We caught up with the brilliant and insightful My Linh Mac a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
My Linh, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?
I often face three common misunderstandings or mischaracterizations, which include being portrayed as an opportunist, succumbing to the stereotype of a “broke artist,” and my success causing me to seem unapproachable to others. The term “opportunist” is frequently mistaken as someone who uses then abandons others for personal gains when it’s actually about seeking opportunities to learn and grow and finding solutions. In fact, being an opportunist is not necessarily a bad thing as long as you remain grateful and return the favor to those who have helped you along the way. The “broke artist” stereotype is partly true because most schools don’t teach finance or how to make a profit from learned skills, but it’s up to you to keep learning and forge your own path. In my case, I sprinted forward with my career during the Covid lockdown by analyzing my situation and strategizing. Instead of panicking or feeling sorry for myself, I explored opportunities not despite the bad circumstances. For example, I started to focus on online/virtual shows beyond my city and even overseas, which saved me money on shipping and insurance while giving myself new opportunities to ‘conquer’ new art markets. Once I had a good plan to grow my art and design business, I began creating new works based on my research on what was in demand at the time (like a true entrepreneur), and eventually, time flew by as I stayed focused. As I got used to not being able to celebrate new milestones with my family and friends during quarantine, I unconsciously withdrew myself to socialize and interact with them and got lost in my workaholic mode. Most of my relationships remained healthy and strong despite my hiatus, while others grew apart as they ‘blindly’ assumed I had grown ‘cocky’ and ‘unapproachable’ after receiving recognition for my work whereas, in reality, I simply lost track of time. Just like everyone out there, I needed some time to readjust to my pre-Covid social butterfly self. My two hard earn lessons from the past few years are, people who quickly assume the worst out of you in your absence might not mean to be a part of your growing journey; it is true that you can’t do everything by yourself, but some paths are meant to be walked by you alone. Ultimately, keep working hard to learn how to adapt to new obstacles, stay humble, and don’t let challenges hold you back.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
INTRODUCTION: I’m a Chicago-based multi-media artist, graphic designer, and art educator with roots in Saigon, Vietnam. My creative journey began early and has taken me all over the world, from Singapore to Tasmania and beyond. After completing my Bachelor’s degree in Digital Media and Painting at Valparaiso University, I continued my education with a Master’s degree in Art Education at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), followed by a second Master’s degree in Entrepreneurship for the Creatives from Columbia College Chicago (CCC). Throughout my career, I’ve had the honor of exhibiting my multi-media works at institutions and galleries around the globe, such as Angard Art Hotel, Brauer Museum- in Indiana, Queen Victoria Museum and Gallery- in Australia, the Museum of Outstanding Design (MOOD) in Italy, Czong Institute for Contemporary Art (CICA) Museum- in South Korea, and more.
HOW DO I GET INTO THE DESIGN INDUSTRY:
My path to a career in design began in college, where I was known as “that kid who can do art”. After designing posters with Microsoft Paint (I never heard of Adobe software at that time) for a Halloween event and receiving positive feedback, I was offered a job as a poster designer for the Office of International Students Affairs. This unexpected opportunity allowed me to discover my passion for graphic design and visual marketing and eventually led me to establish MMAC Visual Art & Design Studio in 2016. My goal with the studio is to inspire others through art and assist emerging companies, brands, and creative individuals in finding their identities and voices through my designs. Over the years, MMAC Visual Art & Design Studio’s packaging design projects have earned recognition from prestigious international design establishments, such as the Indigo Design Award in Georgia, DNA Design Paris in France, A Design Award in Italy, and C-IDEA Award in South Korea.
WHAT AM I MOST PROUD OF/WHAT I WANT TO BE WELL KNOWN FOR:
My design philosophy prioritizes storytelling, visual communication, technical innovation, user accessibility, and environmental sustainability. Despite continually exploring and experimenting with multiple styles and platforms, my designs remain consistently memorable and visually striking. My proudest accomplishments include collaborating with renowned brands such as SCOPE, Darryll Schiff Fine Art, Amazon Kindle, SHEIN, and Adobe Express. Ultimately, I aim to inspire and assist emerging companies, brands, and creative individuals in finding their unique identities and voices through my designs. Juggling both painting and graphic design practices may not be easy, but the ultimate satisfaction from seeing the positive impact of my work on others makes it all worthwhile.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I arrived in the U.S. over a decade ago as an undergraduate art student. As much as I enjoy learning, the disadvantages of being an F-1 visa holder are undeniable. With overcoming language and culture barriers, not being allowed to work off-campus, and competing with peers for on-campus jobs that only allow 20 hours a week, we were unable to support ourselves without financial help from our families. The pressure is intense when searching for employment and visa sponsorship, having to prove that you’re qualified as a foreign worker in the U.S. within a year after graduating, and meeting visa-related expenses. The most difficult part of the entire process is dealing with rejection from employers that, understandably, do not want to risk investing thousands of dollars in sponsoring an entry-level candidate who has no prior job experience beyond the school they recently graduated from. Not to mention how difficult it is to stay afloat and thrive in such a non-lucrative creative industry, it hurt me to see my peers give up and go back to their home countries when their visa expires. I’ve come a long way to be an O-1 visa holder (also known visa for geniuses) in the midst of the Covid era. Fortunately, those struggles in the past helped me develop a “ready-to-go” mindset that allows me to learn from failure wisely, and be adaptable to different professional settings. As a designer, my immigration circumstances encouraged me to be a risk-taker and an explorer with many aesthetic styles, to value innovation, and to produce projects with meaningful stories and messages. As a person, my journey taught me not to take things for granted; the ‘affordable lost’ principle; be resilient, diligent, and sympathetic toward others.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Being a risk-taker is the most rewarding aspect of being creative. Groundbreaking works are not created by people who stay in their intellectual safe zone. Choosing an unconventional path is not easy, but it can be highly rewarding in the long run. For example, multi-disciplinary artists/designers are not only well-rounded individuals but also pioneer leaders in their respective communities. Imagine a world where brilliant artists like Leonardo da Vinci, would not allow their talents to be bound to a single industry. When it comes to creating unique styles, artists/designers’ diverse disciplinary backgrounds are as crucial as their cultural backgrounds, but they are sometimes ignored. When I take a moment to reflect, I’m grateful for how far our creative community has come. Particularly in Eastern societies, not long ago, we didn’t get the same respect and appreciation as the legal and medical professions, but today we are an indispensable part of modern society because we ‘step up’ to engage and advance alongside other industries rather than being on our own. I hope my work and my unique approach to projects and my risk-taker mindset can inspire others to be bold, dare to be different, and be more than what others may perceive you to be because life is not about finding yourself, it’s about creating yourself.
Contact Info:
- Website: mylinhmac.com
- Instagram: millie_d_mac
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mylinh-mac/
Image Credits
Photographed by: Damien Saint Jackson