Morgan RYan

Starving Artist

“That will be 25 cents, please.”

My excitement was growing as my total sales neared a dollar.

The art show I hosted on the kitchen table had quite the turnout. Mom, Dad, little brother, and the family dog all gathered to appreciate my original mixed media body of work–washable finger paint, crayon, the occasional texture of Elmer’s glue–masterpieces from my finest materials.

For the next 15 years, my family continued to encourage creativity and the pursuit of a career in the arts. However, as I learned the value of a dollar, I questioned whether I wanted to embark upon the “starving artist” path.

As a sophomore in college, I was still avoiding declaring myself an Art major for that reason. It wasn’t until I took a graphic design class that I saw the demand,  practicality, and objectiveness of creative work.

The day after I graduated with my BFA, I had already landed my first job on a Marketing team at a technology company where I started to build a solid portfolio. Being the only graphic designer on staff, I was already leading creative direction, designing everything from brochures, product logos, assisting with product design, packaging, exhibition spaces, office interiors, websites, and advertisements.

A few years later, I left the company to pursue an opportunity to work on a bigger team at a business consultancy where I saw mentorship, network, and career growth opportunities. There, I spent the next few years working on a growing team that frequently hired temps, outside designers, and other creatives to support the growing scope of larger projects.

Alongside the leadership experience, the most notable lesson learned was the tremendous value of the creative consultants we hired–not only to support projects I was managing, but with so many creative components to be designed/developed/written, new ideas and artwork inspired impactful shifts in creative direction and brand messaging at a high level.

There is something that happens on teams once they settle into comfortable productivity and process–once a (very satisfying) level of consistent “brand” is achieved, there is also an immediate plateau of creativity that feels like stagnancy and that static energy often rouses a hunger for newness.

Bring in the creatives.

Fresh ideas. Creative approaches. Original art. Boldness. Subtlety. Humanity. Connection.

Art for the sake of art.

Observing this pattern for a few years eventually summoned enough confidence in me to decide to dive into full-time freelance work, pursuing the role of the outside creatives that my firm often hired, and knowing exactly what made them repeatedly hire-able.

I have now successfully avoided starvation for 13 years (post graduation).

I have also established strong relationships with great clients, immersed myself in a network and culture of trusted referrals and exciting projects that, believe it or not, have gained even more appreciation than my kitchen table artwork, including airport advertisements, billboards, animated advertisements in the DC Metro and Capital One Arena, many websites, book covers, and one my favorite engagements to brag about: my role as 1455’s Creative Director and designer of the Movable Type e-Magazine.

Being involved in 1455’s creative community reaps positive sum benefits–new energy, excitement, and enthusiasm is contagious. Among practical basic branding needs, I am often delighted to get to work with people that are excited to dive into creative concepting with me–these are my people. The people that really enjoy exploring the rabbit hole of creative development, immersing themselves in the storytelling and the artful choices we make, authentically, artfully, and expressively–loving the iterative process, the connection, and the meaning we have found together.

Today, I find every excuse to instill in young creatives that I work with to know just how important their work is, how needed it is in the world today, and how critical creative work will always be, especially as tools and technology evolves.

“Starving Artist” means much more to me today than just the fear of not having basic needs met.

Choosing to pursue daily creative challenges seems to be a path only chosen by the hungry–those craving expression, ready to bite into the meatiest parts of life with compulsive creative energy that they simply need to channel into something.

Independent consulting or starting your own creative business requires perseverance, tenacity, and a high level of endurance for creative thinking–things that are rarely accomplished on a full belly.

While starvation is not a state where anybody wants to be, I have found the most satisfying and appreciated meals are the ones I devour when I’m hungry. I believe that type of hunger is what will drive great things to come.

Movable Type Covers

Morgan Ryan is an independent consultant who provides creative direction, graphic design, and website development services to propel marketing strategies forward for growing organizations. As a print and web designer, her work can be found on book covers, the websites of dozens of startups as well as mid-sized business and financial consulting firms, and in the multimedia promotions found across her clients social media platforms. Her advertising design work has been featured on Comcast Sportsnet, as well as large outdoor digital displays in San Francisco International Airport as well as the Washington D.C.’s Metro and the Capital One Arena. Morgan is an active member of the 1455 team and is involved in the daily activities of producing materials to support 1455’s variety of ongoing programs, as well as the e-magazine Movable Type, annual Summer Festival, the ongoing workshop series, and other developing programming.

Website:  morganryancreative.com 
Facebook:  facebook.com/creativemorgan
LinkedIn:  linkedin.com/in/creativemorgan