MAGE

My name is Mary but I go by MAGE (pronounced rage with an m). I graduated from an arts high school where I majored in visual arts. I continued my art career through a few years of college until I decided to change directions.

I wanted to gain experience within the working world and I also wanted to learn diverse skills and methods that colleges do not teach.

I am confident that I can thrive in any work environment that I encounter. The experience that I have is that I have walked into a job having no knowledge about it and am able to walk away knowing that job well. Also, I am quick to think of fast solutions to issues that come up. An example I got a job at an optical lab for a customer service position. I had some customer service experience but nothing in this capacity. I was able to learn the job on the fly and excel at it quickly, especially with dealing with difficult customers.

What unique skills do I have?

I am able to see different angles to problems and ideas. I like being able to challenge the status quo.

I balanced my day job with personal creative work, like collage and woodblock printing, which garnered attention from a few indie publishers. Eventually, I got offers from more established magazines, so I decided to design for Showcase on a freelance basis. This allowed me to work on other cool projects, from emerging brands to current events.

How do you challenge yourself?

I love learning new things. I thrive on figuring things out. I am continuing to learn about psychology on my own. Also, I enjoy learning new methods so I can combine them with old methods for a unique result.

My creative approach—no matter the medium—is to find points of tension behind the idea I’ve been assigned or am interested in. I do several iterations on each point and usually end up refining the one I find most controversial.

For me, controversy isn’t about instigation, but rather, a way to arrest your audience. It’s a way to plant a little bit of desire in their hearts; a yearning to turn the page and learn more about your idea. Ultimately, it’s about creating memorable images.