I know Meghan Legg as an absolute dynamo who actively redefines the role of Production Designer every single day. Equally comfortable with creativity, design, process, and the technical details of a litany of media formats, she navigates all with a truly blithe spirit. - CC
What did creativity look like for you in childhood?
Creativity in childhood was making gifts and cards for others. I also wrote a lot. Singing and dancing were regular activities in my household. When I was little, my parents made a small stage curtain from PVC pipe and dollar store curtains. We hosted talent shows for the neighborhood and on family trips. I was always the emcee and got all the kids to sign up and practice for sharing a talent. I've always enjoyed giving people space to be seen. These hosting skills came in handy, because later in college, I ended up hosting weekly trivia at the pizza place where I worked.
One of the infamous photo projects! Hilarious to me now, but I learned some solid Photoshop skills making these - 2011 (ML)
How has that changed as an adult, working in the creative industry?
It hasn't changed much! I've always had the blend of technical and creative—an active admirer and consumer of stories, but ultimately enjoying seeing how those stories are told. I think this comes from the fact that my mentors did not work in an office. I come from a family of teachers, carpenters, firemen, police officers, and non-profit organizers. I like to think I bring the blue collar to white collar work. (I love that, and it resonates with the 'green collar' Army Brat in me. Imagination has to be balanced with practicalities, logistics, and results. - CC) You can dream up ideas all day long, but I want to see pen to paper! Let’s see some action to execute that initiative. And if you give any weight to palmistry, I have craftsman hands. I have short stubby hands with big fingers, which according to lore means I’m a maker. In a different timeline, I make shoes at your local cobblery. (Same. Except in my case, it's raising sheep. - CC) I’ve never been one to worry about getting my hands dirty or the mess that comes with making. I enjoy the process, learning the secrets, and getting better each time.
Figuring out Illustrator now. Digital illustration for school project - 2015 (ML)
How does your creative process differ at work versus your personal creative projects?
At work my process is highly collaborative, which I LOVE, and have come to find is essential for my professional work well-being. We learn from each other, and I believe everyone has something to offer you. Because I check in with my teammates and rely on their expertise, it’s easy to focus deeply on my slice of the work. However, in my process for personal work, I like to wear all the hats: designer, production designer, art director, producer, project manager. Honestly so nerdy, but I’ll track out a schedule with milestones. Then I’ll give myself time to research, moodboard, and sketch. I have a few rounds of review where I’ll show my friends and family for feedback. (I think that's such a powerful idea that a lot of people tend to skip, because they feel sheepish about showing their work to anyone. A healthy relationship with feedback is critical to any artist, designer, and ultimately, a great life skill to have for anyone! - CC) These projects are mostly brand design with illustrations and logo development. Who doesn’t love a good abstraction exercise? My dad is a wonderful Creative Director.
Ah yes, a solid identity crisis moment. Vulnerability will heal us all! Photo collage - 2016 (ML)
You've described yourself as having a design heart and a production mind (which I love!); did both of these evolve in tandem, or has one or the other been a secondary development to support an inborn aptitude for the first?
Wow, this question is awesome! Truthfully, I didn’t recognize that I was creative until I was 18. I knew that school was my ticket to success, so up until then, I did anything and everything to get accepted into a good school. The summer after high school, after I had already been accepted to Cal Poly SLO and was waiting to move, I had nothing to do. For the first time in my life, I had nothing to push for. I was on Tumblr (LOL) and saw these surreal photoshopped pictures trending. I knew how to make these from working on the yearbook with a green screen. I borrowed my mom’s digital camera and downloaded a bootleg version of photoshop. That was the first time I felt the flow state creatively. I was like “OMG, all the emotion I feel ALL THE TIME can now be channeled into this.” I’ve always struggled with understanding and managing my emotions. And now art was a way to tell you how I was feeling—to tell ME how I was feeling. To this day, it’s a mental health tool for me. My production mind is innate, but my design heart was a tool I developed for self-discovery and healing. (Also SO powerful! How cool to be aware of that moment of epiphany about your ability to channel emotion into this flow! Creativity has always been the healing tool for me, as well, but I didn't have that kind of 'wow' moment with it; it just always was. - CC)
I was obsessed with hula hooping from 2016-2019 and brought my hoop everywhere. Feeling the flow state with dance is medicine like no other. - 2018 (ML)
What's inspiring you right now?
I don’t know if it’s the time of year or the time of man, but I can’t get enough of the moon and stars. Shelter-in-place showed me how fast I was moving and how important it is to live slowly. Grabbing on to the celestial inspires me to be present. Things are always changing, we have our seasons. I like thinking about how I am on Earth, in North America, in the US, in California, in Oakland, on X street, in the brown building, on this blue couch. I am just one small human bean. I can get discouraged from starting on a project, being a perfectionist, but you must always begin! I pull any thread that piques my interest and deep dive into it. Also, Sherlock. I can’t get enough of any and all Sherlock Holmes media. Talk about someone who is present! Like observing the moon and stars, he grounds himself with the objective truth. (Beautifully put. I surmise most, if not all, people with a creative bent are also seekers of objective truth, and we all seek to get closer to that through our creative explorations. - CC)
Starting to understand that brand design is where I want to be. Practicing logo redesign for See's candies - 2020 (ML)
Proud of where I landed with this one. I followed my process of research / moodboard / sketch / refine. Poster and presentation design for speaker series - 2020 (ML)
Last year was a tough one for me, but planning my sister's baby shower and taking her maternity photos were a major highlight. I love you, Anika! - 2021 (ML)
My favorite cat on the planet completed his 7th trip around the sun. Digital illustration for Roo's 7th birthday - 2022 (ML)
Meghan reminds me so much of Joni Mitchell; I'm not at all surprised she included this video with her responses. Enjoy! - CC
Comments