Goddess

Goddess, oh how far I feel from being one right now. For the past four weeks my life has been absolutely positively consumed with career grooming and overhauling. No one said it would be easy, certainly not for the second time around, but boy did I not see this coming. Updating my resume, making over my blog, preparing my portfolio (for illustration, design, and various other career pursuits), going to interviews, interning, working on new illustration commissions, attending meetings for upcoming projects, and maybe sneaking in a few social events too :), I really never saw summer. Now suddenly my former classmates are heading back to school and I'm wondering when it's time for the beach.

Periods of transition like this always induce such anxiety. It's the instability of not knowing what's coming next, what opportunity will strike, but it also makes for possibly one of the most exciting times in one's life. I spent the last two years in school wanting to get out so I could do exactly what I'm doing now. I'm finally here and I'm wanting to be settled in a job and my career pursuits. When does the wanting stop and the enjoying begin? Maybe it's just me? I don't really know. But what I do know is that without struggle there can be no progress. Thank goodness I was born with a lot of fight in me because New York is not for the faint of heart. My hunger for success has never been more strong.

As my friend Jenny and I say, the time is now, so what are you waiting for?

Lots of love,

Meag xx

Blog Banner Face Lift

Hi Friends,

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. I'm so thrilled to finally reveal the new blog banner for Travel Write Draw!! I referenced the most incredible editorial spread for this from Numero Magazine issue 124 with Daphne Groeneveld. The story was simply titled Wild and styled by Greg Kadel. I loved how tribal, primal, and fresh the overall looks were and decidedly had to use that for my new blog banner design.

I'm still not finished yet with Travel Write Draw's makeover. I actually want to setup all new icons along the sidebar so that my blog resembles more of a portfolio process blog. Furthermore, I want it to be branded more with my name and my profession as a fashion illustrator. It needs to be comprehensive to find out what I do, how you can commission me, and buy my prints (yes a shop is coming)!!

Hope you like and would love your feedback as always.

Much love,

Meag xx

ArtScrum Interview - Artist in the Spotlight

Check out the interview here: ArtScrum Blog

The pieces up for auction - Bid here until September 16th

Hello Darlings,

So nice to finally be back on my blog after a long and incredibly productive week. I wanted to share with you the interview I did with Veronika Horrocks for her new buying and selling art website ArtScrum. The interview not only corresponds with the reveal of her shiny new domain but also accompanies the upcoming auction that I was commissioned to be apart of. For those of you who don't remember you can check out the piece I did here. I thought it was a brilliant idea to give potential buyers an inside look on the artist whose work they could be purchasing.

I have to say that this was probably one of the most fun interviews I've ever done. The questions were thought provoking and clever (no surprise considering the interviewer herself). I really would like to encourage you all to head over to her awesome new website and see for yourself what ArtScrum is all about. Furthermore, you can begin bidding on the four pieces up for auction, including my own, by clicking on the link here. Hurry before September 16th. Congratulations to the wonderful Veronika for seeing her vision through to the beautiful end.

Much love,

Meag xx

THE SMART MONEY IS ON SMART PHONES: BUYERS NEED TO GET A GRIP ON APPS

Last week’s eighth Ofcom Communications Market Report revealed that 27 per cent of all adults now own a smart phone. 59 per cent of these were bought in the last year. Oh, and we’re addicted to them. In fact, 37 per cent of adult smart phone owners have admitted as much.

In the business travel market, smart phones are beyond useful. TMCs use them to deliver information to travellers (itineraries, for example) as well as pulling data back (travellers can use phones to scan in expense receipts).

However, the smart phone epidemic has also seen an increasing number of business travellers use apps as though they were leisure travellers (which they’re not). And it’s this use of apps ‘out of policy’ that’s now a major cause for concern among corporate travel managers who are being warned that, unless they take back control, their policies are under threat of being compromised. 

My belief is that travel managers shouldn’t ‘ban’ travellers from using smart phones. Instead, they should find technology solutions with similar (or better) mobile applications attached that will keep travellers happy AND compliant. It’s essential that, when choosing these applications, managers opt for a platform-inclusive solution that’s also content rich, stable and fit for purpose.

Travel managers also need to embrace mobile communications as a tool to manage policy compliance in the same way they have harnessed self booking tools, pre-trip authorisation. Reports have indicated that use of mobile strategies can reduce the number of calls made to TMCs, in some cases by as much as 40 per cent, so making a considerable saving for organisations.

Technology has always been a key issue within the business travel industry and a focus for the travel shows at Centaur Travel Group. For 2012, we’re going one step further and launching a Technology Zone at our London and Dusseldorf shows. The zone is being introduced as a platform for technology providers who appeal to both travel and technology buyers, and will be a fantastic place for buyers to discover suppliers with smart phone applications, receive hands on demos, attend education sessions and network with new contacts. The smart money, in my opinion, is on the smart phone. 

Posted by David Chapple, event director, Centaur Travel Group. 

Splatter Scatter

Happy Friday Loves,

I've missed you all so much. Unfortunately I've had to put both my blog redesign and posting on hold for the past few weeks due to a super busy schedule. I'm trying to make the most of being in New York during my work term which means plugging away daily at applications and illustration pitches. Fortunately I have some really wonderful projects and commissions on the horizon, which I'm super excited about and can't wait to share with you all here. I guess hard work really does payoff. If I can be honest, I wouldn't mind lying on a beach in Ibiza right now ;)

The three drawings I've posted above were done during a NY Fashion Model Drawing Meetup a few Sundays ago. The lovely Tomo was once again our model (yes I do draw her a lot but can you blame me?!). This group doesn't coordinate outfits in any particular theme, but I liked that there was a lot of combining of textures and shapes. Some of Tomo's poses were very geometric, almost paper doll like, so I wanted to complement them with something less rigid hence 'Splatter Scatter'. I'm pleased with the results, a nod to my abstract expressionist roots.

Enjoy,

Meag xx