It is the end of the workday, and I am heading to Aladdin’s on Elliston to meet with Michael Inman, a Nossi College of Art graduate and a connoisseur of the beverage industry in Nashville. While at Nossi, Michael landed a graphic design internship at Lipman Brothers, a local wine and liquor distributor. This experience combined with his two degrees from Nossi helped Michael become a perfect fit for the graphic design position at Horizon Wine and Spirits. Michael attributes success to his dedication to consistently improving his work and being an honest designer. He also said it couldn’t have happened without Sharon McGinnis*, Nossi’s career services director.
Michael is a home grown Nashville guy. He grew up in the Hendersonville area, attended Christian Presbyterian School and started his college career at Middle Tennessee State University. He spent two years wavering on his career’s fate while his love for drawing grew organically. At first it was just a hobby, but Michael noticed his free time focused on drawing. Even in class he noticed it was easier to draw than focus on taking notes.
“So I thought, maybe I should try an art degree,” said Michael. “I actually enjoy drawing.”
While looking into MTSU’s graphic design program, he continued to think about classes at Nossi. After researching both schools, he decided to take the faster track and enrolled into Nossi’s associate degree program for graphic design.
“I wanted to go to a school that was more intensive on just art.” Michael commented. “Knowing you could get an associate’s degree, but also touch on illustration, sounded awesome. I was sold right there.”
After graduation, Michael decided to reenroll for Nossi’s bachelor degree program in Illustration. It was in this program where he honed his skills and improved his digital capability. When asked who his favorite teacher was, Michael quickly replied, “I had a lot of favorite teachers. I can’t favorite one over the other.”
Throughout his years at Nossi, Michael stayed in touch with our career services department, and Sharon did a lot of research for him. The career services director at Nossi is designed to pair students and their artistic strengths with internships and opportunities in Nashville.
“The advice I would give to someone fresh out of school is to utilize the emails you get for job leads [from career services],” said Michael. “There is a job placement coordinator, and if you are serious about getting a job and you were serious enough to graduate, you should be utilizing everything you can.”
After graduation, career services at Nossi stay in contact with students one of two ways. The more direct method is by emailing graduates links to job opportunities and internships. The second is offering a private Alumni Group on Facebook. It is a place for discussion, job postings, networking opportunities and a chance for students to stay in touch.
For Michael, utilizing this program meant landing a graphic design internship at Lipman Brothers and then a graphic design position with Horizon Wine and Spirits.
At Horizon, Michael works with several beverage brands to help design posters for events like Wine on the River, promotional materials for Toby Keith’s new beverage, Wild Shot Mezcal, collaborates with the Predators Foundation and designs food and drink menus for restaurants throughout Nashville.
Next time you find yourself hungry in West Meade, we suggest Ninki Japanese Bistro. Their 18 page menu was meticulously designed by Michael, and I’m confident one of their gorgeous sushi rolls will satisfy your taste buds.
Discover more of Michael Inman’s work on his website, www.MichaelInman.net.
*Sharon McGinnis has retired and Dax Gomez has filled her position at Nossi College of Art. Feel free to reach Dax by email.