Today we’d like to introduce you to Caitlin Miller.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I originally majored in photography at the Rochester Institute of Technology but ended up making a career as a graphic artist in film and television, which has proven to be a wonderful adventure.
Traveling through the southwest in recent years, and most notably Utah, has re-inspired my love of photography that had laid dormant for many years. In 2020 during the pandemic, I was going stir-crazy in my LA apartment and I decided to take a road trip to Colorado. On my way there, I visited Utah for the first time.
It was otherworldly, beautiful, and had palettes of earth tones I had never seen before. In addition to visiting all the famous locations (Bryce, Arches, Zion, etc.), I was so awestruck by the sights along the road that I found myself stopping every 5-10 minutes to take photographs as I drove across the state. It inspired me so much that I have been back four times since to capture images of the Utah landscape and energy.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has been a long road getting to where I feel the most fulfilled and comfortable. I have tried out many different creative professions: television editing, fashion illustration, animation, post-production coordinating for reality tv, and graphic design in advertising…. all have led me exactly to where I need to be now.
Restarting your life isn’t easy and finding out what makes your heart sing isn’t easy either. I am fortunate, however, to have the support and love of friends and family, and I have the baseline of creativity that lies like a heartbeat in my chest. Both are constants for me, a sense of home.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am very proud of the many projects I’ve worked on as a Graphic Artist. Notably, “The First Lady” on Showtime, for which I got to create many historically accurate graphics spanning an entire century. “For All Mankind” on Apple TV was my first foray into science fiction. “Sex Lives of College Girls” on HBO MAX was just a really fun project with a wonderful crew.
“Queenpins,” which hit theaters in 2021, was my first time working as a lead graphic artist and I’m very proud of the insane amount of art that we created in such a limited timeframe. I love what I do, and I’m so fortunate to be in a profession that also affords me time off to explore this country and others and photograph all that I find beautiful.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
The future of the film and television industry is genuinely concerning at the moment. Streaming services and new media have dramatically changed the nature of pay and fair business practices that were established by the various unions in the heyday of cinema and network television.
In addition, creative A.I. is becoming a profound existential threat and effecting a negative impact on most creative fields, leaving workers to wonder, “What’s next?” We have to establish new precedents, protections, and boundaries for workers that have never needed to be in place before.
I’m very much involved in standing up for workers’ rights, an active leader in my union, and will continue to be involved in these important discussions. It’s a pivotal time for us to set rules in stone before we lose the ability to take part in the very industry we love.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cjmillercreative.com
- Instagram: @cjmillercreative_design
