We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mei-Ling Mirow a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Mei-Ling, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?
The name MIO has two meanings, the company itself is named Multimedia In Orbit (MIO) whereas another extension of that also plays off of how we are creatives Making It On Our Own (with some helps here and there) but it is basically giving appreciation for the start of something great.
Touching on the name Multimedia In Orbit, I chose this name because I am a multidisciplinary artist and creative. I offer a wide range of services so I picked multimedia to emphasize that. Where the word orbit comes in is a little more abstract of a meaning but simple. Orbit usually referencing the earth orbiting the sun, for MIO I want there to be a presence of continuation, consistency, loyalty and unity.
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
HI my name is Mei-Ling Mirow, I am a multidisciplinary artist who focuses on graphic design, photography and videography. I main bases are San Diego / Orange County / Los Angeles, but I do freelance so I do travel to different locations as well. I also offer other services that include; Painting, Line work, installation, apparel design, social media management and creative direction.
I am super excited to continue down my journey and make more connection! As an artist, especially one in the digital world now I am proud and grateful to be able to put my work out there in a way that I feel best represents myself. My work is consistent yet always changing, I like to try new things and gain new perspectives on how to create while still maintaining an organized process for my projects.
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We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Throughout my time in school I have always struggled through my dyslexia which made a lot of aspects of my ability to learn at a normal rate more difficult. I did tons of tutoring as a young kid, I went to a smaller school, I studied things longer and had to have things repeated more frequently for them to stick. This was something that always frustrated me but at the same time it also pushed me to work harder, to not give up just because there was a bump in the road. As of right now some may externally see me learning and talking and writing like I never had dyslexia at all but it is still part of my life and even while I was in Grad school it actually felt like I was struggling more with learning but that also had to do with the fact that I started Grad School during the pandemic. Now that I am finished though and working and still learning, I can look back on all of my education and say that I am really proud of myself for pushing past my own barriers to be resilient in my confidence to be able to succeed.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
I would say the three ways I get new clients the most is one, from my friends recommending me to people who they know need a creative service. Two, I highly recommend taking the initiative to reach out to people, brands and companies that you want to work with. Having the courage to just ask is so important to learn and that is something I am getting much better at now a days. Now this third one is something that was unexpected to myself. I created a profile on Ilovecreatives.com, which is a site where you can find all types of creatives, and I wrote a little bit about myself and what I can offer people and put my title as a Graphic Designer / Photographer / Videographer. Iv’e gotten at least +10 emails from potential clients asking about my rates, what I specialize in and if they could hire me for singular projects and or work opportunities.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.meilingmirow.com/
Image Credits
photography: by meilingmirow