Megan Lockhart Motown's ('10) Valentine's Day message to her husband went viral -- for all the right reasons. In 2017, she created a GIF of two doughnuts with the message "I love you so much you donut even know."
The GIF drew 100 million views on the Tinder dating app -- leading her to work for GIPHY, a website for quick, animated visuals. Motown's creations have become so popular that she was named GIPHY's Top Viewed Artist of 2019. A freelance artist in L.A., she says she likes making GIFs for its instant gratification: "I can have an idea, make a GIF, and the next day people can use it to express themselves."
Motown has been creating art since age 5, when she drew a chalk mural in her backyard. At UNT, she majored in communication design, then switched to printmaking when enthralled by Adam Palmer's screenprinting class.
In collaboration with GIPHY, she produces "packs," a collection of 15 GIFs related to a holiday or theme or made for such brands as StitchFix and HP. But most of her creations are personal -- intended to enhance communication.
"Most of the GIFs I make to use myself," she says. "I use them in my own communication when a text message feels sterile."
