Fine Arts Professor Jay Merryweather, a graphic designer and educator, firmly believes that nothing will help someone more than putting themselves in a position to serve and learn. “If you put yourself out there and are open to volunteer your time and get involved, then you’ll be more successful,” said Merryweather. “You have to get out of your own way and go.”Merryweather lives his own advice, having earned multiple degrees in studies that he is passionate about. Merryweather has a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts degree in painting and drawing, and one in graphic design to go along with his Master’s of Fine Arts degree in painting and installation design. His detailed résumé is the result of his belief in developing personal talents–especially ones that he is passionate about. Merryweather also encourages people to have more than one area to fall back on and said having a contingency plan is very important. “I’ve always had a contingency plan. When I was working as a designer, I was still showing my paintings in galleries and selling my work. When I was in graduate school, I was trying to cultivate my graphic design business,” he said. Merryweather was born and raised in the high desert of Southern California. He studied for five years at California State University–San Bernardino before working as a full-time graphic designer for two years. He then went back to school to receive his master’s at Claremont Graduate University. After graduating from Claremont, Merryweather started working as a graphic design professor at the University of Southern California. “I knew if I started teaching graphic design as my first job after my master’s then I’d probably be teaching for the rest of my life,” said Merryweather, but the two-hour commute each way from work to home became burdensome. It was then, Merryweather said, he decided to make a change and relocate to Cedar City, Utah. There, he was able to teach full-time at Southern Utah University and reduce his daily four-hour commute down to a quick four-minute trip. Teaching at SUU, Merryweather said, was the best decision he has made in his career. “There, Jeff Hansen taught me about how designers should run, and he gave me a lot of autonomy,” said Merryweather. “He created a situation where I could learn how to be a good designer and a good teacher and find a good balance in my life.” In 2012, Merryweather came to BYU-Hawaii after what he said was a spiritual decision. He now teaches his graphic design students to be “tastemakers” meaning that they have the ability to create tastes and influence trends.Merryweather spends his spare time being with his family and composing music but still tries to be adventurous. “I tried kite surfing but I’m not as coordinated as I’d like to be, but that’s probably because I sit on my butt all day.” He frequently will remix popular songs for children but edits them to be appropriate for their age. “My daughter Brenna is 8 and her favorite song is ‘California Girls.’” There are sketchy parts of that song so I remixed the whole thing, so all those parts are out of the song and now it’s Brenna’s version.”
Writer: Lauren Steimle ~ Multimedia Journalist
