Em Maylor is a passionate creative who loves to deliver inspiring visual solutions and power beautiful content. She is a graphic designer and illustrator, specialising in brand identity, packaging and digital design.
Em took up a tattoo apprenticeship in 2012 to explore her interest in the sector, following her interests in traditional tattoos and illustrating tattoo flashes. This is something she’s continued, both with watercolour, ink, and digitally. From a design perspective, she feels that this is what kickstarted a new view on visual communication, prompting her to enrol at college in Art and Design.
Originally from Manchester, Em has worked in a diverse range of senior creative roles over the years since graduating from Manchester Metropolitan University.
We caught up with Em about International Women’s Day, who and what has inspired her in her career to date, and advice she has for anyone starting out in the creative industry.
What do you love about being a creative and working in Lancashire?
I love that I can wake up each day and know that I get to create something new and continue to evolve skills, and learn new ones. Creativity will never go, and it’s constantly changing. Being a part of that professionally is something I feel very lucky to do, and passionate about protecting.
Working in Lancashire is wonderful. It’s such a huge, diverse county. We’ve got cities, villages, countryside, coast, and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Despite its size and amount of creative workplaces compared to cities, for me, it’s always superseded by the authenticity of local knowledge, familiarity with the surrounding areas – something I feel clients particularly love – there’s so much more talent here than people realise, and when we get to showcase that, and brag a little bit that we’re not from a huge city, it’s nice to feel a bit smug.
I’m not actually from Lancashire, so I do feel a little bit of a fraud here – but since moving here from Manchester 6 years ago, I’ve never looked back. Everything you need is here. I’ve worked with some amazing people, and the creative network is thriving, and there’s so much passion for what we do here.
What advice would you give to anyone starting out in their creative career?
Don’t ever think you’re alone! We’ve all applied to literally hundreds of jobs and heard absolutely nothing back from the majority of them. It’s absolutely heartbreaking. But that never equates your worth. I was in my third year at university and in such a panic about finding a job after I graduated. I thought if I started early, I’d be able to get my foot in the door. I was absolutely gutted when I didn’t hear back from places I’d be the perfect fit for. At a degree show, I spoke to an illustrator who has a successful editorial career about what on earth to do. He said, “that imposter syndrome never stops, we’re all human. But, all you have to think is, no matter how successful someone is, they are always like a duck. Floating happily up top, and paddling like hell underneath. We’ve all been in the same boat, and we all get out of it.”
Who has inspired you in your career?
My former tutor, Joanna Spicer definitely inspired me at the beginning of my career. She worked hard to help me see my creative brand, and steered me clear of worrying about trends or likes.
I’m constantly inspired by illustrators and designers all around – I love going onto Instagram just to see what ideas people have come up with, how they’ve used certain media, their colour choices – when you’ve had a tiring day or you’re stuck for creative inspiration, the smallest thing you see can propel you into massive ideas. Some of the original inspirations for me have been Malika Favre, Keith Haring, Jon Burgerman, Charley Harper and Eva Stalinski.
If you could have dinner with three inspirational women, dead or alive, who would they be and why?
- Gillian Anderson: I’m a massive X Files fan, and she’s such a huge part of the show’s direction and legacy. Her portrayal as Dana Scully inspired the ‘Scully Effect’, a surge in women in STEM careers.
- Stormé DeLarverie: Although it’s still debated who threw the first brick at Stonewall, Stormé DeLarverie prompted bystanders to do something about the atrocities that were being carried out. By shouting “why don’t you guys do something?” to the crowd, she helped begin an uprising against continued brutality against the LGBTQ+ community, a massive part of history.
- Susan Kare: Many of us work on Macs every day, but we never realise where credit is due for the things that make our lives easier. Susan Kare worked with Steve Jobs to create the command key. She also helped create the Lasso tool in Photoshop, which is a timesaver for creatives worldwide. A woman contributing so much to the world from even now, a largely male-dominated field.
Why do you think it is important to celebrate International Women’s Day?
It’s so much more than just a corporate tick-box acknowledgement each year, especially if it’s done right. Reflecting on how life has changed for womankind, our rights, our lifestyle, the ability to work, vote, drive, serve on the front lines. Women in science, technology, finance – every sector – the ability to see how much more choice we have in our careers. The importance of closing the gender pay gap, challenging societal norms. Dressing how you’d like. What should a woman dress like? However she wants. This came from trailblazing women before us, and will continue to evolve.
I think one particularly beautiful thing about International Women’s Day (IWD) is that there’s a feeling of international solidarity. Each year we’re challenged more and more. We’re reminded of the dangers we face, just for being women, and we immediately understand and can relate – it’s sad, but it’s fuel for why we celebrate IWD each year. We have one day (as well as every day, but IWD in particular) as a signal of our resistance to violence, discrimination, women supporting women, and acceptance and understanding. Instead of these events hindering progress for equality and safety, they’ve empowered us to remain valiant and protect each other.
