Creative Spotlight: Mickey Wagner
An inside look at the founder of Erie Creative Network
We sat down with the founder of the Erie Creative Network and lead designer of weCreate—a local website design and marketing agency in Erie, PA to gain an inside look at the designer's career, listen to some advice for new designers, and see what he likes to do in his downtime. Check it out!
What inspired you to pursue a career in graphic design, and how did you get your start in the field?
I have always been drawn to art and design. I was constantly practicing drawing any chance I got. Growing up, I would make fictional video games and sports leagues. I would create characters and logos, filling up numerous notebooks with drawings. My obsession with graffiti set me up to succeed in graphic design. I had a game for XBOX called Jet Set Radio Future which introduced me to the art of street art and graffiti. Suddenly a door to a whole new world of non-traditional art that was rejected by the masses was opened. The way writers were able to manipulate letters of the alphabet to connect and make the characters flow together mesmerized me. Before long, I was practicing graffiti in my black book and gaining a deep understanding of letterforms in the English alphabet.
Once I was in high school, I was focusing more on traditional forms of art—mainly drawing. Funny enough, I was considering working toward a finance or business degree before my art teacher told me I would be an idiot not to work toward a career in the design field. Once I started college, I realized design was what I was precisely meant to do. I began working with numerous clients throughout my time in school.
What are some of your hobbies outside of your creative work?
I am a man of many hobbies—almost to a fault. I am always trying new things and learning new skills. I love watching and playing various sports. I follow Michigan State football and basketball, the Cleveland Guardians, and the Chicago Blackhawks. Additionally, over the past few years, I've been watching a ton of Florida State softball. I am the commissioner of two fantasy sports leagues—baseball and hockey. I love music. I listen to music from the moment I wake up until the moment I go to bed on most days. I am always looking for new artists, checking out various playlists, and trying to hunt down new music. I dabble in playing a couple instruments and have produced music in the past for local musicians and for fun. I enjoy traveling to new places (and visiting Las Vegas repeatedly). I love social events and meeting new people. I am always open to new things and love experiencing everything the world has to offer. My favorite hobby is simply just living life to the fullest.
What is your favorite design tool or software, and how do you use it to create your designs?
I cannot express how much time Adobe XD has saved me over the years. I know Adobe recently purchased Figma; therefore, the likelihood of Adobe XD fading is pretty high—but if that is the case—XD has had one hell of a run. I surely will not stop using it until I absolutely have to. My most extensive critique of Adobe products over the years has always been how heavy the software is. During my college years and even early in my career, I couldn't afford to have the best laptops with a ton of RAM and a great processor. The simplest tasks could crash my computer if I had more than 3 programs open. XD broke the norm. XD is meant to be used to create website and mobile application mockups and prototypes. Over the years, Adobe rolled out numerous updates, pulling features from their other software, such as Photoshop and Illustrator. Now you can design websites, develop digital graphics, and even quickly throw together an ad set without ever leaving XD.
I was on the release of Adobe XD back in college. In my senior year, I worked closely with my website development professor to learn the software in an individual studio in order for him to integrate the new software into lessons in future years. As a result, I've grown with the program, which has been a staple of my design process. I've watched numerous features get rolled out and am thrilled anytime I see something added that I have been wishing for. XD is similar to Sketch and Figma, but XD will always hold a special place in my heart.
How do you stay inspired and motivated to create, even when facing creative blocks or challenges?
The most important part of being creative is to keep things fresh. Burnout is inevitable. If you're ever feeling like you hate your career, try working more—no joke. Create something based on a hobby or interest. No one ever has to see it, but it's essential to see how much you love what you do and to rekindle the flame. In my experience, I believe the only proper way to counter burnout is to have a passion project or two. What's so lovely about having passion projects is that it keeps you excited about what you do for a living. Client work day in a day out may not be as fulfilling as creating something inherently yours. When you can make 100% of the decisions, you can land on a final product you love—seeing it go from concept to finished piece. Working with clients can be very limiting. Passion projects open up an avenue for your creativity. The best part is that you can take things you've discovered while working on passion projects and apply them to your client's work. In the end, working on projects for yourself can enhance your career.
If you could go back in time and visit any historical event related to your field, which one would you choose and why?
Playing off the early commentary, I would love to experience the NYC graffiti scene in the 70s or 80s—before the trains ran silver. Street art and graffiti became such a large part of my identity as a child and throughout my teenage years. The street culture was basically pop culture in the 2000s. Numerous video games, including JSRF, Tony Hawk's Underground 2, Tony Hawk's American Wasteland, and Marc Eckō's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure, paved the way for the exposure of street artists. Even games that didn't focus on graffiti as a part of the plot featured stylistic elements adopted from the movement. So if it has to be related to art and design, let me ride the subway in NYC in the 70s & 80s.
What have you been listening to lately?
Over the last year, I got really into the Latin music scene. Growing up in a household with a Spanish influence has heavily played into this recent obsession. My mother is a Spanish teacher and has exposed my family to the culture and language since I was born. According to Ancestry.com, I have a little Spanish in my blood, but not enough to make it a part of my identity. Although, for what it's worth, I was responding to Spanish commands before English as a baby. I highly recommend checking out some of today's Latin Hits. Artists like ROSALÍA, Bad Bunny, Karol G, and Rauw Alejandro are dominating the music scene.
If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Absolutely impossible question to answer! If I can give a broad answer, I would have to go with just the overarching category of sandwiches. There are so many varieties of sandwiches that it would be difficult to get sick of them. If you get burnt out on the Cubans, you can get an Italian from Jersey Mike's. Once you get sick of the Italian, you can have a classic Chick-Fil-A sandwich. You can also turn just about any meal into a sandwich by definition. The possibilities are really endless. If 'sandwiches' isn't an acceptable answer, I would immediately jump over to a poke bowl. There's a poke bowl joint in Vegas called Jaburritos located in the LINQ Promenade—I eat there 3-4 times a trip. Unfortunately, Erie has yet to bring a poke restaurant that matches the quality of that absolute gem to the table. The more I think about it, the more I want to toss my sandwich pick to the side. You know what—let's go poke bowl. Final answer.
Do you have any pets, and if so, what kind?
I have an almost 9-year-old little angel baby girl named Susie, and then there's Leo, the 8-year-old fetch-obsessed bundle of energy. These dogs have been through thick and thin with me during the most important time of my life. Without them, I don't know what I would do or where I would be. They have been the one constant in the past decade, and I will always have an undying love for them. They're family.
What is your TV show, and why?
My favorite TV has to be Adventure Time. Usually, that response is met with an "Oh?" and that's understandable, being a 29-year-old man who definitely didn't grow up with the whimsical cartoon made for children. What I love about AT is that I watched the series during various periods of change in my life. If you are familiar with the show, the main character—Finn—undergoes a lot of character development in the series. Some dark underlying themes in the show resonated with me during early adulthood. In my opinion, the art and universe-building in the show are second to none. Before watching Adventure Time, I actually thought I would hate it. Then, one morning, I was hungover after a night out at the bar in college. I was watching Regular Show—cartoons have always been my guilty pleasure. I watched the last episode of Regular Show available and Adventure Time autoplay. I was in too much pain to find something else to watch on Hulu, so I let it play. Before you know it, I was hooked. The rest is history. The show kept releasing new seasons on Hulu. I have probably watched the series start to finish nearly 20 times by now.
Finally, what advice do you have for aspiring graphic designers just starting in the field?
My advice to designers just kicking off their careers is to continue making art for themselves. As I previously mentioned, having passion projects is the best way to avoid burnout. The best designers I know are individuals that are constantly doing more than what's expected. Doing the bare minimum will not cut it in any field—especially design which is ever-changing. To be a great designer, you must follow trends, stay up-to-date on technology, and strive to be the best designer you can be. There are so many tools out there to help you. Learn new software, and utilize AI such as ChatGPT and GPT-4 for idea generation. It's easier than ever to create quality work; you just need to apply yourself—you might even surprise yourself with the level of work you can produce.
