Susie AMINIAN

1. What was your very first job?
Working at a record store in phoenix spending all my days staring at album art listening to music...

2. Please describe, in your own words, what your job is and what work it entails. 
I am a visual storyteller- when I was a kid I used to make collages out of magazines and paint with my dad on weekends. In many ways I'm still doing this, however in my new role I have team of talented and hard working creatives working with me to achieve everything on the brand from bringing back the core brand equity with a modern twist, to cleaning up and modernizing all aspects of the brand from packaging, digital print and merchandising into the future. We spend a lot of our time making video content. It is everything you can think of and more. Each and every day I am grateful to get to do what I am passionate about for a living. After all, if you're not having fun- why bother!

3. How did you discover that the creative world was right for you? Was there a time in your life that you credit to this discovery? What was there train of events that brought you to where you are today? 
My dad is crazy about art. I fell in love with painting at an early age painting along side him. I was lucky enough to have some amazing mentors and knew to trust my gut and do what I like best.

 4. I've always been inspired by film, art, music, writing + pop culture. My 4 year old daughter has a big impact on me in terms of inspiration and shifts my lens daily. Painting and other analogue activities help shift the way the mind works and approaches problems. 
What is happening in the world has a massive influence on me. These days, I'm constantly thinking about how to use my position to inspire and influence others in a positive way. Approaching the work we do with an inclusive mindset is a conscience choice we can all make and feel good about. It matters for people to feel seen and represented. As much as creatives are inspired by the culture we live in, we are also contributors to it and it's important to remember the role we play in shaping it. 

5. If you had to pick one piece of work or project that you are most proud of, more for the creative work and innovation it required, rather than its recognition or industry “success,” what would it be? 
The projects I got to do at MAC were the most successful because of the artistic freedom I was given. Having the opportunity to have worked with James Gager was more valuable than I realized at the time. He pushed us in so many ways and there was no limit to high far you could push the creative. Those projects were the most fun to work on and are still my favorites to look back on. Now that I am back at ELC in Bumble and bumble I find myself pulling inspiration and channeling what I learned at MAC. Bumble and bumble is a fabulous brand. I think one day I will look back on it and feel similarly to how I felt about my love of projects at MAC. It's a brand rooted in handcrafted work which I can never get enough of, and it is a brand I identify with - for me this has always been key to doing breakthrough work. 

 6. Which creative disciplines do you commission most, and are most interested in seeing more of and why? (ie photo, film, social, experiential, vr, etc)
We are 100% able in our Creative studio to do it all in house, which is useful because as a small brand we work on tighter budgets. However there are always needs for hiring photographers, illustrators, and video teams to support in the creation of content. Social is always on and experiential will become important again when we are in a post-Covid world.