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Emmanuel College recently welcomed Lauren O'Neil ’14 back to campus for a talk and exhibition that showcased her photography and creative journey.
The event, held in the College’s Gallery 5, drew students, faculty, and Alumni, who gathered to hear how O'Neil built a multifaceted career as both an Art Director at Converse and a photographer with clients including The New York Times, Teen Vogue, and Nike.
O’Neil’s talk intertwined her personal story with reflections on the unpredictability of a creative career. As an Emmanuel student, she majored in Graphic Design and minored in Communications, but a history of fashion course taught by Guest Lecturer and Thesis Advisor J. Sybylla Smith during her junior year inspired her to connect design, photography, and fashion. “That class ignited a spark that shaped my thesis and ultimately my future,” O'Neil shared.
Her thesis project was a year-long endeavor that blended graphic design and photography, and it played a pivotal role in launching her career. O'Neil designed a fictional lifestyle brand, complete with a print magazine, website, and advertisements, traveling to Boston, New York, and Paris for the shoot. "It was a mix of design and photography, and it really helped me build my portfolio early on," she said.
Laying the Foundation at Emmanuel
Originally from Massachusetts, O'Neil developed a passion for the arts and graphic design in high school. It was during her time at Emmanuel that O'Neil began to carve out a path for herself. "I wanted to be in a city but still have that smaller, community feel," she recalled. "Emmanuel offered that, and I connected with [Professor of Art] Erich Doubek early on. He introduced me to the power of design thinking, which left a big impression on me."
O'Neil’s professional career began as an Emmanuel student with an internship at Karmaloop, a Boston-based streetwear brand, where she honed her skills in graphic design, photography, and marketing. "That experience clarified for me that I wanted to work with lifestyle and fashion brands," O'Neil explained. Today, as Art Director at Converse on the North America Brand Creative Team, she continues to blend creativity with strategic business goals, managing projects that resonate with a wide audience. Her work at Converse ranges from photo and motion campaigns to in real life (IRL) activations and experiences, and more.
O’Neil spoke about the delicate balance between different types of photography work. “Commercial photography often comes with larger budgets, while editorial work offers reach and niche creative storytelling opportunities,” she explained. “It’s all about finding that balance—both have their own benefits, and each allows me to explore different aspects of storytelling.”
The Middle Series: A Personal Project
The heart of the gallery event at Emmanuel lay in the works O’Neil brought to share, including her ongoing personal photography series, Middle, and pieces commissioned by The New York Times, the Nike SNKRS app, and Teen Vogue. The Middle series focuses on her older brother, who is intellectually disabled and competes in the Special Olympics. Originally intended as a documentation of his training for the 2022 Summer Games in Orlando, the project evolved into a deeply personal exploration of sibling relationships, the passage of time, and their shared New England roots.
"It started as a project about his athletic journey,” O’Neil said, “But it grew into something more — a reflection of who he is, our relationship, and an exploration of the passing of time from childhood to adulthood."
Among her most notable projects, O'Neil spoke about her work with Virgil Abloh, the visionary designer behind Off-White and former artistic director for Louis Vuitton’s men's wear. She had the opportunity to collaborate on an exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) in Boston, just months before Abloh's tragic passing. "It was such a whirlwind," O'Neil said. "Boston doesn’t often get exhibition opportunities like that, especially ones grounded in fashion and culture. It was a remarkable moment for everyone involved."
The project tied into Nike's Behind the Design series, which highlights the creative process behind various product releases. The exhibition featured a special collaboration with Abloh, where a yellow Air Force 1 shoe was linked to the event through an interactive scavenger hunt in the city. O'Neil’s role was to document the experience, capturing the energy of the space, the interactions with Abloh, and the details of the shoe. "I was so proud to be part of a project that brought such a buzz to both the exhibition and the city. We also had the chance to highlight the Teen Arts program at the ICA, which got an incredible amount of signups thanks to the initiative."
One of her most impactful projects was a collaboration with an inmate at Massachusetts’ only maximum-security prison. The project aimed to give the inmate, Marco Flores, agency, something he had been denied due to life circumstances. "Marco had little control over his life — both in the circumstances that led to his imprisonment and in his daily reality. This project was about giving him a small piece of that control in any way I could offer," O'Neil said.
Advice for Aspiring Artists
Reflecting on her career, O'Neil offered advice for aspiring artists: "If you want to get hired for a certain kind of work, showcase that kind of work, even if it means creating self-initiated projects to build your portfolio. That’s how I shaped my photography style and attracted the clients I work with now."
The evening concluded with a reception, where attendees had the chance to view O’Neil’s work up close, including several powerful images from her Middle series and editorial assignments.
O’Neil’s return to Emmanuel College felt like a full-circle moment for her. "It hit me earlier today that I’ve now been out of college longer than I was in it, which is a wild thought," she said. "But it’s special to be back at Emmanuel and see how familiar everything still feels."
O’Neil’s talk served as a poignant reminder: art is not a linear journey, but a series of evolving moments, shaped by both intention and happenstance. For O’Neil, the thread that ties her work together remains rooted in storytelling — a thread first spun at Emmanuel College.
