As we near homecoming week, we want to showcase alumni from Purdue Dining & Culinary so meet Meagan! She worked as a Brand Ambassador during her time at Purdue as an undergrad student and now she’s working on her dream of being an amazing singer-songwriter.
Meagan, can you tell us when you graduated and what you majored in during your time at Purdue?
I graduated May, 2018 and I majored in Religious Studies. I was actually one credit hour away from minoring in Psychology too!
Why did you choose to become a Brand Ambassador for Purdue Dining?
First and foremost, food is great. I just knew personality wise I would fit in with the job description and that it would help me with what I wanted to do after graduation. The experience would be a good resume booster and I knew I could do a lot with what I would learn.
Can you tell us how your experience with PD&C helped you in your career after graduation then?
More so than anything, I gained a lot of confidence. Usually everything is set in stone when you take on a job, but as a Brand Ambassador there are so many other things that can be thrown at you or you need come up with ideas of your own you can bring to the table. It brought out a lot of professional confidence in myself to be creative. I am a person that works best under pressure and in a structured form, but getting myself in a position where unknown opportunities come made me be creative with my solutions and ideas.
What are you doing now?
For my day job I work as a project manager for Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance and as my side job I am a musician. I create my own music from recording, mixing, and so on.
That’s amazing! What inspired you to make music?
I had known since I was 4 that my calling was to be a musician. However, as I grew older I saw the struggle and influences that came with being a musician. It became clear that there was a lot that went into it from forming connections, the time commitment, and so many other factors. But in the past 2 years, I have been inspired again to go after my passion. It hit me after college with the newfound freedom I found to do whatever I want made me pursue music.
Was it hard to decide what genre or type of music you wanted to produce?
I just consider myself to be a singer-songwriter so I am inspired by different types of music like blues, jazz, pop and R&B. I don’t want to be constrained to a specific genre so I just say I am a singer-songwriter.
If you’re comfortable, can you tell us your process for creating and writing music?
Don’t hate me for saying this, but it literally falls in my lap. It’s usually about my experiences, what I go through, and it just comes to me. I get a melody or words that come into my head and I just record it for later so I have so many voice memos.
We heard you released a new single, can you tell us about it and where can we listen to the song?
My stage name is Inframeag and the song is called “self-therapy”. The song started as a poem based on when I started therapy last year. It’s a self-reflection song about how you have all these issues, but you got this, be proud of yourself. It’s available on all streaming services so check it out!
Has the pandemic impacted your creative process at all?
It’s boosted it actually. I sway between being extroverted and introverted, but the pandemic has forced me to stay at home so I have less things that distract me from being my creative self.
Can you tell us the hardest aspect of being an artist?
I don’t know others feel this way, but it’s the inconvenience of creativity. For example, sometimes I get ideas at work while I’m in a work meeting and I can’t step away to write it down. It’s easier now because I can hit mute and stop my camera to jot down my ideas.
Do you do anything else besides creating music and working?
I read a lot! I am an obsessive reader and I am also planning to apply for graduate school.
What do you like to read then?
I read about history, religions, philosophy, self-help, and other topics. I highly recommend “1000+ little things happy successful people do differently”. It’s very powerful and is full of good nuggets of info that people don’t stop and think about.
Why are you considering going to graduate school and what do you want to study?
It’s between Psychology and Religious Studies. I am obsessed with cults, learning the psychology of the charismatic leaders and how they get people to follow them. I also want to learn why those groups follow them and how they can believe anything that person says. I have also always wanted to be a professor as well and grad school can help me.
Now we have some fun questions about you. Tell us what’s your personal favorite genre to listen to? What about favorite your album or song?
It’s honestly all over the place. My guilty pleasure is dubstep and EDM. I don’t have a favorite album or song, but lately an album I have listened to on repeat is Tory Kelly’s “Solitude” which is an EP.
What is your favorite aspect of the place you’re living at now?
Everything! I live in the Keystone area of Indianapolis and I enjoy the fact that I can walk by this beautiful lake near me with my coffee while enjoying city life.
What is your favorite place to eat near Keystone?
Thai Station! It is amazing and my favorite dish is called Drunken Noodles. At Purdue it had to be Flatbreads, I always got the Falafel sandwich.
What are you most looking forward to in the near future or further out?
Just the possibilities. There is so much I have planned in my head so there are so many ideas that I have a lot to look forward to.
Lastly, anything you would like to tell our readers?
I will share something from my quote book: “The sad truth is that the most evil is done by people who never make up their mind to be good or evil” – by Hannah Arendt. Also, everyone should just be kind, don’t lose heart and everything will work out for your good.
We hope everyone was able to relax a little from our Reading Day yesterday! We are quickly approaching Thanksgiving break so make sure to stay up to date on any changes as well as staying warm and cozy.
To follow Meagan’s journey, follow her Instagram page @inframeag! We will link her single below through Youtube.
Purdue Dining & Culinary 