What was your favorite part about studying art at Marywood?

My favorite part about Marywood and my time there was the relationships I was able to build with both my classmates and faculty. The smaller class sizes allowed me and my classmates to develop a more personal bond, some of whom I am still in contact with today.

How did your art education at Marywood help your career?

As Creative Director my job is to provide direction and give feedback to my team of designers, and the critiques that we had at Marywood gave me the foundational experience I needed to communicate that feedback.

At Marywood I was challenged to take a variety of classes across the different arts, i.e. sculpture, photography, drawing, etc., and these classes gave me an appreciation for different artistic styles. This helps me consider different solutions when presented with a design challenge.

What attracted you to this career path?

I’m a very visual learner, so organizing information in a visual way is something that appeals strongly to me. That is why I was attracted to my job, which primarily involves creating infographics. I find it rewarding to visualize a concept and turn that into a solution that can help communicate my client’s goals/needs.

As Creative Director my job is to work closely with stakeholders both externally and internally. I come up with creative solutions for my clients and then communicate those concepts to my design team.

Did your career path match your vision of a career path? What’s different?

No, it did not match! When I left Marywood I thought that I would get into packaging design. At the time I was very passionate about that. After I graduated, and between internships, I had been working as a waitress and was creating mini-infographics for fun on Instagram when someone in my network reached out with an internship opportunity. I quickly became very passionate about creating infographics, interactives, animations, etc., and coming up with different ways of representing the content or information our customers wanted. Seven years later, I’m now Creative Director at that same company.

What is your favorite thing about your current job?

My favorite part of my job is working with clients across a variety of industries. With each client I get to become an expert in a particular topic related to their field or industry. Working for companies in different industries keeps things interesting and creates a sense of anticipation and novelty in every project. I also love that we get to work with companies large or small, and sometimes even with government organizations. We’ve worked with USGA, GE, Palo Alto Networks, Johnson & Johnson, Shifted Preworkout, Rakuten, the Embassy of Spain, and many others.

Are you currently working on any interesting side projects?

I’ve recently gotten involved in a variety of creative photo shoots and have been working with photographers in my local area as well as statewide in New York. My involvement has ranged from creative direction, to modeling, to photography and editing. I have also served as a judge at NYC Fotoworks where I provided feedback for photographers’ portfolios and gave career advice.

I also recently purchased a home and have been doing a fair bit of interior design which has been generating quite a buzz with reels on social media due to the unique Victorian style I’ve chosen.

What are some of the biggest rewards in your career?

One of the most rewarding aspects of my job is that I get to have a hand in helping each customer establish its identity; I get to be the person that helps them tell their story to their audience.

What’s something that would surprise people about your day-to-day?

My company has always worked 100% remote, even since before the COVID pandemic. This has allowed me to keep a more flexible schedule which allows me to travel while working. My design team is also scattered across multiple locations around the world, with several people in Mexico, Ukraine, Serbia, as well as the US.

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Life happens sometimes, and we often think that success is a linear path when in reality its full of ups and downs. We’re only human, and our failures are as much a part of the journey as the successes are.

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What inspires you?

I find that I can be inspired by almost anything. In particular though, nature has always been the biggest source of inspiration to me. I love to travel, and I love capturing landscape photography that illustrates the sheer scale of nature in relation to people. This is what most inspires me.

Anything else you’d like to share with our creative readers?

Create and do what you love. I got my start in my career by creating mini-infographics for fun. You never know what opportunity might come your way, and if you’re doing what you love it won’t feel like “work.”

Any advice for current art students at Marywood?

My biggest piece of advice would be to not be discouraged or afraid to fail. My time at Marywood was by no means a traditional path. I failed several classes, had to take a year long break at one point, and was by no means a model student. Life happens sometimes, and we often think that success is a linear path when in reality its full of ups and downs. We’re only human, and our failures are as much a part of the journey as the successes are.

What’s important is that you try and continue to try in whatever capacity you are able to. I got my job by just creating things that were interesting and fun for me. I worked as an intern for some time, got hired full-time within a few months, and within 3 years became Creative Director of my company.

My biggest piece of advice is this: Things probably won’t go according to plan but don’t let that discourage you.

Website: https://www.lealostdesign.com/

Instagram: @lea_lost

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ARE YOU INTERESTED IN STUDYING Graphic Design?

Graphic Design – Bachelor of Fine Arts: Design
Our graphic design program at Marywood will introduce you to a variety of design disciplines. Conceptual development, technical skills and professionalism are emphasized. Students have the opportunity to work independently, with partners, in small groups, with professionals in the field and real clients. Regular class critiques and portfolio reviews are stressed throughout the program.
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Low Residency MFAs in Graphic Design and Illustration are offered through our “Get Your Masters with the Masters” MFA for Working Professionals and Educators in Graphic Design & Illustration. This 60-credit Master of Fine Arts degree is specifically designed for working art directors, designers, illustrators, new media artists and art educators who have to budget their time and resources carefully, while continuing with their full-time occupations. While production and technical skills are stressed, the thrust of our program is on creativity and concept.
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