I missed the #meetthemaker social media prompts in March but I figured better late than never and it’s only April right?! I’d rather not have to show my face all around the internet, but here I am with a little bit about myself and what the hell I’m doing.
I’m a creative. I’d classify myself as a graphic artist, designer and (self-taught) printmaker. I opened my Etsy shop in 2021 – in the middle of (yet another) lockdown here in the UK – after rediscovering hand printing and finding out that people (beyond my friends and family) are willing to put my work on their walls.
I have lived in the UK since immigrating from New Zealand. I studied graphic design in NZ at uni and went on to work in London in various design roles (some of them more corporate than creative) and most recently went off on a tangent ‘managing directoring’ a high street climbing shop, but I always come back to this need to be creative.
I use my computer as part of the process as a tool, but after a long time of creating digital-only outcomes, it is incredibly satisfying to be able to produce something tangible and tactile in the form of uniquely individual prints.
Most of my energy goes into my creative endeavours, but when I’m not printing or drawing on my computer I love to be outside climbing or cycling where ever I can. This is the absolute antithesis to my creativity – often my mind is completely empty and it’s about pushing myself physically in order to return to creating with a refreshed head-space.
My absolute favourite start to the day is getting up early in the morning and sitting at the table with a coffee, in the sun (hopefully!) and carving a block in the quiet.
I work out of my South London flat, on my dining table accompanied by a fluffy assistant with whom I play a game of never-ending musical chairs, (I warm one up, leave for a moment and return to discover it’s taken) and with my wife, who is my most valuable critic.
Finally, here’s a very UN-serious photo of my mug, in possibly my favourite part of the world – the French alps.
Megan
Megan Abel 