After many years working exclusively as a botanical artist, capturing the minute details and ephemeral beauty of plant life in growth and decay, CARRIE MEGAN expanded her focus to take in the broad vistas of nature. It’s a process she’s still learning, she tells Niki Browes
When a lucky break after college leads to an internship with the illustrator Milton Glaser – best known for his now iconic I ♥ NY logo – then you know you’re off to a good start. It was an opportunity that opened doors Carrie Megan didn’t even know existed. It meant she was able to land her first job as an Art Director for a private label paper goods company, where she learned how to design packaging, work with illustrators and photographers and supervise print runs. Over the years, she worked for several branding and packaging design firms, working on a diverse range of consumer products from Bacardi to Proctor & Gamble, Lever Bros and Nestles, to name just a few. No two projects were the same and in the pre-Mac era, creative development involved research, sketching and creating finely crafted prototypes. She may have continued to work in this field in New York for the rest of her career but she met her husband – and life changed dramatically.
A Bostonian, her husband has strong family ties in the area. When he floated the idea of Carrie relocating, he was shocked when she said yes. Gillette offered her a position as a Design Manager for their writing instruments and, although at first ambivalent about working on a limited product line, she ended up loving the work. The company was incredibly accommodating and after having three children, including twins – in just 14 months! – they offered her a two-day work week. But, alas, it was still too much to juggle and after a couple of years, she resigned.
Over the years, she undertook various freelance and pro bono design jobs and started a business creating art and decor for children’s’ rooms. But with three young children, homelife was hectic. And then she discovered botanical art – and her life did an about turn once again. ▸
In 2005, I was playing golf with a friend who mentioned she had registered for a botanical art class at the Wellesley College Botanic Gardens.
She knew I had an art background and asked, would I take it with her? I thought it would be fun. She never showed up but I did – and didn’t know then that it would end up being more than a decade-long love affair. We sat in the garden and drew local species. I don’t remember what my first drawing was but do know it was pretty horrible. Ho
