Today we’d like to introduce you to Morgan Denman.
Hi Morgan, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Ever since I was a little girl, I have always loved art. Every opportunity to draw, paint, and create in any way was one that I took both in my free time and at school. When I reached the end of my high school career and was trying to decide what major to pursue, I researched many different artistic career paths. During that research, I discovered what graphic design was for the first time. The more I learned about it, the more I was sure that a career as a graphic designer was the right one for me. Once I decided on a major, I decided on a school to attend. I studied graphic design at The College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY for four years. Once I graduated with my BFA in Graphic Design in May of 2016, I packed up my car and moved to Florida, far away from snowy weather and closer to family. I spent the first year I lived here in Florida doing small freelance graphic design jobs while I searched for a full-time job in my field.
In April of 2017, I accepted my first full-time design job as a graphic designer for Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (KSCVC). It was there that my career and my passion for space began. Growing up in a rural area of Central New York, space wasn’t really a part of the curriculum apart from the names of the planets and the phases of the Moon, so working somewhere that centered around a knowledge of space presented quite a learning curve at first. The longer I was there, the more I learned about all things space-related. Space became so much more than just a part of my job. It became something I was deeply passionate about. Working at KSCVC was the spark that lit the fuse and launched me on a space-focused career path. After that job, I knew without a doubt that sharing information about space and my passion for it through art was the only type of job I could ever want to do again.
As a former self-proclaimed workaholic, I spent a great deal of time at work while I was at KSCVC. If I wasn’t working on something for my full-time job, I was designing space graphics for fun in my spare time. Then, in October of 2019, something life-changing happened that forced me to take time away from work. I was diagnosed with cancer, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). It happened so quickly and seemingly out of nowhere. One week I felt fine, and the next I was in the Emergency Room receiving a cancer diagnosis. I spent October 2019–March 2020 undergoing treatment for my cancer, hoping the whole time to be able to make it through treatment and recovery so I could get back to living my life and doing what I loved. Well, we all know what happened in March of 2020. I was in the hospital undergoing a bone marrow transplant as the final step in my cancer treatment when the Covid-19 pandemic shut down everything, including KSCVC. When KSCVC shut down, I was furloughed for quite some time until my position was ultimately one of many chosen to be eliminated in September 2020 due to pandemic-related budget cuts.
After spending almost a year going through cancer treatment and then recovering from it, hoping to return to doing what I love, I was understandably heartbroken. In this heartbroken state, I did what many people do when they want to shout into the void, and shared what had happened on Twitter. I did not expect anything to come of it, but I felt the need to share that my time with KSCVC had unexpectedly come to an end, and I was looking for somewhere new where I could continue to do the work I am passionate about. To my surprise, the space community rallied around me. The thread I posted was liked and retweeted many times, and my DMs were filled suddenly with people telling me about open positions, places I should look, and people I should contact. I could not believe it. From those interactions, my freelance career blossomed. What began as a terrible day turned into an amazing one. I learned of a temporary design position with Rocket Lab, which led to the opportunity to work with their wonderful team on multiple projects, including a mission patch. My work went to space for the first time on the side of an Electron rocket. After that, I worked on a string of other projects and mission patches for multiple incredible companies, and eventually ended up working part-time as a social media manager for Space.com in addition to those other projects. I felt so lucky to be back doing work I really cared about. With a new energy and a reignited passion for my field, I also began creating my own personal work again. Those passion projects led to multiple people asking if I sold prints or shirts with my work on them. After answering “not yet” to that question many times, I finally decided to open my online store and sell my work to those interested in it.
In early 2021 I was happily working on my passion projects, freelance projects, and my part-time job when a friend sent me a job posting they thought might interest me. The job was with a contractor as a graphic designer for NASA Headquarters. I, of course, applied. I was happy with my current work, but I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to be able to tell the NASA story once again. To my surprise and joy, I was contacted quite quickly about my application. Less than a week after I had applied, the job was mine. In April of 2021, I started my full-time job as a graphic designer for NASA HQ, working as a contractor. Now, I have been at this job for just over a year, and I love every minute of it. I work with both the Office of Communications and the Office of Engagement. Seeing the work I create shared with the world for a purpose I believe in is endlessly fulfilling. It also definitely doesn’t hurt that the people I work with are incredibly talented and passionate about our work and the mission to which we contribute.
I also love that in my free time I have been able to continue creating passion projects, selling products in my online shop, and working on freelance projects for various aerospace companies. I often joke that I’m a designer by day and a designer by night. I feel so lucky to make a living by doing work that I love, sharing the importance and awesomeness of space with anyone who will listen, or at least anyone who will take the time to look at my work.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. After moving to Florida, it took me almost a year to find a full-time job in my field. Any recent college graduate that has interviewed for more than one job can likely relate to the feeling of being told they don’t have enough experience yet, even though they are an excellent fit for the position otherwise. I heard that same sentiment multiple times over that year until a hiring manager finally took a chance on my lack of formal experience and hired me.
Another struggle was unexpectedly being diagnosed with cancer at the age of 25. My life and career took huge detours as I endured cancer treatment and a bone marrow transplant. Even the treatment itself was far from a smooth path, with many complications along the way. But I’m still here! Cancer-free and two and a half years post bone marrow transplant.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a space-focused graphic designer and illustrator.
I specialize in many things depending on what the project calls for, but my favorite types of projects to work on are social media graphics, illustrations, and mission patches.
Without realizing it, I have developed my own unique illustration style and am often told by those familiar with my work, “I knew that was your work!” when they see something I have created.
It’s hard to pick one thing or project I am most proud of. More than any one project/job, I am most proud of the path I have taken. I refused to take a “safe” path and get just any design job after cancer. I knew that for me, it was space or nothing. Because of that determination, I kept creating and doing what I loved, and other people took notice. Those other people noticing my passion for what I do is what lead me to all the incredible opportunities that have come my way in the past few years.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
My path has been far from smooth and clear, but I am grateful for where it has brought me. The person I was when I graduated from high school and looked toward the future could never have imagined a career path dominated by a passion for space. It still feels surreal to me that my work has gone to space and that more will go to space in the future. I hope that someday I will get to space too!
Contact Info:
- Website: morgandenman.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/morgandenman
- Twitter: twitter.com/NASAdesigner
- Other: etsy.com/shop/MorganDenmanDesign
Image Credits
Morgan Denman
