Today we’d like to introduce you to Melody Raffloer.
Melody, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Art/Design has always been a part of me ever since I was little. I began loving comics ever since I was a little girl. While most girls played with Barbies, I played with Ninja Turtles and Atari with my older brother. I began to draw comic characters when I was little which has lead me to finding my career path in design (Thank you Stan Lee).
I am currently a Creative Director for a digital marketing agency in Dallas – Tandem Theory. In an industry that is mostly male dominant, only 11% of Creative Directors are women. This perspective is something I am trying to change.
I also have a geek lifestyle blog because I wanted to showcase the creative side of who I am. From the design side to being a single mother, but who also has a passion for all things geeky and infuse it with fashion = My Everyday Lifestyle (MEL) blog.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
As women, we feel we have to be perfect all the time. There is no need to be perfect to inspire others. Let people get inspired by how you deal with your imperfections. For me, I am continually to accept who I am and what I like. I am geeky and so what? Wonder Woman’s strength is amazing and Deadpool makes me laugh. Who would disagree?
As a female in a mostly male dominant industry, I continue learn to improve myself and gain confidence that I too know my stuff when it comes to design. Historically, creative departments have been about selling—both ideas and egos. Many are also driven by awards. But to me us women we aren’t motivated by that. We are collaborative. We want to work in teams and solve problems. Also, there is this point of view that the best creative work comes when you’re working non-stop and you’re staying up all night in the office. But research shows us that family burdens are more often placed on women than they are on men. Not just kids, but family members and friends, caring for elderly parents and such. That’s another reason women turn away. But that shouldn’t discourage us ladies.
What should we know about My Everyday Lifestyle? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I’m currently the Creative Director for a digital content marketing agency in Dallas. I’ve built and now lead an awesome team of visual marketing designers and copywriters who create omni-channel experiences for our clients, and consumers. My team also executes across mobile, websites, social, marketing, emails, paid media, photography, and short-form content videos ‘short is sweet’. We are focused on creating content that engages and drive results.
I’m an advocate for people who depend on design solutions to run their business and have a passion to help connect people to the things they love, want, and need. I stay on top of what’s happening in today’s pop culture which can play a big role in design. Plus, being a micro-influencer for my lifestyle blog, myeverydaylifestyle.com, I am able to understand how much influencers are trusted sources of recommendations for followers and advocates for brands. I also DIY and shoot photography from time to time.
What do you feel are the biggest barriers today to female leadership, in your industry or generally?
Where are all the female Creative Directors? In an industry of 11% of creative directors are only women, I believe that stat is has gotten better, but there can be more room for improvement. I have seen a lot of brilliantly talented women kept from sharing their vision and forced to make that choice [between family and work]. We need places that understands the meaning of work-life balance. When clients think about hiring an agency they need to be asking who is going to work on my business, who is the person to be the voice for my brand targeting women.
Contact Info:
- Website: myeverydaylifestyle.com
- Email: myeverydaylifestyle@gmail.com
- Instagram: @myeverydaylifestyle
- Facebook: @myeverydaylifestyle
Image Credit:
Jeff Zepeda, Taylor Phillips, My daughter Mariah
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