Meet Shea O’Connor | Illustrator & Graphic Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shea O’Connor and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shea, how does your business help the community?
My art is so closely tied to who I am as a person, so more than simply creating visually appealing pieces, it’s important for me to also speak up about the issues that matter. I want my followers on social to know where I stand on the big issues; I can say a lot of this in my art and in the captions below. As a visual artist, it’s my responsibility to be as inclusive as possible in the representation of the people I draw. I’m always striving to include diversity of all kinds: ethnicity, gender, body shape, age, etc. If I’m drawing a real person (alive or deceased), I make sure that they are/were a positive influence on society, and do my best to honor their story. I’m also striving to be more environmentally conscious as well. I’m transitioning everything in my shop to being eco-friendly (sustainable packaging and shipping supplies). Basically, I just try to put more good in the world!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art is whimsical, polished, diverse, positive, vintage-inspired, colorful, and feminine. I’ve worked over the years to develop my own unique style. Whether that’s illustrating children’s books, drawing a commission of a family, creating background art, etc. you can tell that I’m the one who drew it. While Designed By Shea is my personal project and brand, I’ve worked for ~8 years in the corporate world as a graphic designer. In that time, I’ve learned how to create multiple illustration/design styles based on what a client’s needs are. It’s helped me to define my own, unique style. It also has taught me how to be professional: responding to emails promptly and in complete sentences, meeting deadlines, bringing a client’s vision to life, etc. Lessons learned: always be polite, respectful and courteous. In the creative world, a lot of the work you get is from word-of-mouth, so you always want to keep your reputation polished. Plus, being a kind human is just the decent thing to do.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Okay, in this case that’ll be my sister in post-Covid Atlanta. The priorities would be gorging delicious food, sipping cocktails, some sort of physical activity/exercise, playing games at home, and hanging out with the pets. In no particular order, here are some of my favorite spots: Brunch at Full Commission, Cabbagetown murals, Brother Moto coffee (RIP, wish they were still open), 3 Parks Wine Shop, a plant shop (Goat City Plants, Flora/Fauna, Garden*Hood), drinks at Banshee, tacos from Muchacho, hiking at Arabia Mountain, Wild Heaven Brewery, foot golf, a musical at the Fox, going to Lake Allatoona to hang with my parents…I mean, I could go on and on.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many! Family would be first. My parents have always encouraged me to be creative and trusted me; they never pushed me to be any one way or forced me to do a job I didn’t care about. My husband always has my back and is my biggest champion; he’s the best listener, is so steady emotionally, always gives solid advice, and makes me feel important and cherished. I’m really lucky to have a supportive, stable family; we’re all real close. Work-wise, I have to give a shoutout to the AIGA Mentorship Program. My mentor was Scott Fuller, and he shared career advice, helped me get connected with fellow creatives, and we still keep in touch. AIGA’s events and Dribbble events are a fantastic way to get plugged into the Atlanta graphic design community, by the way! Ultimately, surrounding yourself with folks who are constant, encouraging, smart, and kind is so healthy (obviously it goes both ways, and is important that you pour into them too).

Website: http://www.designedbyshea.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/designed.by.shea/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcHLfGc7qeloZbi8V3KA-Jw