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

Megan , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?

The first dollar I earned as a creative was working with Fashion Stylist, Brooke Noelle, I had worked in the fashion industry for 4 or 5 years prior to that and needed to switch into the creative world to meet my inner child. My time with Brooke was brief because I was hired as a “Sample Coordinator” for the brand Carbon38, which I was really the In-House Fashion Stylist, they just made me fight for the title and pay. I was doing multiple jobs at once. My mind was blown the first time I walked onto a photo shoot set, I couldn’t believe I was getting paid for this. It was so fun!

Megan , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a Fashion Stylist & Costumer in Los Angeles. I initially received a Bachelor Degree from The University of Utah in Communication with an emphasis in Journalism. I always knew I wanted to go to fashion school but thought I wanted to work for a magazine and write. I moved to Los Angeles and earned another degree from FIDM studying Visual Communication and started an internship in Fashion PR at BPCM. After the internship was complete, I started a job in fashion wholesale as the Executive Assistant to the owner of the showroom. It made sense for me at first and I met amazing friends who I’m fortunate enough to still have today- but after years of trade shows- I really needed to connect back with my creative side; so started assisting a Stylist then landed an In-House Fashion Stylist position for the brand, Carbon38. When the pandemic hit the internal creative team was almost all laid off which forced me to go freelance, at the time, a blessing in disguise. I styled with Amazon then started working with my own clients, some of them being: Josh Server, Riley Reid, Christine Quinn & Paris Berelc. I designed my first short film around this time period, which sparked my interest in the entertainment side of things. I later was offered a job to PA for a television show, The Masked Singer. After 1 year of PA work I joined the union as a Costumer. I currently style my clients while working on television shows and switch off between both worlds.

Something that I recently learned about myself, through therapy, is your passion as a child turns into your medicine and your medicine is your talents. Our career is how we choose to put our medicine in the world, if we choose to do so. With that said, I had to fight hard for titles and pay throughout my career, specifically at my first in-house styling position. This made me feel unseen. I don’t want anyone to have to feel that way, that’s what sets me a part. I make sure my clients feel seen and our comfortable in what they are wearing. I couldn’t agree more with how Jason Bolden worded it, “Stylists help create your fashion profile to the world.”

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I think a helpful perspective for non- creatives to know is that: typically in a non- creative profession, one takes a test that leads to passing or failing. You know you have to study for that test and if you pass it you will be a doctor or a lawyer or many other non- creative professions. Creatives don’t have that path. Every single creative person gets to their career peak in a different way, shape or form. Many get there through: internships or networking of some sort but it might be that one dinner you went to after work that you didn’t really want to go to but then you met that one person who brought you on set of that one project. You just never know. What keeps creatives going is their burning passion inside of them just simply knowing and oh man does that take self love and resilience.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I think society can best support creatives by: employers, clients, brands, etc offering competitive pay and being okay with creatives making good money. For example: if a brand is hiring a Stylist or Copy Writer and they are paying below a healthy living wage for Los Angeles and titling it an “entry level position” but saying that individual needs 3-4 years of experience? that isn’t entry level and that person shouldn’t be making entry level pay.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.meganzina.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meganzina/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/megan.lehr.56/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-zina-624324146/

Image Credits

Carianne Older, Alexandra Hainer, Maggie Zulovic, Riley Reid, Ashley Simmons, Rachel Lita, Tanaka Vintage, Nike, Anthony Ballew , Lauren Lillien, Reagan Link, Daphne Maas, House of Chaos, Emily Sinclaiir, Amy Park, Marina Migliaccio, Aliya Protto, Joshua Liebman, Maria Massa Cronin, Carbon38, Maison Privee PR, Artranova, 1/9 Studio