Bios, even as a writer, are the worst thing in the world to have to write. You automatically get this sense of impending vanity that, when you are not vain, makes you self-conscious. You think about where to start and decide that starting at the beginning – how you fell in love with art, with writing ‘words’, as soon as you were old enough to pick up a pencil without the urge to eat it – would be too boring so you start somewhere in the middle.

A Rude Awakening

I was a junior in high school in 1986 when I did my first logo. It was awful. Well, it was ok, awful by my standards now. I lucked out though because the man I was designing it for liked it. I learned a very good lesson that day, though: No matter how much you think you know, forget it, you know nothing.

After complimenting me on my work, that I had touched on what he was about very well, he took me to the photocopier and blew it up 200%. Two things happened.

I learned the greatest lesson I have ever learned doing logos.
And I got knocked off an invisible self-imposed pedestal, hard.

My eyes were opened. The hand-drawn final I had given him was laid opened, bare and bleeding, parading every flaw and every misdrawn line. I was horrified. There was no Adobe back then to work with (I know, how did we ever survive) and I had no idea how to pitch a logo. Thankfully, and I still owe him to this day, he smiled and laughed.

A hand on my shoulder, he explained how I could fix it and that, when it was done, he still wanted to purchase it from me. Man was saint.

I have spent my life since then taking the time to help those around me, whether they were competition or not. I love playing muse and, in the end, I am the one who has to live with myself. I would rather take the time to…I know it’s cliche but it fits, “pay it forward”…than walk past and serve myself to get ahead. If he hadn’t I wouldn’t be where I am now. He could have just laughed at me for real and told me to get out. I’m blessed he didn’t.

Woman Has Baby and Sprouts Eight Arms

Having freelanced on and off for most of my life – wall murals, greeting cards, logos, illustrations, writing – going full-time was my goal. In 2001, after the birth of my daughter, I got my chance.

My daughter is the answer to all my why’s and I love her more than air. In fact, there is only one thing I love more and that’s God because He is the reason I have her. She is the most beautiful piece of art I have ever been blessed to collaborate on.

Once I went full-time, I got a crash course in juggling. I sprouted eight arms, needed 10…and got absolutely nothing done. Over the years I have become the Multitask Queen and actually have friends that check in on me time to time just to see how many things I am doing at the moment:

Th: Hey! Ok, so how many?
Me: Hey hun, huh? (eyebrow)
Th: How many? How many things are you doing right now, I want to see if you have broken your record yet.
Me: (laugh) Um, lemme see…listening to music, doing a puzzle with Ysa, working on the Word Whimsy logo, talking to you and one other person, eating a sandwich and…and reading over my homework for this week. So…that’s seven.
Th: Not bad, add in cooking dinner like last week and you would have it. (laugh)
Me: No! Wait. Eight. I was emailing someone too. (sheepish grin)

That is just day to day stuff though, something I think most creatives do, especially if they have a child at home. I decided though that trying to work on too many projects just spread myself too thin and that, while I was getting a little bit done on several of them, I wasn’t getting anything completed. You can live like that for a while but you miss out on the freedom and absolute sense of accomplishment that comes from actually getting something DONE.

Rethink. Reorganize.

Things went well, but I realized quickly that I hadn’t planned for life to happen. I ran my deadlines right up against each other (read delusional) thinking everything would run smoothly…which is like sending Murphy (and his law) a plane ticket, moving all his stuff into your bedroom, and forcing yourself out to the couch. Most of 2008 was one ginormous avalanche in my work, family, my health, and everything in between.

Woman Takes Year to Dig Out of Pit

2009 was a phenomenal year of changes, good and ‘interesting’, and after all these years I have finally found my pace, my footing. I found out that I have Adult-onset ADHD and have been using self-management techniques that, so far, have been helping me slowly get my life back in control. My daughter is weed-like and beautiful, a constant inspiration, and I strive to make her proud on a daily basis. Recovering from a year overflowing with booked schedules, family crisis’ and loss, bad health, and too many looming deadlines, I finally had to just do. A. Full. Stop.

This year has been one of renewal and reorganization. I am back on track after a long time of not even knowing where the track was. Righting past mistakes has taken even longer, but it is getting done and the coming months are look bright and full of hope.

Woman Regresses into 12-yr Old Design Firm Owner

My work is serious play. I say “play” because my work brings me joy and it recharges me. I throw myself into it and leave a little piece of me behind to nurture and grow. Being creative is a gift and a challenge that I look forward to with every new project, every new client.

My favorite part of the process is the brainstorming, the idea generation. I love sitting down with a client to get to know them better on a business level, and sometimes a personal one as we all put so much of ourselves into our work, so that I can get a better feel for their mission, their goal.

I enjoy doing commissions as well, greeting cards to print media to book covers and everything in between, and can be contacted easily.

The End

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