an FX show called The Patient, and the lead in that show was Steve Carrell, so I got to interview him and direct him in some promo work for that show, for FX, and that, to me, really felt like an “I made it” moment for me and I think it was just because I had worked with a ton of celebrities previously, but never in the director’s chair. And so that was my first time as like, I’m the person that people are asking the questions to. I’m the one making the decisions. And it felt very natural, and I felt like I was in the right place, doing the right thing. And it felt very good. And then kind of after that, it was like, Okay, now what am I going to do next? So it’s kind of a, it was a pivotal point in my career, because I felt like I had hit this ceiling, almost in a way, and then it was like, Okay, what am I going to do next? And it just kind of fueled me into the next phase of my career, which is how I ended up here. 

    Emma Plutnicki  07:41 

    Yeah, that’s amazing. That must have been incredible to work on that project.  

    Kelley McDonnell  07:46 

    Yeah, it was really fun.  

    Emma Plutnicki  07:51 

    Yeah, oh my gosh. And so along the way, I’m sure there’s been roadblocks and struggles, but has there been anybody that’s offered you advice, either good advice or bad advice? What kind? 

    Kelley McDonnell  07:59 

    So many people, I can’t even tell you. I mean, there have been people that I met on set that day that were complete strangers, that are just kind of like, Hey, I know what it’s, what it’s like to have just moved to LA or to have just graduated college, keep doing what you’re doing, you know, whatever, whatever. And I’ve had the opposite, where people are like, Get out now you’re still young. Like, get a get a real job, while you still can, you know, go learn how to be an accountant. I wish I did, or whatever. And you just kind of have to take each of those things with the grain of salt, the good and the bad, because it’s not always as glamorous as people think, and it’s also not always as bad as people may think. So, at the end of the day, I think you just have to trust yourself and remember that it’s just opinions. No matter who it’s coming from, it’s just opinions. At the end of the day, all that matters is what you think and how you be yourself. So yes, I’ve gotten a ton of advice, good and bad over the years from so many different types of people. But you know, you just kind of have to internalize it and decide how you want to use it from there. 

    Emma Plutnicki  09:09 

    Yeah, for sure. And so nowadays, what does your typical work day look like? What do you usually like? What is expected of you? What do you get into? 

    Kelley McDonnell  09:19 

    So, it’s really fun. It’s different all the time, which is what I like. I think a lot of people who work in the arts and creative people like for it to be different. But since I am the content manager for Visit Myrtle Beach, I kind of manage all of, any kind of content that we put out, from social media to blog articles on our website, any kind of advertisements that we put in any publications or on any websites or anything. I’ll write all the copy for it and determine which images to use. We also do commercial shoots here for the destination, which, again, is why I love my job, because I’m passionate about the city, because it’s my hometown. So yeah, we do commercials, photo shoots, things like that. So, day to day, it’s more, it’s a lot of scheduling, which I learned how to do in LA on set, which is great. So, it’s definitely a lot of scheduling, a lot of coordination with a lot of people that are local. But I meet so many different people and interact with so many different people every week that I feel like this world just keeps getting smaller and smaller, in a good way. Yeah, so sometimes we will step out and go shoot something at the boardwalk. Sometimes, you know, we do have the Myrtle Beach classic. So sometimes I’m out on the golf courses doing some content for that. So it’s definitely always exciting, it’s different every day, which is great. 

    Emma Plutnicki  10:42 

    Yeah, that must be a lot of fun. And so, I’m sure there’s certain events that go late into the night or on weekends. So how are you able to manage a better like work life balance? 

    Kelley McDonnell  10:53 

    Yeah, that’s a great question. That’s a great question. That was something that I had really struggled with when I was freelancing, because, like I said, I didn’t know when my next job was coming, so any job that was offered to me, I took it because I didn’t want to be ungrateful. I wanted to always take advantage of any work that was coming my way. So, I did not have a good work life balance. But I feel like that’s what your 20s are for, is figuring that out. So yeah, I have definitely gotten a lot better at it. There are, thankfully for me in this job, the events and the things that require me to stay late or work on the weekend are fun. So, it doesn’t feel like work, like going to work the Myrtle Beach classic on a Saturday and Sunday. It doesn’t feel like, Oh, I’m losing my Saturday and Sunday. It’s like, I get to go to the Myrtle Beach classic for free, and I get to just walk around there, enjoy the weather, interact with the people who are having a good time. So it just depends there. And that’s not to say that there are some times where things run a little late, and it’s a little bit of a bummer, but I always just practice gratitude, and I think that’s the best way of looking at it, is that, you know, if I, if I didn’t go to these events, that means that I don’t have this job, and who knows what I would be doing if I didn’t. So, I think just always kind of looking for the positives, when things like that are always going to come up. I think in any job, any career, where you have to do something that’s on your own time, or you might have to miss something so you can go to a work thing. But I think just reminding yourself the good parts of it and keep you in check. 

    Emma Plutnicki  12:30 

    Yeah no, that’s a great way to reframe that. I love that, so amazing. So just as we wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to add about your path, your career, or any advice along the way?  

    Kelley McDonnell  12:44 

    Yeah I mean, I would just say advice that really worked for me, like I was saying kind of towards the beginning of this is just trust yourself if you life is too short to do something that you don’t want to do, especially when it’s, you know, we’re expected to work 40 hours a week for however many years of our life, you should love it, you should love what you do, because even if you love it, there are still days that feel a little mundane. So may as well love it the majority of the time. But yeah, and just think, you know, when I was growing up, it was definitely like, go to college, get the job that’s gonna make money. You know, Do this, do this, do this, do this. And I’m so glad I didn’t do that. I’m so so glad that I stuck with art and figured out a way to make it work for me. And I just would say that anybody who is passionate about it, you should try to do your passion for work. 

    Emma Plutnicki  13:37 

    Yeah, I love that. Well, thank you so much.  

    Kelley McDonnell  13:42 

    Yeah, of course.

  • Daniel Dorriety

    Daniel Dorriety

    “I’ve always had a passion for welding… I’ve always been the kind of person who likes to work with his hands. The more you do, the more you try, the better you get.” 

    Daniel Dorriety is a welder by trade and works at General Electric building gas turbines. He is part of a special process team for repair engineering, focusing on joining development, handling the welding on every part of the gas turbines that get fixed. 

    Interview

    Transcript

    Daniel Dorriety

    My name is Daniel Dorriety. I am a fabricator slash welder by trade. I worked for General Electric. I’ve been there for 24 years. Prior to that, I worked in some other Welding Fab [Fabrication] shops. But G.E. has been the most of my career.

    Haley Hansen

    You said you’d been working there for 24 years?

    Daniel Dorriety

    Yes, ma’am.

    Haley Hansen

    Can you walk me through like a typical workday?

    Daniel Dorriety

    Sure. So, we build gas turbines. At Greenville, I work for the repair engineering side. I am part of the special process team for repair engineering. So I focused on the joining development, which means all the parts on the gas turbine that get fixed; I handled the development of the welding, the braising, and the laser cladding repair of these parts. I have, typically, a dozen projects at a time that I work intermittently between each other. Today was more admin, catching up on documentation, more than anything. I kind of plan that out, because I’m on vacation in the next two weeks. Typically, my role specifically now is for laser repair. So, I run a C.N.C.[Computer Numerical Control] laser clatter; I do 3D Adaptive repair of gas turbine components that are by definition, unweldable. Hence why we’re using a laser. This is a fairly new change for me; that’s something I picked up about two… two years ago. The 22 years prior was all welding and brazing, and then, welding on gas turbine parts my entire stance; we did new mate manufacturing the first few years I was there, and then I switched to repair. So, I’ve been repairing and refurbishing gas turbine parts for nearly 20 years now.

    Haley Hansen

    For someone who doesn’t know anything about the industry, can you elaborate on the difference between welding and laser repair?

    Daniel Dorriety

    Sure. So, welding is it’s a manual process, and you’re using just a welding machine, and has a lot of human interface. So it’s, it’s a lot of variability between operators, not all welders are the same, right? So, it’s hard to establish control critical guidelines, you know, if you have to have a very stable process, it’s hard to control that when you have the human factor involved. And gas turbines are made of components that are very difficult to weld. By nature, they are super strong, and they hold up the very high temperatures in the engine. And that equates to alloys that don’t like to be welded. So they’re in a nutshell, very brittle and a crack. So, the difference between manual welding and laser is that laser is a more controlled process. It’s a C.N.C.[Computer Numerical Control] process that has a program driving it, right? So, you can control your heat input, your travel speed, the amount of filler that’s added, you can control all those precisely, and the density of a laser is so much more precise that your heat affected zone is smaller, which just means that you’re not going to introduce stress and cracking into the base metal nearly as much as you would with a manual welding process. Plus, it’s faster. And it’s an automated process, right? So, you can control it. You can’t weld everything with a laser, but we try to focus on the parts that are the most critical. Everything else, is pretty much a manual repair from that point.

    Haley Hansen

    How did you end up in the field that you’re working in, right now?

    Daniel Dorriety

    I always had a passion for welding. I went to Career Center in high school, took some welding classes, and loved it. I’ve always been the kind of person who likes to work with his hands. So, I knew that’s what I wanted to do. I like to build things. The fabrication side is not just welding, but it’s building structures. It’s, you know, whether you’re building a trailer or building a house. I’m building my second house now, and I’m doing all the work myself, right? I just liked that work with your hands and have something to see when you’re all done. Welding was something that I was good at it. I was always kind of into art. When I was young, I did a lot of drawing. And I think that helps me with welding.

    Daniel Dorriety

    You know, it’s a lot of hand-eye coordination, just fell in love with it. I stuck with it. And this is where I’ve ended up.

    Haley Hansen

    Being able to like to visualize the finished product I imagined helps a lot.

    Daniel Dorriety

    Especially on the artistic side. Yes. You know, typically, in my field, they give you a drawing, and you have to make it, right? So, there’s not a lot of visualization in that. But outside of G.E., I know I do gifts for people. I do fire pits. I built fire pits and that’s where the vision comes in, right? You have to have an idea in your head and then create it.

    Haley Hansen

    Did you, go straight into professional welding right out of the career center and like high school?

    Daniel Dorriety

    Pretty much. Yeah, I started in a [work] Co-oping in my senior year of high school. That would be my second year at the Career Center. So, instead of going to class my senior year, I went straight to work, Co-op, and then, when I graduated, I was hired full-time into the company I was working for welding, and then I continued on at Tech[Horry Georgetown Technical College] and got my associate’s degree. Then, eventually, I switched over to General Electric and have been there ever since.

    Haley Hansen

    What was your associate’s degree in?

    Daniel Dorriety

    Industrial Technology, with a major in Welding.

    Haley Hansen

    Do you have, like, a defining moment in your career or your creative journey where you realized, like, that was what you wanted to do for the rest of your life?

    Daniel Dorriety

    I guess the only thing I can really remember, is that my uncle had a fabrication shop. He built trailers. I found that fascinating when I was young; pretty young. I was probably in middle school, and I would go over to his shop and see what he was building and see all his tools. I just thought that was fascinating. And I wanted that for myself. And I think that’s how I kind of went down this road. 30 years later, I now have my own shop, and I’m starting to do stuff freelance on the side with a goal of eventually being self-employed, but G.E. is a pretty good job. So, I’m gonna stay there for a while.

    Haley Hansen

    I’m sure they’re glad to hear it. [Dorriety laughs] What would you say was the biggest adjustment or challenge you faced when you started your current role?

    Daniel Dorriety

    Maybe working with people? You know, all the different kinds of personalities.

    Haley Hansen

    That would do it.

    Daniel Dorriety

    You know, being a welder, especially the first place I worked at, you kind of got a rough crowd. I worked with a lot of field hands, guys that are used to working on the road and a lot of different personalities. And then, switching over to GE, a much more professional environment. So, that was definitely better. And then migrating into working for repair engineering, where I’m working with all very professional people, you know, that are engineers, and PhDs, and again, very different personalities, right? So, it’s learning how to fit in the world from one extreme to the other.

    Daniel Dorriety

    So, one of my primary jobs is, developing a repair but also transferring that repair to the shop so that they can do the repair. And then I have to train the operators, right? So, I’m the interface between the operator on the floor doing the work, the engineering staff that controls the process, and then our engineering staff that owns the process, right? So, it’s working with a vast difference in personalities is probably the biggest challenge. And we’re global too. So, we work with people in Singapore; we work with pink people in Saudi Arabia, shops all over the place, language barriers, and cultural differences. So, I’d say people. People are the biggest challenge.

    Haley Hansen

    Kind of related to that, can you recommend any specific skills that someone aspiring to your profession should develop?

    Daniel Dorriety

    Practice. It goes just along with everything, you know, if playing a guitar, for instance, I can’t play but I imagined that the more you do, the more you try, the better you get. And the same things for welding; I mean, you’re not going to grow and have better opportunities. If you don’t try be the best you can at it, right? You’ve got to put in the time, and you got to put the effort in; it takes a lot of practice to get good at welding; it’s not something you can just learn in three weeks; it literally takes months to years to get proficient, much less expertise. If somebody chooses to be a welder, I’d say that patience and practice. And a lot of it.

    Haley Hansen

    Are there any organizations or programs, or maybe, like, annual events that you would recommend for folks who are interested in your field, in South Carolina?

    Daniel Dorriety

    Well, the tech centers are bringing back trade schools. I went to Greenville Tech, their program was pretty decent. There is a private organization called ArtLabs that has a more intense and faster program that’s more specific to getting people employed and getting into work faster, versus going to Tech[Horry Georgetown Technical College], that kind of, kind of drags things out because they want to add extra classes to your workload and things that don’t get you into a job shop faster, right? So, I would probably lean towards art labs, they come with a very good reputation for their program. You know, other than that, working with people, making connections with experienced people, I’ve had a lot of people come up to my place that wants me to do things for them, and that are fascinated, and they want to watch and they want to learn and then they come back and I help them. Not necessarily a school, but this kind of gets them started just enough, where, they can do things at their house, and they can practice.

    Haley Hansen

    Do you have any advice for current students or young adults who are pursuing a creative career in welding?

    Daniel Dorriety

    Just don’t be afraid to try. Don’t let the fear of the unknown hold you back, I think I would have probably been freelance much earlier. If while, one, I had a family, so I had to have a steady income and benefits. So, that kind of helped me where I was. Still, the fear of the unknown kind of holds me back because I do have a stable good job. And I hate to walk away from that and struggle, right? So, I’ve been trying to build my own thing on the side.

    Daniel Dorriety

    In addition to keeping my stable pay slash benefits, who knew the day I enjoy making things? I do a lot of retirement gifts for people at G.E. I’ve probably made 30, 40, 50 of them over the years. Some of them have turned out really good, very artistic. Some of them are okay, but in the day, it’s fun. But I’m afraid if I get in a position to where it’s a consignment job, or I have to do it to make a living, that the fun will disappear.

    Haley Hansen

    Oh, I know that feeling.

    Daniel Dorriety

    Yeah. So, I don’t want to get in that position to where I don’t enjoy it, right? So, I don’t know. It’s the fear of the unknown that still gets me. I don’t know how to compress that yet. Small doses I guess.

    Haley Hansen

    Before we end, is there anything else you think is important that you say here?

    Daniel Dorriety

    Just, I always told my daughter that if you can find something that you enjoy… that you can make money at it. Then you never really have to work for a living. I never quite figured that out for myself, but I hope she does. So, just try to follow your passion and make some money at the same time.

  • Tori Hord

    Tori Hord

    “The more you push yourself out of your comfort zone and out of the box you’re used to, the more confident you get.” 

    Tori Hord is an Associate Professor of Graphic Design at Methodist University in Fayetteville, N.C. She grew up in Loris, S.C., and earned her bachelors in graphic design at Coastal Carolina University. She continued her graphic design with a  Master of Graphic Design M.G.D. at North Carolina State University.  

    Interview

    Transcript

    Tori Hord

    My name is Tori Hord. I am from Loris, South Carolina, so very close to Coastal [Carolina University], like 30-ish minutes. And I currently teach graphic design at Methodist University in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

    Emma Plutnicki

    So how long have you been working there?

    Tori Hord

    Seven years.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Wow. Amazing. And your official job title, would that just be graphic design teacher?

    Tori Hord

    Associate Professor of Graphic Design.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Amazing. So how did you get into that? How did you find that job? And how did you just end up in that field overall?

    Tori Hord

    That’s an interesting, so I started when I started Coastal. I went to undergrad there, I started as a biology major. About a semester or two semesters in, I decided to switch my major to graphic design without telling any of my family and made them all have a small heart attack when they found out.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Oh my gosh.

    Tori Hord

    But it’s always something that I’ve loved. So it was a really good change for me. And from there, I just, I was just very passionate about it. And when I graduated, I got a job in the field. And I worked there for a couple years and then decided that I wanted to pursue my masters in graphic design. So I went and got a masters in graphic design from NC State. And then when I graduated from NC State, there were, y’know, lots of applying to jobs, and I landed here in Fayetteville at Methodist University.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Amazing. So what made you switch from biology to graphic arts? Was it more hating biology? Or was it more a passion for graphic arts?

    Tori Hord

    It was more passion for sure. Always loved it growing up, but just never considered or thought of it as a turning something I loved into the career. And once I figured out that I could do that, I was like, “Absolutely. Let’s do this.”

    Emma Plutnicki

    Yeah. More fun, probably. So can you walk us through a typical work day? Like, what’s expected of you, what your work process looks like, what kind of things you work on?

    Tori Hord

    Yes, absolutely. So for me, I think being, teaching design and being a professor, you kind of get the best of both worlds. So my initial attraction to teaching it, you know, other than just loving the subject and wanting to share more was that it has a great schedule. You have time for, you know, it’s a great work life balance for the most part. And that also gives you lots of time to continue to work in the field, which I was adamant about not stopping, I didn’t want to stop my design career to teach, I wanted something that would allow me to do both. And that’s what the shop does, which I love it, you get a great schedule, you get a, you know, it’s a steady, it’s not like you’re freelancing all the time, it’s a steady income. Day to day, it depends on what classes I have offered, but I teach anywhere from two to three, like studio length classes a day. So I’m in the art building, in the studio, working with students. And then when I’m not teaching I’m in my office, you know, doing housekeeping things and preparing and also working on my own work.

    Tori Hord

    Amazing. So the classes that you teach, are those different levels of graphic designer, or do they have specialties within them?

    Tori Hord

    Yes, I teach at all levels. So I teach the freshmen their first semester, on up to the seniors in their last semester. And everything in between. So I see a little bit of all of them all the time.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Yeah, that’s great. So can you describe a defining moment in your, like, creative journey so far? So maybe it’s a specific project that really showcased your creativity or had a significant impact on you?

    Tori Hord

    The one, this is ironic, but the one that really comes to mind as being most memorable for me was actually at Coastal at the Athenaeum Press.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Oh, really?

    Tori Hord

    Yes, we worked on the Gullah Geechee project. And there was, we traveled out to these different places and took photographs and did interviews and then the project itself won an Addy Award at the end. So it was kind of like a, a quintessential moment for me. I was like, “this is actually going to work. This is neat. We’re getting recognition for work that me and my friends have, you know, kind of poured our hearts into.” So that was a big moment for me.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Yeah, I’ve seen that work. It was great. So I’m sure that was a really fun time to work on. So do you think this career path is challenging? What challenges have you faced and how have you been able to kind of overcome those challenges? Because being in a creative career as a whole is pretty challenging, but how have you kind of worked through this?

    Tori Hord

    It is, I would say it was challenging. And it’s um, it’s like with anything you do, the more you do it, the more you push yourself out of your comfort zone and out of the box that you’re used to, the more confident you get in it. I do remember my first year teaching anything, I was terrified, right? I’m standing up in front of this group of people. And you’re suddenly faced with like, “I know nothing,” right? “I am not qualified to do this, I should not be here. Why did these people give me a job.” But the more you do it, you realize, “okay, I’m equipped, I have the knowledge, I’ve done the education, I have a passion for it.” So for me, it really was just making sure I was getting out of my comfort zone, and putting in the effort… and it was fantastic. But the more I was in those classrooms with the students and got to know them, and saw their excitement for it, everything just came together.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Yeah, that’s amazing. So within your specific field, can you think of any skills that you possess that helped you land that role, or any skills that you think an applicant should have to increase their chances of getting that role? I know, like you’re in teaching, so is there any like connection with teaching that you had to help you or was your skill in graphic design, like the driving force to lead you to teaching, or just in general, like any skills that helped you?

    Tori Hord

    Obviously, to be able to teach art or graphic design or anything, you have to have a certain level of knowledge, but especially for art design, you also have to have a certain level of skill, right, you have to be able to get to that point. So a portfolio is still a big part of this job, even though it’s not a, the focus is not necessarily all design, you know, work all the time, you still have to have a great portfolio, you still have to make sure that you’re paying attention to the detail, because it matters when getting these roles. And I think the other part of it is, is communication, being able to talk about what you want from that job, but also be able to talk about your work in ways that ties it in to people that might not necessarily be in your field. Which is a great skill for designers have anyway, because there’s lots of contact with people outside of the art world. So being able to communicate those ideas and your thoughts and passions to those people is really important, too.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Yeah. It’s a very important skill. And so, you studied in South Carolina, and now working in North Carolina. Are there any like organizations or programs or events that you recommend for people who are trying to get into that field? Is there any like conferences you went to that helped you network to figure out, like, gain more connections within the creative world or anything like that in the area?

    Tori Hord

    Yeah, I’m a big supporter of AIGA [the Professional Association for Design] I’ve been a member of AIGA since I was an undergrad, and continued that. But more so than that, I found a lot of helpful was these kind of like open houses for different schools. So when I was pursuing my master’s or thinking about going to get my graduate degree, I looked into these different kind of open houses, kind of meet and greets. And I met a lot of really great people and lots of great networking opportunities just from doing that. And that had no ties to it. You didn’t have to, no commitments, you’re just kind of going and exploring and learning about what your options are.

    Emma Plutnicki

    That makes sense. So AIGA, you said?

    Tori Hord

    Yes.

    Emma Plutnicki

    What does that stand for, do you know?

    Tori Hord

    American Institute of Graphic Arts.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Okay, awesome. I’m sure a lot of people know that. I didn’t know. That’s amazing.

    Tori Hord

    The chapter here is in Raleigh, the closest one. But a lot of universities have like local student chapters. I know Coastal used to have one, whenever I was there. And we have one here. It’s just a great opportunity for professionals and students to kind of connect.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Yeah, that’s amazing. So great. Thanks for saying all this. This is such an interesting field. I’m sure you have fun with it every day. But just as we wrap up, do you have any advice for current college students or just people who are looking to get into these fields in creative professions?

    Tori Hord

    Follow what you’re passionate in. That was a big thing for me. So I went along with, like I said, the biology doing what I thought I was supposed to do, and what, you know, everyone was like, “Oh, you’d be great, at you know, XYZ, you’d be a great doctor, you’d be great at this.” And in the back of my mind, there was always something like, “Maybe but I don’t know that I want it.” And just listening to that little voice, and you know, going after what you do want, regardless of what other people might think which, I mean is, you know, life anyway right?

    Emma Plutnicki

    Yeah. No, that’s great advice. I definitely need to listen to that too.

  • Rick Sargent

    “I was on a super high science route, but it wasn’t making me excited. I wasn’t really finding my fit. It wasn’t until my high school art teacher said, ‘Hey, there’s this career called medical illustration’ that I was like, ‘Wait, so I can do science and drawing, and they merge together?” I quickly changed my major.”

    Rick Sargent is a visiting professor of art at The Citadel, where he teaches drawing, painting, animation, and illustration. He also leads a freelance career as a medical illustrator. Sargent is from Columbus, Georgia, and now resides in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Sargent attended the University of Georgia, earning an undergraduate degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, and the Medical College of Georgia, where he earned a master of science in Medical Illustration

    Interview

    Transcript

    Rick Sargent

    I am Rick Sargent. I’m originally from Georgia, Middle Georgia, small, smallish town middle sized town called middle Columbus, Georgia. And right now I currently reside in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.

    Sara Sobota

    What do you do for work? And where are you working from, right now?

    Rick Sargent

    I am primarily a college professor at the Citadel. And I teach art. I teach drawing, painting, animation, and illustration. What makes me suitable for that is my other career. My side… my other gig, is being a medical illustrator. And so I, when I’m teaching, obviously, I’m teaching on in person, not online. As a medical illustrator, I work from home.

    Sara Sobota

    Okay, next question. How long have you been working there? And what’s your official job title? I guess you have two of each of those?

    Rick Sargent

    I do. Yeah. Yeah. I think at the Citadel for 10 years, I have been a medical illustrator for 22 years.

    Sara Sobota

    Okay, wow, how you ended up in the field. We kind of went over that already. But if you could just give us a recap a little bit.

    Rick Sargent

    Yeah, absolutely. So, I ended up being a medical; I’ll start with a medical illustration, Sykes, that chronologically leads into that. Um, is that I started out becoming a medical illustrator from the inspiration, advice I had from my high school art teacher, and who knew a medical illustrator and thought that I’d be a fit. I changed my major at the University of Georgia to have an undergrad degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and then went on to become; have a Master of Science degree in Medical Illustration, and became a medical illustrator. And then, from that, I came into practicing medical illustration in New Jersey, came down to South Carolina, and had a colleague who was teaching at another school who turned me on to the idea of teaching. And, um, he left the program, and I came in and took his job, so to speak, or took over for him as he left and became a teacher. Fell in love with teaching, and I’ve been a teacher ever since.

    Sara Sobota

    Wow, that’s great. So your graduate degree was a M.S.? Is that right? And medical illustration?

    Rick Sargent

    Correct.

    Sara Sobota

    Wow. That’s fantastic. You don’t also hear or see that very often, I wouldn’t think.

    Rick Sargent

    Yeah, so it’s, you know, different programs offer different degrees. Some like Johns Hopkins offer Master of Arts program. We at the Medical College of Georgia, formerly known as the Medical College of Georgia, their take on it was like, we can teach you we can we want to give you a more solid scientific background. So we want that to be first and foremost, while teaching you the arts.

    Sara Sobota

    And forgive me, I don’t know what medical college of George’s name is now. What is it now?

    Rick Sargent

    Yeah, so it is now, The Augusta University.

    Sara Sobota

    Oh, I didn’t know that.

    Rick Sargent

    It changed, maybe five years ago. It used to be Georgia Regents University, and they changed; they got a gobbled up by the Augusta University.

    Sara Sobota

    Got it. Okay, so what background did you have that helped you land that role? I feel like we went over that.

    Rick Sargent

    Yeah, yeah, for sure. As far as Professor goes, you know, it was a real-world experience. Obviously, having a master’s degree, um, allows me to become a college professor. So, I’ve reached the terminal of my degree; there’s no doctorate in medical illustration.

    Sara Sobota

    Are there any medical decision programs in South Carolina? Do you know?

    Rick Sargent

    There are not?

    Sara Sobota

    Okay. Okay. So you need to go to another state to pursue that.

    Rick Sargent

    Yes, there are approximately six schools across the country that have a master’s degree. There are some that have, like R.T.; Rochester Institute, they have a bachelor’s degree in medical illustration.

    Sara Sobota

    Okay. So, can you walk us through a typical work day? What does your work process look like? And what is expected of you on a daily basis?

    Rick Sargent

    Yeah, for this I will focus on the medical illustration side. I specialize in what’s called Medical Legal Illustration. So, I work for attorneys, and they have to explain; you communicate in layman’s terms and visual terms what happened in an accident or a medical procedure. So, a typical workday is that I will assess documents from a doctor’s operative reports they will send me films, our view of the radiology, and make them a proposal based on what I see that I would think is the best protocol, the best way to present their case would be that is reviewed with a medical expert. We normally have some Zoom meetings lined up, where we’ll discuss what the point there and the jist to their case, is making sure that I have all the supporting materials that I need. And then I will proceed to create the illustrations for them.

    Sara Sobota

    Okay, wow, you’re blending law, medicine, and art.

    Rick Sargent

    I’m telling you it is all over.

    Sara Sobota

    That’s amazing.

    Rick Sargent

    Yeah.

    Sara Sobota

    That is awesome. Can you describe a defining moment in your creative journey, something that had a significant impact on you, or something you produced that really showcased your creativity?

    Rick Sargent

    I will say… medical illustration-wise. Yes, yeah. Yeah, there was a defining moment; I was the senior medical illustrator at Houston Sports Medicine Orthopedic Hospital in Columbus, Georgia. And there was a conference coming up, where a surgeon wanted to display a new surgery technique. And he was, this was way back in 2002. Um, 2003, time. And he was cutting edge. And even in technology as far as visual communication. And so, he was really pushing the department to move to 3d. Whereas we were just scratching the surface of that, a lot of stuff that we did were in is in Photoshop; every now and then, we would dip into After Effects and things like that to make things move for animation. And so, in a very quick turnaround, he bought the software for 3D, told me to learn it, and create an animation of his procedure. So, we had a roughly three-week turnaround time, from start to finish, of storyboarding of creating the models and rendering to get ready for his presentation at his conference. And we actually won an award for it. It was, it was insane. It was long nights spent. Us. I think I slept there over the weekend trying to create this thing. But well worth it. And I think he’s still using some of the components of it. Yeah.

    Rick Sargent

    That’s amazing. So when you say we, who all was on the team? Was it just you and him or…

    Rick Sargent

    It was me and him as; we had another medical illustrator on staff, who was helping to kind of give art direction to it. Since she was more, publications. But, she was definitely lending a hand to the process. We had all hands on deck, so to speak, right? So.

    Sara Sobota

    That’s amazing. Was it for you to find this career path? Or to figure out how to apply your background to this task? We kind of talked about that, but.

    Rick Sargent

    Definitely a challenge, for sure. And I definitely wrestled with, could I make a career, I’m just gonna go with medical illustration, like, it was definitely challenged to say that I was going to be a medical illustrator. I actually got turned down, twice, applying to the school. And so with my portfolio I just kept, I think I was more kind of not really, I was a little bit wishy-washy, at least on the second round, because I was debating on this career or this career. And I was like, well, I’ll just submit my application. And then I took a year off. And that kind of sat down, reassessed where I was going, and what I needed to do, and I think, really put the nose to the grindstone and just drew and drew and drew and drew, you know, everything that they wanted for the portfolio, took their advice from the previous portfolio, and it’s like, Alright, I’m gonna, I’m gonna hit this hard, you know. And then, when I finally got in, I was I was pretty excited, so.

    Sara Sobota

    Yeah, that’s amazing. Great. Can you recommend any specific skills that an aspiring applicant should have to increase their chances of landing a role in your field?

    Rick Sargent

    I know that, obviously, rendering and the timeless skills are line, shape, accuracy, value, accuracy, being able to communicate visually, and being confident and effective about the way that you communicate with line and value. That is something that, hands down, digital or non-digital, you have to know. So, but I know that, you know, AI is coming up and you know, or people say, is that going to replace, you know, illustration and things like that, and then relying on generative AI, things inside of software such as Adobe Photoshop, which we use a ton. That software only gets you so far, and that reliability on that can only get you to a certain level. So, I would say you need to; don’t rely on those things. You can use them as tools, but you’re making case specific and what’s going to make you relevant is that you can be case specific, and not generic and not rely on things like AI, or generative art that’s going to make you seem more clip art and non relevant. So, I would say, keep being creative, I would say, keep up your draftsmanship skills and your ability to learn how contrast of how atmospheric perspective communicates and makes a hierarchy. That will be the most important skill that I would recommend.

    Sara Sobota

    Okay, great. Okay. Are there any local organizations, programs, or events that you recommend for aspiring creatives in South Carolina?

    Rick Sargent

    In South Carolina, I would say, you know, Piccolo Spoleto, getting involved in getting your artwork out there as much as possible. Being involved in art and art competitions, I found it really useful. I won the Cooper River Bridge run poster design contest, you know, way back when, and just getting involved in competitions, like those sort of things, even though the Cooper River Bridge one, wasn’t medical illustration at all, you know, but it’s designed, and it got my name out there. It gave me a little bit of, you know, clout, as I approach and talk about design, they’re like, Well, what did you do? And I say, well, here’s this or people recognize my name from certain things. And I’ve always been a proponent of just finding any competition that interests you make stuff and find ways to get into it, you get connected to more artists that way, that, Oh, I saw your work and fill in the blank, right? And so design organizations, graphic design organizations, I would be a part of or try to connect with. There’s the Association of Medical Illustrators, as far as my own career that I’m a part of, I would connect with them, you know, follow them online, look at their stuff on Instagram. See what’s happening? What are hot topics? And learning those topics? The research know, is on your own?

    Sara Sobota

    Yeah. And this is one more aside: Have you ever been to art fields?

    Rick Sargent

    I have never been to art fields. I know, stop. I know, I know. It’s, it’s my own fault. It’s my own fault. Some of that, I’ve submitted fine artwork to art fields that was not accepted. It is one of my goals to have a piece that is accepted that way; a lot of my stuff is more illustration-based rather than more pushing the envelope of arts. I’ve had friends; one of my best friends here, who’s a painter, you know, she got in several years ago, and just spoke highly of that and loved it. And I want to take my kids there, they are now traveling age where we can do that sort of thing. And so, yes, so it’s my own fault. But I want to be part of that.

    Sara Sobota

    I only ak because I’m so proud of that gem for our state, you know.

    Rick Sargent

    Yes. It’s amazing. It is so amazing. Yes. Yeah.

    Sara Sobota

    It’s really nice to have here. Do you have any advice for current college students or pre-professional young adults who are pursuing a career in the creative world?

    Rick Sargent

    Yes, I do. I would say they are there two main schools of thought for creatives currently. Number one is that you find your thing and do it really, really well. It seems more of a single focus. And so I would, I would say, it’s easy to get distracted from social, in social media and discouraged and say, Well, I’m not that person, and then just quit what you’re doing. I would say, first and foremost, find, figure out what you like, and figure out what you want to do. And what gives you energy, what feeds your creativity, and do that thing and keep going at it. It is a discipline. And so focus on that. And just keep going, keep going, keep going.

    Rick Sargent

    Draw, sketch. If you are a fanatic about birds. How can you communicate, birds, and do it over and over and over and over and over and over again? The thing is, is to not resist the temptation to have diversity. So, are you an acrylic painter? Are you an oil painter? Are you a sculptor? Do you have a creative inkling to move into other realms? Don’t limit yourself. So, I know it seems like a little bit of a disconnect or contract or I’m contradicting myself a little bit. But at the same time, man, there’s some really cool stuff that you can be involved in, and you’re never going to know that if you follow this little track of creativity it’s going to come back to that other bit that you were just passionate about or like oh, wow, now I see these connections. I’ve had so many things that have strangely connected me and developed my artwork. You name it. sand sculpting, you know, like what? Sure, you know, like sculpting has helped me become a better draw or like a better illustrator, like learning in depth and plains of the face as maybe a better portrait painter by becoming better by sculpting like things that you would never think that could be connected somehow gets connected. So, if there’s something don’t ignore things that give you fire as far as a creative like, Man, that is so interesting. pursue it, learn about it, and figure some things out because it may come back to bless your drawing, so to speak, or enhance your drawing, so to speak, or enhance your other part of your creativity.

    Sara Sobota

    Yeah, fantastic. Well, that’s all the questions that I have for my interview; you’ve given me so much; I really appreciate it and your input, I know will really be helpful to the students. And there’s also a few other things that we might have going on with creative careers in the future. So, is it okay if I reach out to you again if anything comes up?

    Rick Sargent

    Yes, absolutely. Yeah. Okay, well, I love talking about this stuff. I love meeting other medical illustrators or other illustrators or aspiring medical illustrators. For you know, Zoom calls, I’ve had text, I’ve had Zoom calls, I’ve had coffee, you know, with with people who are interested in this. So, either that or any sort of creative please let me know.

    Sara Sobota

    Okay, that sounds great.

    Rick Sargent

    Yeah.

    Sara Sobota

    Thank you for your time.

    Rick Sargent

    You’re welcome, Sarah. Nice to meet you.

    Sara Sobota

    Have a great weekend, you too. Very nice to meet you. Alright, bye.

  • Lex Stress

    Lex Stress

    “Once you’re in tech, there’s room to grow.” 

    Lex Stress is the Principal Graphic Designer at Ellucian, a tech company specializing in software for higher education. From Charleston, SC, Stress brings creativity and strategy to every project whether for clients, internal teams, or freelance ventures. 

    Interview

    Transcript

    Lex Stress   

    My name is Lex Stress. I’m originally from outside of Philadelphia. But I’ve been in the Charleston area for almost 10 years now. 

    Emma Plutnicki   

    Nice. And so what do you do for work? And what’s your official job title? 

    Lex Stress   

    My official title is a senior graphic designer, I work at a company called Ellucian, and they are a higher education software company. 

    Emma Plutnicki   

    Cool, and how long have you been working there? 

    Lex Stress   

    It’s been probably about two and a half years now. 

    Emma Plutnicki   

    Nice. And that’s in Charleston. 

    Lex Stress   

    So it, so I work remotely, so like 100% remote. So I am in Charleston. The actual company is headquartered out of D.C., but they have it’s like a global company. So they have offices all over the world. And I work with people all over the world too. 

    Emma Plutnicki   

    Cool. How did you end up in this field? How did you hear about it? How did you know that this was an actual path that you could take? 

    Lex Stress   

    Um, that’s a great question. So, when I first graduated from Coastal, I actually started at a candle packaging company, and was like a designer for candles, their whole world marketing everything. And I actually only worked there for about six months. And, every day on my commute, I always passed Blackbaud, which is, like, a pretty big tech company here in Charleston. And they actually had a graphic design position open up. Somehow, they like, really believed in me. And I got that position. And that really opened my world to the tech industry, working in software and being like a more in-house designer for those kinds of companies. 

    Emma Plutnicki   

     So cool. So what, what did you study at Coastal? What was your background that kind of led you into this role? 

    Lex Stress   

     Yeah, so. I was a transfer student at Coastal. So, I studied graphic design, I came in as a junior. And so, I did two years at Coastal, and prior to that, I was also I got my Associate’s in design as well. So, I just, I, wanted to get my Bachelor’s, and so I kind of finished everything out at Coastal. So, yeah, graphic design. 

    Emma Plutnicki   

    Cool. And so, now of day’s, what does a typical workday look like for you? What are your responsibilities? What are you expected to make in a day? And what does that look like? 

    Lex Stress   

    It can be kind of crazy. But basically, like I will spend my day, there, there’s a lot of variety in my role. So it really just depends on the day and the project. Like, it could be making social media graphics. It could be email banners. Right now, the biggest project we’re working on is event identities for our annual conference. So, that includes so many things like on-site graphics. I just created the registration website, just like kind of anything that goes into that conference we’ve been working on. We also have a lot of Zoom meetings since we are remote. So that’s kind of where the collaboration comes in, is through having those meetings. But really, it just. It can be anything. Which I do like. I like having the variety. And, I think it’s it’s good to cue; it helps keep me creative too, like, being able to do something a little bit different every day. 

    Emma Plutnicki   

    Yeah. So do you have any challenges with staying creative? Or is it like, what are your main challenges that you face on a day-to-day basis? 

    Lex Stress   

    I would definitely say it is hard, especially because, like, working as an in-house designer, that, has its own specific challenge because you are like 100% working on that brand. And so, it’s kind of unique, where it’s not like you’re jumping from different projects. I think that can be, like, the biggest creative challenge because you’re taking the same thing every day and seeing where you can push it and how it can evolve. And, that’s kind of where the creativity comes in. Versus, like, one day,  you’re working on, like, a coffee shop logo. And the next day, you’re working for, like, a shoe brand or something like that. So, I found that that’s probably the biggest creative challenge, is just kind of working with that one brand. And probably the biggest thing that helps me is I actually freelance outside of my roles. So, I’ll take on those like full branding projects. And that’s kind of like where I feel like I can keep my, like, creative muscles going, basically.  

    Emma Plutnicki   

    Yeah, that makes sense. So, was it challenging to get into this career? You mentioned that you kind of got lucky someone had faith in you. Do you think it’s hard to, do you need a little bit of luck to get into careers like this? Or how, like, what challenges are there to get into the field? 

    Lex Stress   

    Yeah, so I feel like with tech, it is kind of a difficult field in general, because it changes so fast. It’s also notorious for, like, layoffs and things like that, like you always hear like all these tech companies that’s happening with them. And I think, it is really difficult in the beginning. I think it worked out for me because, like, this was pre-COVID when I joined Blackbaud, and so I think it helped because I was living in Charleston. Their headquarters was in Charleston. I was able to interview in person like all of those things. And now, with so many tech jobs being fully remote, like, your competition is anywhere in the world versus like just in your one city. And I think that’s, like, one of the biggest challenges. But definitely, like just having, knowing certain people, like the networking skill, is so important too, because, the reason why I got my job at Ellucian is also because one of my co-workers from Blackbaud started here, and like, put in a referral for me. So, definitely, I think like, the networking piece is huge for just trying to overcome how hard it is to get your foot in the door. But, once you are there, I feel like if you have that experience, there’s so many companies that value that. 

    Emma Plutnicki   

    Yeah, and for networking to establish the connections. Are there, like, events or organizations, clubs, or anything within South Carolina that you can think of to go to to make those connections? 

    Lex Stress   

    I don’t know, even like, even my old professors from coastal have really looked out for me as well. Like, I’ve been able to hear about certain opportunities just through them. Because I’ve, I felt like I built a strong relationship with them when I was at school, and then they kind of keep me in mind going forward. So, definitely, I would say like, they’re a great resource. I think there are also, like, a couple of Facebook groups like an alumni network, and also specific, specific for design as well that sometimes, like, there will be postings about jobs, or just certain opportunities in there. And then, I guess the last one would just be the AIGA [American Institute of Graphic Arts] organization. And that’s national, but there is like a South Carolina chapter. And that’s just for, design. 

    Emma Plutnicki   

    And what does, what does that stand for? 

    Lex Stress   

    It is the American Institute of Graphic Arts. So, it’s like a huge professional network for design in general. 

    Emma Plutnicki   

    Perfect. And so, throughout your journey, it could be at the job that you are at now or in the past, have you had one project that stands out in your mind as just having like a significant impact on you, or it’s kind of like the capstone of your career, so far? 

    Lex Stress   

    Honestly, I feel like the conference that I mentioned prior is probably that for me, right now, that event is happening in about three and a half weeks. So, we’re like in the final push right now. But, we started with the creative development back in the summer for it and really just built it up from scratch. It’s an annual conference that happens every year, but we do specific branding for it. And this year, it’s pretty cool because it’s hosted in San Antonio, Texas, but during the event, the, like, full total solar eclipse is happening. So, we use the Eclipse as the inspiration for the branding. That has just been really cool for us. Because it’s like I said, like, working on it in-house brand is a little bit different. But, with this specific conference, we get to be super creative. And it’s just been me and one other designer pulling off, like, the entire thing. So, it’s definitely going to be, probably, like the main piece of my portfolio after, after it happens, like I can’t wait to get the photography on site, just have all of our signage and have even the mainstage like we’re working on the presentations and everything. So, that has so many different elements that it’s been really cool to work on. And I know that that’s going to be like a huge portfolio piece for me. 

    Emma Plutnicki   

    Yeah, that’ll be so cool. And so you said networking is really important for, like, increasing your chances within the job pool. But, are there any specific skills that applicants should have or showcase to kind of increase their chances of landing a job in a field like yours? 

    Lex Stress   

    Yeah, I would say probably one of the biggest ones is just problem-solving. Because as, as you get into your career, like, I remember being in school, being surrounded by so many creative people that it never really like clicked for me that once I got into the real world, like, I would be one of the only creative type people. And so, so many other people that are not, that, don’t consider themselves creative. Really come to you, to help them, like, think through different problems. And especially like really complex things, like, that’s been a huge skill for me is just, being, really like problem solving, oriented, and really trying to help other people see it in a different way. Because they always think like, oh, you’re the creative person, like you have a brain that can like do all this. That’s like something that they really lean on us for, so showing that you can be, like, a really good problem solver and, like, very solution-oriented is definitely helpful. And then, honestly, I think like even just being, like, having a good attitude, like being somebody that somebody wants to work with, can really take you far and then just having like a good work ethic. I think, like, between those three, that’s probably been, like, the most important aspects just that I’ve seen, like throughout my career, like no matter where I am. 

    Emma Plutnicki   

     Yeah, that’s great. And so, just like as we wrap up. Is there any advice that you would give somebody who is trying to get into this field above, like skills that they should have, or any other just generic advice? 

    Lex Stress   

    Um. Definitely, one thing is always like be on the lookout for ways that you can add skills, like as, as you kind of go throughout your career journey, it can be really easy to get into like a very specific niche. But, if you can always be adding on skills, like, I’m trying right now; I’m more like a just traditional, like graphic design. But, knowing how to do UI [User Interface] and UX [User Experiece], or knowing how to do motion graphics, like, if you can add on those kinds of skills, it just makes you so much more marketable, honestly, like, being able to do different things. Even, like, video is a really big one, just like trying to always expand your skills so that way, like no matter where you go, or what you’re doing, you can say, like, I have experience doing that, that’s something I can jump in on like right away. So, definitely just just that, like the continuous learning aspect is really important. And even just because, like,, technology changes so fast, like Figma is a really big skill for us. And that’s that was like not even really a thing when I was in school. So, I’ve had to, like, kind of teach myself just being, like, adaptable like that is really helpful. Like as you go throughout your career, for sure. Yeah, just like always, find ways to stay creative because sometimes it can be hard, but it’s definitely important to prioritize. 

    Emma Plutnicki   

    Perfect. Is there anything else you’d like to add about your profession or anything? 

    Lex Stress   

    I would say it’s definitely, a, like, it’s a, it’s a cool career to have. I love being a designer. I don’t really, it’s hard to imagine doing anything else. And I think since it is such a, like, specific field, I’ve always found that other designers are so willing to help anybody, like, if there’s ever someone who needs mentorship, or even if you’re asking for mentorship, like, people are always there and available to help you. And, same for this, like, I’m definitely a resource if anybody ever has, like, questions or needs advice, like, can definitely ask me.  

    Lex Stress   

    Yeah, perfect. Well, thank you so much.