I'm Meigan and I'm a creative
Describe your job
My job is to use creativity to solve problems. Coming up with surprising and memorable solutions that get people to think or do something differently.
We work with brands, charities, the government, almost anyone. And our ideas can take many shapes, though the most familiar would be adverts on TV, radio or billboards.
This job means you get to work with lots of other creative people – photographers, directors, illustrators, musicians, game developers, you name it.
One of the most interesting things about being an advertising creative is that you don’t work alone, you have a partner that you’re employed with.
What are the most important skills you need to do your job?
Original thinking. Problem solving. Inquisitiveness. An interest in either writing or visualising ideas - or both!
I left school and...
did a one year art foundation course at Central Saint Martins. Where you learn everything from Fine Art and Fashion to Graphic Design and Illustration.
After that I did a 3 year Graphic Design BA (Specialised in Advertising) at Central Saint Martins. Here, I met my creative partner who I still work with 6 years later.
After doing placements at a few advertising agencies we got hired. Since then we have been working at different agencies in London, creating ads for all kinds of things.
I’m most proud of...
Army Confidence. You can read more about it in Creative Review.
Creative partner: Tobias Owen
Further credits available here
Before I started my career, I wish I knew…
When you’re trying to get a job it’s better to have a portfolio full of weird, wild and wonderful ideas than one that is too professional.
People will remember original thinking far more than something that feels familiar.
Both me and my creative partner are dyslexic, and we found both our university course and the advertising industry jam packed full of even more dyslexia people.
Have no fears about dyslexia holding you back!
A mistake I made which you can avoid repeating is...
Work experience is great. But make sure it is great. You should be getting something from it, whether that’s seeing if it’s a career you’d like to do, meeting people who could be helpful in the future or learning new skills firsthand. I wasted a lot of time that could have been better used elsewhere basically being a free source of labour - thinking it was a work experience!
So, what’s next?
More of the same – one of the great things about this job is that each project is different.
Here's my: