Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Meena Khalili. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Meena, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What were some of the most unexpected problems you’ve faced in your career and how did you resolve those issues?

There are a few tried and true rules I maintain in my creative practice. I started noticing issues that most of us see as creatives: Issues with work/life boundaries, cutting loose in the brainstorming process, and as a younger creative I felt a lot of “imposter” experience. Specifically, wishing I had more time in the day to create a new body of work or learn something new, so I used these rules to create new rituals for myself allowing me to carve out more time to devote to my practice. I began curating these rules as a method to keep my grounded and allow me to take a step back when I need to. My studio observes these rules, but they’re always open to evolve and change with me and my practice because as the great Sister Corita wrote, “There should be new rules next week.”

Meena, 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 am a professor of design and interaction, who makes daily drawings of things. I am an Iranian American artist who uses design as a strategy for creation, and a designer who brings artistic methods to my solutions. I began my daily drawing practice (@thedrawndaily) as a way to archive my motorcycle trips with friends more than a decade ago. It wasn’t until 2016 that I incorporated it into creative studio making it a ritualistic daily practice. Since then I’ve seen my work, clients, and teaching flourish in unexpected and wonderful ways.

I have shown my work at the Type Director’s Club of New York, Chicago Design Museum, and galleries throughout North America, in Italy, Canada, China, Indonesia, Croatia, Australia, and Moscow. I have illustrations and book art in permanent collections at the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts, VCU Libraries Special Collections and Archives, the Omni Hotel Louisville, South Carolina State Museum, and the Library of Congress. I am also the recipient of the National Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement in Graphic Design by the Southeastern College Art Conference. My client list is extensive and includes Bacardi, HBO, Nature’s Recipe, Farm Credit Mid-America, The Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, and the Louisville Metro Housing Coalition.

I am featured in Issue 05 of The Great Discontent in their first bilingual interview in Persian and English. As an associate professor at the University of South Carolina, a flagship research university, I maintain research driven by my experience as an Iranian American and daughter of a small business owner. My work explores cultural identity and generational story telling. ​

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

You don’t have to please anyone but yourself, it’s okay to NOT be the smartest person in the room, and people respect a professional “no.” As a young creative I was eager to please and say yes to any opportunity that came my way. While that was a great way to start meeting people in the industry, saying “yes” all the time let to a lot of overwhelming feelings and unhealthy habits. If I were to do it again today I’d seek out meet ups with supportive organizations like AIGA and Creative Mornings, which can help young designers meet more people in the industry! Being the smartest person in the room often means you’re leading and might mean you’re not learning. Surrounding myself with people I can learn from remains one of the smartest moves I make as a professional. And it’s actually okay to communicate a clear and professionally stated “no” doesn’t have to burn a bridge. If people want to work with you, they will! If not today, then keep in contact with them for the next time.

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

Seeking out professional relationships that allow me to reach and share my full potential became paramount pretty early in my career. I’ve been many things: prepress designer, junior designer, web designer, lead designer, illustrative designer, teaching assistant, and associate professor. Any move up required confidence and faith in what I’d learned and the next step would teach me even more. I considered graduate school after several years of professional practice. That was a hard pivot! It allowed me to focus on my own interests, not the needs of a client. It allowed me to hone my writing and research practices. After graduate school I returned to agency work, which was another pivot! Working for bigger clients, larger and more expansive projects was thrilling. Eventually I returned to academia, but this time as a professor. Since then, I’ve held positions at 4 different universities, each one a pivot and move from the other. From HBCU to teaching-focused, research-focused, to flagship research-focused, and each with their own respective culture, needs, and aspirations. This has taught me so much along my journey and I am always glad to share these stories.

Contact Info:

• Website: meenakhalili.com
• Instagram: meenakhalili / thedrawndaily
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meenakhalili/

Image Credits
Joshua Aaron Photo, Brent Dedas, Meena Khalili, Jim Walker