Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Roy.
Hi Megan, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started drawing as a hobby when I was growing up and dipped in and out of it for most of my life. I was always interested in the arts and ended up studying television production at Emerson College in Boston, which then prompted a move to Los Angeles so I could work in the entertainment industry. I did that a for a few years, but ultimately decided the hustle culture was not for me, and tried my hand at a more “normal” job as a school receptionist. But that lacked the creative fulfillment I loved about the film industry, so I left that too. It took a couple different career paths and many wrong turns for me to realize what I wanted out of a job, but I finally figured out that I could turn my lifelong love for art into something stable and lucrative while maintaining a healthy work-life balance, so I took the plunge and began freelancing as an illustrator and designer. That was about 8 years ago and I’m still going strong!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Nothing is smooth all the time. It was the most rocky in the beginning because I wasn’t sure if I had made the right decision when I left my previous job, and didn’t know where my next paycheck would come from. I’ve watched a lot of people give up on their dreams because they didn’t experience enormous success in the first week, month, or even year – I think if you really want to be good at something you have to be committed to riding the waves for quite a while. I’m entirely self-taught, so even though I’ve been at this for over 8 years I only started to feel like I hit my stride creatively a couple years ago. Things take time and when it gets hard you just have to learn from it and try again.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m an illustrator who specializes in surface design, patterns, hand lettering, and character illustrations. My love of texture, color, dogs, and humor often shines through the subject matter of my art. I’ve had the joy of working with a ton of incredible clients like Hershey’s, Hewlett-Packard, Adobe, Chronicle Books, and more! I design for products like cell phone cases, puzzles, tour merch, and home decor, license repeat patterns, illustrate for books and magazines, and create fun social media content. The list is endless! I like to say that my biggest inspiration is the unwavering authenticity and earnest curiosity of a happy dog. I think we could all stand to embrace those qualities a bit more.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
I definitely learned more about my own resiliency and ability adapt. I think we all did.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.megan-roy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roymeister/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtXMU-ar2c1I8muCAZG1hHA
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@meganroydesign
