Image Alumni ’94 Education BFA in Filmmaking Current Career Self-Employed Location San Francisco, California Where are you originally from and how did you hear about MCAD? I emigrated from England to the US and landed in Minneapolis. I’d never heard of MCAD until I got here but I knew I wanted to go to art school. What was your major and how did you choose it? Fine arts was my initial major and then in the last couple of years of my degree, I switched over to media arts as I became interested in film and animation. I realized at some point it would open up more career choices for me. Who was your favorite teacher and why? James Burpee was one of my favorite instructors. I learned so much about color, line, composition, painting, drawing, etc. I don’t think I could teach all that stuff: it’s just in my bones now. His critique groups were intelligent and informed, and he's a great combination of distinguished and personable. Did MCAD prepare you for life after graduation? In what way? MCAD pushed me to do things I never would have tried. I didn’t think I’d be designing and welding a contraption to catapult an egg, or creating sculptures out of drainpipes and the cheapest wood I could find, or making a rather bizarre Memphis style coffee table, or editing reels of footage until the wee hours of the morning. When I thought art school, I just thought of painting and drawing. (Not that I’m any good at welding, or even putting up an Ikea shelf, but hey it was worth a try.) By the end of my degree I knew what I wanted to do and what my strengths were. Your biggest takeaway from MCAD? I made friends from all over the world and explored all kinds of media—even the scriptwriting classes have come in very handy. My MCAD degree gave me confidence and opened doors for me in many ways. What advice do you have for current MCAD students and/or artists at the beginning of their creative careers? I don’t know what MCAD is like now, culturally speaking, but I’ve seen some phenomenal work coming out of it. The world has also changed a lot in terms of career paths and the economy. Costs are something to be considered. A big thing would be to try to get those grants, which helped me a lot financially. I wouldn’t want to leave school with a massive amount of debt. I don’t think I could advise anyone: you have to trust your intuition and let life deliver the rest. I would suggest though, that if there's a person in your field of interest or company you admire, don’t hesitate. Pick up the phone, send an email. I’ve often been surprised at how willing people are to connect or give a little of their time. Describe what you do for work and how you feel about it. I write and illustrate graphic novels and I’m a user experience designer. I’m pretty thrilled to have had the good fortune to be able to express myself via multiple creative channels and pay the rent too. How did you get your job? The way I see things now, I don’t have a job. Life brings along opportunities, ideas and people, and I say yes to the ones that fit me best. My first real gig after MCAD was as a scenic painter—I actually used a phone book to cold-call companies. Then I became an animator for a CD-ROM (remember those?) start-up. Things progressed from there into web and mobile design, until I began making graphic novels, something I’d always wanted to do. What place does art have in your life? “Oh kindly Art, in how many a grey hour, when I in life’s unruly round am caught, have you fired my heart with ardent love, and borne me to a better world!” —from An Die Musik, by Franz Schubert mariedabreo.com