In 1996, Charity Myers was in the midst of finishing her BFA installation works for her graduation show at Florida State as well as figuring out her next steps as a professional artist. She was just beginning to explore collages and experimenting with the intrigue of its layers.
Post-graduation she took a job at a publishing company as a graphic designer instead, even though she had never taken a class in college for design.
After a crash course in programs like Photoshop and InDesign, she felt more skilled in creating compositions, and started working as an exhibit designer for the Museum of Florida History. She enjoyed working in a three-dimensional space that shared similarities with installation art. Concurrently, she appreciated the function that the museum served in the community, and that it brought her closer to her interests in personal and past histories.
“I was fortunate enough to be able to apply my knowledge and ability in art to this digital realm that I didn’t have much interest in at first,” states Myers. “[Interior designer and TV personality] Genevieve Gorder says a good designer can design anything, and I really believe that. It’s all about color and proportion where all those same art rules apply.”
Flash-forward to 2016, and Myers, now 42, continues to work in collage as her primary medium, though she’s left behind her work at the Museum of Florida History. However, all her experiences have helped with her business endeavor, Creative Pool Design, which provides creative support via branding, marketing, and merchandise design. She began the business over a decade ago and is set to open her first retail location, The Pop! Shop, in Railroad Square this August. The expansion will also give her a chance to clear out her home studio-space that she currently shares with her 5-year-old daughter.
“We’ve been sharing a studio since she was about 3,” smiles Myers.
“It’s hard because if I’m working and she sees she wants to help, so we’ve done many collaborative pieces. She’s excited to be working on her own prints too that we’re going to have in her own little corner of the shop.” While the word collage may bring to mind clutter or muddled layers, Myers approach calls for precision and order, the outcome of which are streamlined and graphic-design driven pieces. The medium also allows for her to pursue an interest in historical photographs.
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