#AlumniSpotlight – Elliott Graham

#AlumniSpotlight The Creative Circus graduates the most sought after creatives in the industry. Take a moment to read about the lives, careers & personal stories of some of our fantastic alumni.

Elliott Graham
Creative Circus Alumnus – Art Direction (2012)

Senior Art Director at VML
Portfolio

Advice to the graduating class:

First jobs won’t be exactly what you want them to be. You’ll either be making too little, not working on “sexy” enough projects, or not seeing eye to eye with a boss. You go from ‘sky’s the limit’ in school, to having an actual budget to stick to. BUT, go into all of this without expectations. Soak up the experience like a sponge. Just like any relationship, if it’s good or bad, you leave it having grown as a person and knowing what you want for the future.

Advice to the Incoming Class:

I think one of the best pieces of advice we had at a forum was “don’t be a dick.” Seriously, don’t be a dick. You’ll never produce killer work without great talented people working with you. It takes an army to accomplish a huge project and school is just the beginning. Be approachable and a team player so that others gravitate towards you. Everyone may have a certain role or title, but be open-minded to different perspectives and ideas. If you see someone struggling, step in to help and use your skills for good. The industry is small and people will remember what you did last summer.

What do I wish I knew while at Circus: 

You’re not an artist, you’re here to help sell. It’s a tough thing to swallow…all of us have a true creative self buried inside, wanting to share their vision with the world. But sometimes we have to separate those two people. At the end of the day, your vision will go through nine rounds of changes and suddenly it’s morphed into this cringeworthy behemoth where the client’s awfully-designed logo is the only thing your eyes can go to. It’s ok, sometimes. That’s just part of the job. There will be many degrees of this, but you will have moments where your inner artist gets to shine. Try and do side projects to stay sane. Sometimes those will help land you your next gig or will even get noticed and change your trajectory as a creative.

What does The Circus mean to me:

Probably the best investment I ever made. —They seriously didn’t pay me to say that. I honestly don’t know if I would have gotten here without it. The things you learn at Circus are invaluable and will help in any creative career path you choose. Being able to manage time well and be resourceful to get things done will follow you for the rest of your career. Not to mention, knowing a thing or two about color ;).

Lightbulb moment for me while in school:

Not sure if it’s so much a light bulb rather than a big realization: You can’t please everyone. The stuff you put out will not be liked by every single person. It’s impossible. People have different tastes and preferences. The best you can do is stay true to your vision as a creative and find happiness in your own work, not what someone else thinks your work should be. I’ve found that evoking any emotion with your work is better than nothing. If someone has nothing to say about your work, then I think that’s when you take a second look.

Advice to future Art Directors:

Don’t compare yourself to others. It will make you insane. It’s good to be inspired by your peers but you are two totally different people who will have different paths. Instead, focus on what success means to you. Not undermining the importance of talent, but a lot of the industry is about luck and being at the right place at the right time. Just because someone may seem farther along doesn’t necessarily make them more talented. Focus on yourself and trust your gut with how you think your work should speak to others. This is an industry filled with subjectivity and for every person that may not dig your style, there’s another person out there that WILL dig it.

Favorite project:

Tiny Toast Cereal. It was a great example of how something small can become much larger. We found the cereal was so addictive in focus groups, it made us think of how animals can’t resist certain foods. We then reversed that role with humans. My partner and I had to create some gifs for the campaign and walked into a meeting with our CD with a sketch of a sheep shaving a hairy guy in his underwear eating cereal on all fours. The sketch was so ridiculous it went on to being presented to the clients who then asked if we could make it a spot.

Tiny Toast: Sheep from Elliott Graham on Vimeo.

2015 MTV VMAs Promo 2 from Elliott Graham on Vimeo.

Muddy Buddies – Model from Elliott Graham on Vimeo.