Alumni Spotlight – Anna Vaughan
Creative Circus Alum - Art Director at 72andsunny
#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.
Anna Vaughan – portfolio
Creative Circus Alumna- Art Direction (2014)
Art Director at 72andSunny
Advice to the Incoming Class:
1. Be prepared to work harder than you’ve ever worked in your life. If you are someone who knows this is your passion, that shouldn’t scare you. It should excite the hell out of you.
2. Don’t let anyone else’s creds or talents coming in make you intimidated. They’re probably thinking the same thing about you. Instead, choose to be inspired by them. The stronger your class is, the more allies you’ll have in the future.
3. Give 100% and then some. Cutting corners and throwing things together at the last minute will just waste your money and time. Truly immerse yourself in the work.
4. Spend as much time with your class as you can. It’ll make the grind much more fun and they’ll become your family.
5. Fall in love with your work and your own style. Two years later, you’ll be realizing that the only voice worth listening to is your own. (But first you have to listen to Sylvia, Dan and Jen)
The most important thing I learned at the Circus:
While you’re in school, you should be absorbing as much advice and prowess as you possibly can. Listen to the instructors, go to the forums, read Hey Whipple, write down every sappy quote you come across. But as you continue to learn from others, you’ll also be growing as your own creative. With your own unique perspective on what makes good work. And not everyone will agree with what you think. You’ll get conflicting feedback where one CD is telling you to take something out of your book, and another is telling you it’s the best thing you’ve got in there.
This is what I learned: Listen to your instincts. Agencies will hire you because you think different than everyone else – not because you think the same. Your own weird, funny, lofty or straight, simple or complex, long copy, short copy, messy, crafted style is what will get you a job. Not a vanilla book that screams ‘I TRIED TO PLEASE EVERYONE’. So heed the advice, but make it work for you and never lose confidence in your own vision. Because when you do find that CD or agency that loves that super bizarre Brillo Pads print campaign you did in 2nd quarter, you’ll know that’s where you belong.
What does The Circus mean to me:
This is going to sound really cliche, but looking back, the Circus is a reminder to me that I can do anything. Seriously. You will look back on your time there and think, holy shit, I can’t believe I built a human head sculpture out of working lightbulbs. Or, I can’t believe I completed 600 assignments in 1 week on zero-no sleep. Or a million other things that I can’t even remember right now. The point is, you will push yourself beyond what you ever thought you could do. And if you can hold on to that reminder for the rest of your career, that means everything.
Favorite campaign (post Circus):
Starbucks Red Cups Campaign 2016. This was one of those rare times when the idea you put on paper in Round 1 is essentially what you end up shipping five months later. And when that idea is something that pushes the brand out of their comfort zone, that’s freakin’ awesome.
Work Examples:
Starbucks Red Cup Teaser from Anna Vaughan on Vimeo.