We were lucky to catch up with Meegan Lim recently and have shared our conversation below.

Meegan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

I wouldn’t see myself in any other profession in all honesty. Being in a creative field constantly excites me. Whether I’m sharing my own stories and experiences, or learning about others, I’m very grateful to be able to call this my career. However, with all jobs, things are not always 100% “happy”. I believe that it’s a common misconception when it comes to creative careers. Most of my peers are familiar with the misguided comments of “How fun it must be to draw for a living” or “I wish I had a job like yours”. At the end of the day, there are good days and bad ones, difficult clients, and projects that you lose interest in and just have to finish for a paycheck.

In terms of professions, I technically have two full-time jobs: a freelance illustrator and a communications coordinator for a public arts organization. The latter is more in line with what one would consider a “regular job”, a typical 9-5 situation. So I don’t often wonder what it would be like to have one because I know what it is like. I do wonder what it would be like to just choose one and have time for myself. The reality is it’s not as glamorous, I need both for financial stability and most creatives I know to balance two or more jobs – especially as the cost of living in Toronto continues to rise.

Meegan, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Meegan Lim (she/her) an illustrator and arts facilitator based in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. I strive to nurture community growth and healing through various forms of visual arts. My multidisciplinary practice primarily focuses on the intersections of food and cultural identity manifesting through detailed gouache illustrations, digital paintings, and risograph zines. My work has been featured in Chatelaine, Eater, Broken Pencil Magazine, and in the book, What We Talk About When We Talk About Dumplings. In addition to my individual practice, I try to embrace the value of collaboration through community-engaged projects and my arts collective, Fuelled By Coffee.

As cliché as it may sound, I always knew I wanted to pursue the visual arts as a career. Even when my mind deviated to the thought of something more conventional, it always managed to find its way back to art. Choosing illustration as my path as a creative was sort of a fluke in all honesty though. Fresh out of high school, I didn’t really have a fulsome understanding of what illustration as a profession was at the time. Until I learned more during my time at OCAD University (Ontario College of Arts and Design University), I realized how full circle my journey as an emerging artist was. One of my earliest arts-related memories was in kindergarten where I was making up stories and illustrating them myself, getting inspired by author/illustrator duos like Robert Munsch and Michael Martchenko. Fast-forwarding to the present day, where I’m actually illustrating a children’s book myself – it’s quite surreal.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist/creative is being able to contribute to my community and seeing my artwork in use. As much as I can enjoy creating art in a vacuum, there is something about creating something, putting it out into the world, and seeing serve a purpose. Whether it makes someone stop on their daily walk and have a moment to pause, brighten up a location that needs some love, or be a source of representation – that is what’s fulfilling for me.

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

Mid-way through my undergraduate degree, I decided to declare a minor in Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation thinking it would be a good way to inform the business aspects of illustration. What I didn’t know at the time was how this one decision shifted the trajectory of my career path. With one of the courses pushing me to really network and connect with other professionals in the arts worker and administration space, I ended up being connected with the world of community and public arts. It blended aspects of event organization, marketing, coordination, and the creativity I was familiar with. One thing led to another, and I started learning the ropes of arts facilitation and ended up loving it. After a few years of mentorship and making greater connections with other professionals, I was able to secure a job as soon as I graduated. I am now 2 years into the role and am very grateful. I’ve been able to grow within the organization and leverage skills I’ve learned in the role for my freelance practice.

While I don’t see myself staying in this type of role forever, I look back at the moment I had to pivot and am thankful that I trusted my gut and allowed myself to explore this side of the industry.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.meeganlim.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meeganlim
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MeeganLimIllu
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/meegan-lim-53862b198
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/meeganlim

Image Credits
Dusty Loops (My Headshot) Herman Custodio (Beyond the Plate Images) Mila Bright (Cecil Community Photo)