What can we learn from Donovan Hill’s Experience of Finding Work After College
Finding work after college can seem scary. You are now left with all this debt and you need a way to pay it off. MIAD alum, Donovan Hill, shares his story about how he was able to find work after school because of his preparation during school and also his passion for furniture.
Donovan Hill graduated from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (MIAD) in 2019. He got a BFA in Interior and Architectural Design with a minor in Furniture Design. To prepare for outside work while in school Donovan worked with MIAD’s Career Services to find an internship his senior year. He discovered The Good Land Studio. This was the first time applying for a furniture design job and was the first place he contacted. When he met with Ben, the owner of The Good Land Studio, he got a tour of the shop. Donovan said, ”When I toured around and saw everything I was really captivated and thrilled with what he was doing”. Right away he knew this was something he wanted to do as a career. Using what he learned at The Good Land Studio he is able to do freelance work for his friends and other clients. He now has a connection with Ben to where they help each other build furniture and share tools from the Good Land Studio’s shop.
Donovan says that The Good Land Studio is rented on the same floor as other furniture designers. He says they all visit each other's shops to see what is going on and to inspire each other. This creates a community of people working for the same goal. He says “That area there's pride in a lot of creators to try to push their own boundaries”. This community of designers affects the rest of the Milwaukee community because it brings life to the city through design. A lot of people in the Milwaukee community are getting custom designed furniture to make their spaces unique. Donvan also says “Wisconsin as a whole is a state that's filled with very talented craftsmen that knock stuff out of the park."
Donovan explains that this career path fits his own design interests. He states, “It fits them really well actually because I am a lot more of a simple person”. He likes to work with natural materials like wood, in addition to metals, concrete, epoxy and resins. He says “Being able to blend all those things to make custom handcrafted furniture and to have complete control and freedom over the product I produce is awesome”. Donovan says he likes clean and modern designs, however he also wants to learn how to make formal pieces of furniture.
Through Donovan’s path we can learn that it is possible to find work after college, whether it is working for someone else or doing freelance work. It is challenging to put yourself out in the world by contacting places, but every no is a step closer to a yes. He also teaches us that it is important to find something you feel passionate about because it will make the work you do more meaningful.
Donovan Hill graduated from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (MIAD) in 2019. He got a BFA in Interior and Architectural Design with a minor in Furniture Design. To prepare for outside work while in school Donovan worked with MIAD’s Career Services to find an internship his senior year. He discovered The Good Land Studio. This was the first time applying for a furniture design job and was the first place he contacted. When he met with Ben, the owner of The Good Land Studio, he got a tour of the shop. Donovan said, ”When I toured around and saw everything I was really captivated and thrilled with what he was doing”. Right away he knew this was something he wanted to do as a career. Using what he learned at The Good Land Studio he is able to do freelance work for his friends and other clients. He now has a connection with Ben to where they help each other build furniture and share tools from the Good Land Studio’s shop.
Donovan says that The Good Land Studio is rented on the same floor as other furniture designers. He says they all visit each other's shops to see what is going on and to inspire each other. This creates a community of people working for the same goal. He says “That area there's pride in a lot of creators to try to push their own boundaries”. This community of designers affects the rest of the Milwaukee community because it brings life to the city through design. A lot of people in the Milwaukee community are getting custom designed furniture to make their spaces unique. Donvan also says “Wisconsin as a whole is a state that's filled with very talented craftsmen that knock stuff out of the park."
Donovan explains that this career path fits his own design interests. He states, “It fits them really well actually because I am a lot more of a simple person”. He likes to work with natural materials like wood, in addition to metals, concrete, epoxy and resins. He says “Being able to blend all those things to make custom handcrafted furniture and to have complete control and freedom over the product I produce is awesome”. Donovan says he likes clean and modern designs, however he also wants to learn how to make formal pieces of furniture.
Through Donovan’s path we can learn that it is possible to find work after college, whether it is working for someone else or doing freelance work. It is challenging to put yourself out in the world by contacting places, but every no is a step closer to a yes. He also teaches us that it is important to find something you feel passionate about because it will make the work you do more meaningful.