Christa MacDonald

I think one of my biggest achievements and what I attribute my success to is how I've been able to adapt my skill set and what I'm passionate about to meet the needs of what has been a pretty flourishing career. The fact that I get to deeply, deeply enjoy the work that I do is huge for me. I don't show up to a job every day - I show up to something where I get to add immense value, and I can see how appreciated my contributions are. I really feel like I wouldn't be my whole self without my career. I see challenges as puzzles rather than problems, and every puzzle has a way to put it together and find a solution that works. I've focused on being the best manager, the best art director, and the best resource for people to come to when they need something, and that problem-solving mindset combined with my genuine passion for the work has allowed me to build a career where I can support myself and not feel like I'm just working for the weekend.

I would tell young women entering design that you don't always need to have a formal degree if you have taste and you're willing to learn something - I think you can become a designer if you just love it and take the time to learn it. A lot of what we learn about design, we actually learn after we graduate, when you really get the chance to see how working professionals do it. You can do a lot with hands-on experience, and if you're passionate and excited about it, you can learn it without necessarily needing a guide - it won't be as easy, but it's possible. I want people to see that it is possible to be a graphic designer, to follow something that you're super passionate about and be excited about it, and also make a career out of it where you can support your family and not have to feel like you're showing up to a job that doesn't excite you. I'm passionate about mentorship and teaching, and I love guiding people along their path, helping them see their potential and showing them that there are so many different careers you can do with a degree in design.

Right now, one of the most exciting opportunities in my field is exploring trials with AI and seeing how we can use that to give us better creative work, better efficiencies, and the ability to take on more clients with more diverse needs. It's really exciting to see where technology is heading and how it can make us even better as creative professionals. I was just at Boston Tech Week this week learning about different AI tooling for collaborative creativity, and it's inspiring to see what's possible when we embrace these new technologies to enhance our work rather than replace the human creative element.

The values most important to me are making a meaningful difference every day, adding immense value where my contributions are appreciated, and bringing my whole self to everything I do. My goal every morning is to make a meaningful difference for my clients or for my team, and as long as I can do that, I feel like I've earned my paycheck and done my job. I'm deeply committed to collaboration and working with creative, talented people who love to collaborate. I also value the integration of my personal passions into my professional work - I bring my mindfulness and wellness practices into my role, and I've given several trainings to my team about how we can take a mindfulness practice and make it useful to us as creative people. Mentorship and teaching are core to who I am - I love working with students and the next generation of creative people, showing them their potential and guiding them on their journey. I'm passionate about helping people, whether that's through pro bono work for causes that tug on my heartstrings or taking those LinkedIn messages from people who want to learn from my career journey.