January truly is a traditional
time of reflection. As I look back on the last year of my life it's hard to
believe the positive changes that have come about.
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To
someone looking in from the outside it would appear not much has really
changed, and I suppose in the traditional sense the big things haven't,
especially compared to my siblings. My baby sister got married and gave
birth to a beautiful baby girl this past year. My other sister also gave birth to
a beautiful baby girl, as well as completed a large chunk of the planned
renovations on her fixer-upper home. Both of them experienced obvious life
changing events this year. My changes, while not so outwardly obvious, have to
me been just as life changing.
I always considered myself to be
a very creative person. Anybody who knows me would agree. I could truly do
anything artistic that I put my mind to. The problem lied in the fact that
throughout my life I rarely put my mind to anything. Don't get me wrong—I’ve
definitely had momentary streaks of inspiration over the years and created some things
that I'm proud of. But, I’ve also had lots of great ideas, and ultimately lacked
the motivation or drive to pursue them, citing that I didn't have the money, or
I was too busy to take the time to work on a new project. I would get really
down on myself at times because I couldn’t seem to tear my sorry butt off the
couch to work on something that I really wanted to do. I guess you could say I
was stuck in a rut.
It all changed for me when I was
asked by my brother-in-law’s lovely fiancé to assist her with designing
invitations for their wedding. My graphic design diploma and crafting skills
had been put to the test before assisting with wedding invitations for a couple
of family members as well as my own wedding, but it had been couple of years. I was delighted to help, and very
excited to get my creative juices flowing again. I hadn't worked full time as
a designer since 2005, and although my subsequent jobs have made use of my
graphics skills at times, I really was itching for a way to get back to it on a
more regular basis, if for no other reason than to keep my technical skills sharp.
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| brother and sister-in-law's wedding stationery collection |
The brother-in-law’s wedding went
off without a hitch and it was a beautiful weekend all around. Upon arrival at the church
every guest received a program I had created to perfectly coordinate with the
custom invitations they received a few months prior. At the reception guests
were greeted by a custom seating chart and the tables were decorated with table
numbers, place cards, menu's and favour cards that completed the look. Seeing
it all come together was so rewarding. The Bride and Groom were thrilled with
everything, and their wedding decorator liked everything so much that she asked
if she could recommend my services to some other clients that she was working
with.
I had pulled it off! I had so
much fun working with the decorator and the bride to get everything
coordinated. I assisted with 2 more weddings that fall for other clients of the
wedding decorator. After doing some market research I learned that there weren't
many local graphic designers focusing specifically on weddings, and there
appeared to be a lot of demand. The largest player in the industry locally is a
premium offering and their prices are higher than many people are
willing or able to spend. This definitely appeared to be a niche I could dive into.
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| wedding table decor - favour cards |
In October 2012 I officially
launched my business. I thought up a name, designed a logo, registered my
business, opened a bank account, and all the other little start-up activities
one completes when they open a business. It was all suddenly becoming very real—I
was officially a sole proprietor!
Since October 2012 I have
serviced over 15 clients, both in the wedding industry and also some freelance design
for small businesses. My client list is growing almost weekly as wedding season
2014 gets closer and people are looking for their wedding vendors.
It's All About Balance
Working full time at a day job
and running a business in one’s “spare time” can be a daunting task. It
certainly requires a lot of motivation—more than I ever believed I was capable
of mustering—yet the joy my business brings me makes it possible to push past
the fear, the tiredness (at times), and the busy schedule, and leaves me
willing to give up most of what used to be downtime (or should I say “butt
glued to the couch time!”).
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| The new & improved, happier, motivated me! |
I’ve finally found a viable way
to pursue my goals of getting back to the graphic design world, to build a
different kind of future for myself (and my family), and I’ve found a new kind
of passion, motivation and confidence within myself.
I live in the same house. I’m
happily married to the same man. I have the same pets. I drive the same car. I
work the same day job. Nevertheless, I truly feel that 2013 was my biggest year of
change yet. I changed ME, and that’s the biggest change of all.
So here’s to 2014 being another
record year. Onwards and upwards!
I have some big ideas for this
blog and I hope you’ll stay tuned J
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