080 - Design, Comedy and Personal Branding — with Meg Lewis
Apr 27, 2020
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Meg Lewis, a designer, comedian, and meditation podcaster, shares her journey of blending diverse interests into a unique personal brand. She discusses the power of authenticity, revealing how embracing one's quirks can create career advantages. The conversation touches on navigating workplace dynamics and the importance of community, especially in her shared workspace, Foolproof. Meg highlights the balance between passion and practicality while exploring innovative techniques in interactive comedy and the transformative nature of vulnerability in creative expression.
Combining unrelated interests can lead to a unique and exciting career.
Embracing fear and taking risks allows for creative growth and new opportunities.
Creating a supportive and collaborative workspace promotes friendship and belonging.
Exploring boundaries and stepping outside of your comfort zone leads to personal and professional growth.
Deep dives
Embracing Uniqueness and Redefining Career Paths
Meg Lewis discusses the importance of embracing and combining different aspects of oneself to create a career that is unique and unlike anyone else's. By blending her interests in design, comedy, and performance art, she has been able to redefine what it means to be a designer or comedian. This process has allowed her to offer the world something truly distinctive and exciting.
Navigating the Challenges of Self-Discovery
Meg talks about the challenges she faced in reconciling her different interests and identities. As a kid, she wanted to be a comedian but also had a growing interest in design. Over time, she learned to embrace all aspects of herself and blend them together into one career. However, breaking into the comedy industry was harder than establishing a career as a designer, so she focused on incorporating comedic elements into her work as a designer and making traditionally boring topics funny.
Overcoming Fear and Self-Doubt
Meg opens up about her fear of rejection and her vulnerability when it comes to performing on stage. She admits being scared of negative judgment and prefers hiding behind a computer rather than being on stage. However, she acknowledges that pushing through the fear and realizing that the perceived outcome is often much less negative than anticipated has allowed her to take risks and challenge herself creatively.
Creating a Space for Collaboration and Camaraderie
Meg discusses her shared workspace, Foolproof, where self-employed individuals and freelancers can work together in a supportive and collaborative environment. The space promotes friendship and camaraderie, where members can bounce ideas off each other and have a sense of belonging. Foolproof also offers a podcast studio for members and external individuals to rent for recording and production purposes.
The Power of Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone
Meg Lewis discusses the importance of exploring the boundaries of what you think is possible and stepping outside your comfort zone. She shares personal examples of going outside her comfort zone, such as trying new things in her presentations and pushing the boundaries of what is expected in design conferences.
Creating a Personal Style Guide
Meg Lewis emphasizes the significance of creating a personal style guide to reflect your unique personality. She talks about how she developed her own style guide, inspired by mimes and clowns, combining black and white with bright colors. By adhering to her style guide, she ensures that her visual appearance and designs are a true reflection of herself.
Finding Opportunities in Unexpected Changes
Meg Lewis shares her experience of navigating unexpected changes and finding opportunities within them. She talks about the importance of being open to change and adapting in order to make the most of new circumstances. Meg describes how her career as a freelancer and her love for change have prepared her to think on her feet and creatively find ways to make things work.
Introducing Comedy into Mindfulness and Meditation
Meg Lewis introduces her comedy meditation podcast, 'Sit There and Do Nothing.' She explains her motivation behind creating a podcast that combines mindfulness and comedy to provide a unique and engaging meditation experience. Meg discusses how she focuses on creating a safe environment where people can be vulnerable and laugh, making meditation a lighter and more enjoyable practice.
Meg Lewis is a designer, comedian, performance artist, entrepreneur, meditation podcaster and a whole lot more. You might recognize her style, her voice and definitely her glasses, but after listening to this episode you will understand the power of her personal branding. Meg and Chris discuss how to take what's weird about yourself and turn it into a unique career advantage. After all, that's what creativity is: combining unrelated things to make something new.
