We recently connected with Monica “MG” McCollough and have shared our conversation below.

Monica “MG”, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Finally completing my first novel — a story which has lived in my head for nearly two decades.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a graphic designer, visual artist and new author. My journey into the creative sphere is rather boring. It begins with me drawing characters and story ideas as a child and just continuing to nurture that imagination and desire for artistic expression through art and design course work throughout high school and into college.

I graduated from Auburn University with a degree in Fine Arts and a Graphic Design major. From there, I’ve worked in newsrooms as a designer in the traditional aspect of page layout, and icon design but I also was able to create illustrations the old fashioned way (pencil, charcoal etc.) as the visual element for pages within that capacity as well. I’ve also done a lot of design work as a member of various marketing teams and organizations. There, I’ve been fortunate enough to work on a variety of projects and causes—from nonprofits to the creative endeavors of several celebrities, probably most notably, Issa Rae.

I’m proud of the work I’ve done as a part of Issa Rae’s early creative staff but I’m most excited now about finally completing my first novel, “Songs of Lost Things: Sonata for the Sun”. It is a coming-of-age narrative about overcoming trauma, fighting to reclaim one’s self-love and identity and its probably lived in my head rent-free for almost two decades.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the ability to virtually give life to ideas. Sometimes it can be as lighthearted as a comical cartoon character. In other more significant aspects, it’s like adding an essence to movements, issues and even brands that are often overlooked and may exist on the margins of society. Through one well-developed logo, line of color in a painting or the crafting of multi-layered characters, an artist can breathe life into a concept that prior to that moment didn’t exist for many people.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

The story of when I had to pivot in my career and life is this story right now. I wouldn’t call this a total pivot, however. I’ve spent the entirety of my professional career as a graphic designer. I enjoy it. I specifically probably enjoy most what people consider the mundane aspects of the trade. Things like page layout, creating style guidelines and writing HTML and CSS code (when that was a real thing before automation even entered that space). These are the kinds of operations that give structure and order to a presentation.

And perhaps I enjoy these things most because they sort of are what they are. There’s almost a mathematical factualness about them that doesn’t involve much of the stress that comes with having to “battle” for your artistic choices with clients in other arenas of commercial art. Yes, there’s an enjoyment in that as well (when I’m convincing enough) and I’ll continue to do that as long as I remain in my primary profession. However, the emergence of online design generators and now that of AI generated art is essentially, I’ll be honest, making me consider what my value even is in that world.

I know “iRobot” won’t be taking all of the graphic design jobs quickly. Believe me, there’s still a considerable level of skill and experience necessary to “get the thing how you want the thing” in the manner that a human who’s studied design and practiced it for a time, will still do much better for years to come. However, I do know the time here is finite and with the development of these tools the ability to know them is paramount but even more so is possessing and cultivating one’s own artistic style and identity or intellectual property if you will.

I think that’s where my “pivot” is coming from if you can call it that. I’m returning back to my roots. Back to the proverbial hot, humid days in a dusty art room. Back to canvases and charcoal and acrylic and oil paints. I’m getting back into my fine art and yes, back into my writing, to find my old self in order to potentially figure out how I want to express myself artistically going forward.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.monicamccollough.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moni_shywriter
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moni.shywriter