Sitting at her desk at a global sports footwear and apparel company in the Portland, Oregon area, Jess Forgue is proud. She recalls the moment in her hometown of New Bedford, Massachusetts, when she realized that art could be her career.
“I was watching cartoons when I was about eight years old, and I noticed in the credits that there were a lot of art jobs, like art director, illustrator, and animator,” Forgue says. “It was so exciting to know that the thing I loved most could be my job.”
Forgue loved to draw, and she incorporated art into her life whenever possible.
“I found a way to bring art into all of my school projects,” Forgue adds. “I did a science project about gravity and inertia and made a full comic book about a girl on roller skates and the pillars of gravity.”
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DOWNLOAD NOWShe started community college after high school and secured her first job in the arts, managing a tattoo studio.
“My favorite part of managing the tattoo studio was helping customers with their ideas,” Forgue says. “Through leading the creative thought process, I was able to take customers’ ideas to new levels.”
A few years into the job, the tattoo studio’s owner passed away, leaving Forgue questioning her next step. Wanting to tap into her operational skills, she accepted a role with the retail store Hot Topic, leading New England’s regional operations. Her responsibilities ranged from managing staff and leading annual inventory to rolling out new technology. Forgue began freelancing on the side to keep her creative skills sharp, designing apparel graphics for professional wrestlers and local businesses.
Forgue wanted to immerse herself deeper into the arts and considered full-time freelance design. Yet, she didn’t like managing all aspects of end-to-end design work. She wanted to focus on the early stages of the creative process and believed she could find a role that combined her love for the arts and team leadership.
Forgue began researching cities with strong creative cultures for a fresh start and more opportunities. She says the decision was easy: Portland, Oregon, offered several world-renowned design agencies and apparel and footwear companies.
She began applying for roles at large sportswear companies, but the competition was fierce. She took a position as a production artist at a design agency specializing in e-commerce design for brands on Amazon, working with roughly 60 companies overall. She was promoted to production manager, providing a great opportunity to manage a design studio and learn about business operations.
“My team and I worked to create the playbook of how brands represented themselves creatively for Walmart+,” Forgue says. “It was exciting to learn about the needs of the Walmart app and figure out how design would fit into that framework. It was fun, but ultimately my dream was to work in sportswear, and my boss understood that. So, when I got the call for a creative manager position, he supported me.”
Her new role was much like her agency work, acting as a liaison between the product design team and customers. It was a perfect fit for her experience. Yet, it was a 10-month contract role, so when the term was up, Forgue returned to an agency. At the same time, she decided to upskill in business and discovered Harvard Business School Online’s Design Thinking and Innovation course.
“I knew my creative skills were what got me in the door, but if I wanted to move to the next level, I needed a business education to change the way I approach problem framing and solution finding,” Forgue says. “Design Thinking and Innovation inspired me to return to sportswear even before the course was over.”
Forgue then took HBS Online’s Disruptive Strategy course to learn about creating new marketplaces and Negotiation Mastery to better advocate for her creative ideas. Soon after, she secured a job at the same sportswear company—this time in brand marketing production, managing outside agencies.
Forgue earned a Certificate of Specialization in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from HBS Online by completing three courses within a Learning Track. She’s working on her second Learning Track in strategy.
“I’ve become an unofficial evangelist for HBS Online and have inspired many creatives to pursue Negotiation Mastery,” Forgue says. “The courses felt like how I learned in real life, so the course material works well for me. I believe Negotiation Mastery is great for designers to help them articulate their creative ideas and execute them cross-functionally.”
Forgue is now a design operations manager and envisions continuing to focus her career on the intersection of design and business strategy. She’s also interested in public speaking to coach people to have confidence in their unique perspectives and experiences and sees this as a potential business opportunity for her in the future.
“I love mentoring,” Forgue says. “Junior creatives often approach me and ask about my career path. I tell them, above all else, that they need to have courage and determination. Spend time on LinkedIn to find people in your dream roles and build relationships. Find what you love and follow it to the end of the earth.”
Are you interested in strengthening your business skills and innovating within your organization? Explore HBS Online’s entrepreneurship and innovation courses. Download our free flowchart to determine which course is the right fit.
