Aliyah Marr Bio

Creative Coach | Creative Projects Advisor

I am a creative coach for individuals with a lot to say — artists, authors, musicians, composers, and social entrepreneurs. I help these individuals with their personal lives and businesses. As a creative projects advisor, I advise entrepreneurs and other creative individuals in the areas of ideation, branding, design, and communication.

Brief History

I studied fine art at École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts in Paris, France. When I returned to the USA, I put in a few years as an illustrator before I gravitated to visual design. Then I was asked to teach illustration at a local college, and I started creating online courses (e-Learning) while I designed for local clients.

A move to NYC put me in a bigger pond, and I found myself working at Digitas and other design firms/ad agencies with Fortune 100 clients. I landed plum jobs at the top design schools in New York City, teaching interactive media, design, video editing, motion graphics, and interactive programming at Parsons School of Design, Pratt Institute, and The School of Visual Arts. In addition, I gave seminars and workshops on multimedia and created many online instructional movies for designers through Media Bistro.

Creative Projects Advisor

As a creative projects advisor, I have to have broad experience in design, branding, and communication. I draw upon my experience as a visual designer, art director, and creative director. As a freelance art director/creative director, I have helped launch several successful startup companies, aided entrepreneurs, and over the years, have collected a client list that includes Fortune 500 clients, such as Morgan Stanley, IBM, American Express, and Chivas, but I enjoy the dynamic of working with smaller businesses, solopreneurs, and startups.

Visual Designer

My career as a visual designer has had a lot of variety, to say the least: I have created/programmed websites and interactive games, edited/created videos, created opening title sequences and motion graphics, edited sound, and created props for feature films, and designed print pieces. 

Clients

My accounts include Fortune 100-500 clients such as IBM, Chivas, Motorola, American Express, Morgan Stanley, and the Whitney Museum of American Art, but I also have designed for smaller clients. My client list includes Knowledge City, Create Magazine, Media Bistro, NYC Economic Development Corporation, and the U.S. Army.

Creative Life Coach

A creative life coach has to have a great deal of experience mentoring and advising creative people—you have to know how to help them manage their personal lives as well as their creative energy. I draw upon years of experience teaching design professionals. As a design teacher for Pratt Institute, The School of Visual Arts, and Parsons School of Design, 

Author

In parallel to my career as an artist/designer, I have been a prolific writer, first authoring scripts for e-books, writing copy for ads, articles for magazines, and blogging since 2006. In 2008 I published my first book, Parallel Mind, The Art of Creativity—since then I have published 14 more books on creativity, personal development, and social change.

Artist

As an interactive artist, my artwork has been featured in the Siggraph conference and national shows, such as Digital Concentrate.

Bullet-Point CV

  • Creative Projects Advisor/Creative Coach
  • Freelance Creative Director
  • Senior Art Director for Digitas
  • Senior Designer/Analyst for Aaron Marcus Associates
  • Art Director for the Hummer eLearning project for the US Army
  • Instructional Designer/Course Author (Photoshop, Illustrator, how to design for the web)
  • Visual Designer
  • Design Teacher (School of Visual Arts, Pratt Institute, Parsons School of Design)
  • Corporate Trainer (Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, PremierePro, AfterEffects / WordPress / Apple)
  • Published Author—15 books on creativity, personal development: self-help, how-to genres
  • Graduate École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts in Paris, France