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

Meghan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

The first year after college I was DEAD BROKE and not sure if I really had the stomach to pursue a creative career. I assisted on a handful of commercials in Ohio and suffered a terrifying car accident at work. I took some time off afterwards to figure out if this was something I really wanted because the hard truth is: if your heart is not 100% in the game, this industry will spit you out FAST.
Now, I’m fortunate to earn a full-time living from my creative work. I have the privilege to turn down jobs that don’t inspire me and to donate my time to passion projects with small budgets. How did I get here? I hustled. When I began my career, I took every job I could get, no matter the position. I’m exclusively a Production Designer these days, but when I started, I gripped, I taped Broadway concerts, I catered non-profit events – anything even remotely related to what I really wanted to do.
It takes time to build your network. Unless you were born into the business, there’s no fast track. And if you skip important steps, it will come back to haunt you. My advice is to trust the ladder, but also don’t get stuck halfway up. The only way to learn the necessary skills to level up is to assist someone more experienced than you. Do a good job, but know when to say no so you can open new doors. And besides that, I would say if you’re self-sufficient and responsible and are absolutely certain this is what you want, then it might be worth considering not going to college. College allows time to figure yourself out and meet peers, but I didn’t walk away with much technical knowledge for the career I have – that was all learned on the job.

Meghan, 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 a Production Designer who works in film, tv, commercials, and experiential activations. I have designed shows for Hulu and Vice, including the Emmy-winning series “The 1619 Project” and 2Chainz’s “Most Expensivest.” My narrative design has appeared at Tribeca and other major festivals and my commercial clients include Nike, Doordash, Nokia, Peloton, and PETA.
I began my career in the doc/unscripted world before transitioning to commercials and features. In the past two years, I’ve also expanded into experiential design, partnering with Sony RCA Records and their roster of Grammy-winning musicians as well as Spike Lee’s 40 Acres to build popups for major brands and artists. I value story, immersion, and realism in my design – I want to create worlds, not sets.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Burnout is not something you can push through. When your creative energy is spent, and you physically are unwell, the work will only suffer. Set boundaries and keep them. I used to work endless hours of overtime, unpaid, because I thought this would lead to my best work. But it only made me angry and tired.
I still give my all to each project, but I’ve learned the best gift for your art is a deadline. We can edit a story into infinite, we can tweak a design to the minutiae, but if you can never let it go to see the light of day, it doesn’t matter how much time you put into it. And when you look back on that period of your life, you’ll wonder why you sacrificed your health to achieve that unattainable quality called perfection.

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

Do your research. Dig deeper than that first layer of “indie” because what the general public considers as an “indie film” is still made with millions of dollars. Go to community showings. Support your friends. Support strangers. Often, your time and attention is worth more than a few dollars.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://meghanchou.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megschou/

Image Credits

1) “Most Expensivest” Season 4, Vice
2) “In the Fold”, Rising Voices Season 4, dir. Manuel del Valle
3) “Sex Before the Internet” Season 1, Vice
4) “Invasive Species”, dir. Annie Ning
5) Nike x NYFW, photo @jamiepixx, Juice House, 40 Acres