We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Meg Eplett a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Meg, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

Like many people – COVID introduced new hobbies – specifically collage (not sourdough!) For the first time in a long time, I had the space to make things by hand and revel in the inherent mistakes and imperfections. This practice has informed my brand thinking and allowed me to create work that I find more original and outside the norms of modern design trends. It has helped me create a unique design footprint (that I am still figuring out – it’s a process!)

Meg, 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?

My name is Meg Eplett and I am a creative director specializing in kids brands (though I do fun adult brands, too). Creative director is a funny job because so many people use this title these days. For me, it means I tell stories for my clients through graphic design, photography art direction, illustration, creative strategy and more.

I started my career working in-house for retail brands. I have worked in-house for brands like OshKosh’Bgosh, Kate Spade, Zappos, and Anthropologie. I now have a little design business called Pen Pal Studio. As a creative director who enjoys making, being “out-of-house” lets clients use my services strategically. They invite me into their worlds to create specific deliverables that they might not have the bandwidth or capabilities to work on. I also love the variety! Right now, I am helping a friend design her ice cream parlor while also working with a large educational brand to execute a new creative approach for one of their business units.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

My career began to come into focus once I let go of trying to fit into my expectations of what a designer should be. Design can be a judgmental field and there is a lot of conversation about good work vs. bad work, good design vs. bad design, and who has “it” vs. who doesn’t. I spent years of my career trying to fit into the mold of what a designer should be instead of examining what made me unique — not only from a creative execution POV but also thinking through what my person brings to the table. I have one mentor who says “temperament is talent” and that can also mean you have to put your temperament in the right places – where it will be appreciated. This led me to the kids’ industry and to present myself as a maker and collaborator vs. a hot-shot design strategist, thought-leader.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

I am slowly pivoting from thinking of myself as a designer and aligning myself with the idea of being an artist. I have been making collages for several years and have recently started getting into ceramics. Slowly but surely, people have been purchasing my work or asking me to collage at live events. Just this morning, a fashion designer I adore ordered some pieces from me and there might be potential for a future collaboration. In my experience, the key to a side hustle is for it to be something you genuinely love. The world is competitive and if you are doing something to see success and not because it genuinely excites you – it can turn into a slog or a source of self-doubt.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://penpal.studio
• Instagram: art: meglovespaint / work: penpal_studio
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meg-eplett-19613811/

Image Credits

Meiko Arquillos
Priscilla Gragg