Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Melissa Morgan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Melissa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How do you think about vacations as a business owner? Do you take them and if so, how? If you don’t, why not?
Absolutely! I think taking regular breaks, be those mini weekend getaways or month long excursions are essential for a healthy work/life balance. For me travel actually contributes to my creativity and makes me a better designer and person. When exposed to different cultures, landscapes, and challenges, growth is bound to ensue…
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
I’m Melissa Morgan, a Toronto-based UX/UI/Product Designer and actress. I also mentor at Design Lab and am working on some of my own personal projects. Ultimately, I take pride in solving big problems! As a natural bi-product of having a surplus of work, I’ve recently started growing my team with a few talented contractors across 3 continents.
From a young age I was fascinated by the human mind. After studying psychology and a brief stint exploring fashion design, I found myself in a dual-career allowing me to create user-centric, enjoyable products and to embody characters of those I’ve met along my journey via acting.
I’ve been a remote full-time freelancer for over 6 years now, working with startups and fortune 500s alike. From Harvard to UEFA, Google to NFTs, my work has exposed me to some of the most interesting projects with global audiences. The best parts of my job are 1) being able to work from home with my dog all day and 2) being able to work from anywhere in the world. At the age of 29 I’ve been to 34 countries — I’m now in Indonesia for the next month or so — the kind of freedom freelancing has afforded me is something I’d wish for everyone!
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
YES. Here’s a list I give to my mentees and students:
PLUGINS
https://www.getstark.co/ – Helpful free contrast checker plugin for Figma
https://www.figma.com/
https://chrome.google.com/
ICONS / ILLUSTRATIONS / PHOTOS
https://app.streamlinehq.com/
https://feathericons.com/ – More icons
https://icons8.com/
https://undraw.co/ – Free stock illustrations. You can change the primary colour in the tool itself
https://www.freepik.com/ – Free stock illustrations and photos
https://unsplash.com/ – Free stock photos
https://www.pexels.com/ – More free stock photos
STAY ORGANIZED
coda.io/ – Similar to notion, will help keep you organized
https://track.toggl.com/ – Keep track of your hours and your team’s hours. Great for invoicing
INSPIRATION
https://www.awwwards.com/ – Website inspo
https://www.nngroup.com/
https://product-design-
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
1. Influence by Robert B Cialdini
2. Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss
3. The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
Contact Info:
- Website: http://melissa-morgan.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissaannemorgan/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissaannemorgan/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/MelissaAMorgan
- Other: https://www.toptal.com/designers/resume/melissa-morgan