Meet Linda McNeil

Today we’d like to introduce you to Linda McNeil.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up outside of Boston and moved south to study at SCAD. My focus was on Graphic Design, however I took a lot of classes that included printmaking, sculpture, animation and painting. After graduating, I mainly focused on animation and motion graphics. I’ve worked at a few studios and in-house creative teams around Atlanta before deciding to start a studio called Ok Motion Club with Amanda Schrembeck

I started making prints as a way to cope with my day jobs. As a creative, it’s hard to see your work get heavily edited in commercial work, so doing my own prints was a way for me to have 100% creative freedom and control over what I was making.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I struggle a lot with keeping a private life while also making my artwork personal to my experience. I love being able to connect with people on topics that are important to me, but it can be overwhelming at times to have conversations about heavy subjects with people I just met.

I also feel like there are a lot of issues with artists trying to even get their work seen. There are so many algorithms that work against artists and sites like Instagram just get flooded with paid ads. I feel like this is something that will change within the next few years as we see more and more people stepping away from Facebook and Instagram. I’m really just wanting for Tumblr to make a comeback.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I like to use my art as a way to support organizations and movements I care about. A lot of my work uses satire as a way of processing some heavy subjects. I remember when I made the Reproductive Rights mugs, it started as a sketch after seeing one of those “Don’t talk to me until I’ve had my coffee” mugs at Java Jive one day. Then was talking to a friend about doing a small run to help raise money for Planned Parenthood and Feminist Women’s Health Center. It eventually became an outlet for whenever I heard upsetting news that would take away human rights for women, I’d make more mugs and increase the amount of proceeds being donated. To date, I’ve sold over 300 mugs and raised over $5,000 for Planned Parenthood and Feminist Women’s Health Center. I never thought I’d be able to afford to donate that much money, but it shows that there are multiple ways to raise money and bring awareness to organizations you support.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Surround yourself with people that are doing shit that inspires you. I’ve met so many people just from following them for a while and then reaching out on Instagram to see if they want to collaborate on something some time. That’s actually how Amanda and I sort of started Ok Motion Club. I didn’t know any other female animations in the Atlanta so we met up for drinks one night and talked about starting a collective. Three years later, it’s now a studio and our full-time jobs.

Contact Info:

Image Credits:
Personal Photo by Paula Harding