When a Door Closes...

Almost seven years ago I exited corporate America. It was a planned exit that was a result of life circumstances at the time. Daniel had started a new job with TVA based in rural Alabama, we had finally sold our house in North Carolina, and it was time for me to join him.

We lived in a camper for three months in Chattanooga before purchasing a house in Hollywood, AL and making the decision to start our family. During that time period I was able to grow my freelance graphic design business to a manageable size that allowed me to ease into my new role as mother while also keeping my foot in the working world. After nearly a decade of working full time, it was the perfect transition.

For six+ years I juggled motherhood and clients that were located in several states. It felt good to still be a part of something I knew so well and I was fortunate to have excellent clients. When we added a second child to our family, my freelance work was still there, though the juggling part became a little harder. But I still did it and it still felt like the right fit.

At the start of 2017, I realized something had changed. My consistent workload from my clients didn't feel as consistent. When I looked back at my records, I realized that there had been a shift, a definite slowing down.

About a month ago, I reached out to my regulars and realized that they had all begun to use in-house employees in lieu of me. I understand the need to have in-house designers (in my past I have been that person), it just came as a bit of a shock since all of my clients, after years of utilizing my services, all seemed to change direction at once.

While leaving corporate America was my own personal choice, having my freelance clients, seemingly simultaneously, leave me stung.

The good news is that I am finding a groove with just being in the mother role, as opposed to juggling working as well. When a door shuts like this, it feels like God is saying that it is maybe time to focus on something else. I am planning on homeschooling Jack this fall, so maybe my purpose for now is to focus on that.

I miss my freelance work. Magazines, annual reports, textbooks, any kind of print design and brand identity is my strong suit, and I miss using my skills to come up with the best solutions for my clients. I guess I will work to put those skills and energy into my kids, at least for now.

Freelance Mama

On occasion I talk about freelancing and even use the hashtag freelance mama on Instagram, but I recently realized that a) not everyone knows what that means, and b) sometimes my parents are curious about my work. So I have decided to use this little space to periodically update about projects I am working on.

In the graphic design world (especially if you freelance part time) it is really feast or famine. Meaning I am either working crazy hours (while juggling my mommy responsibilities), or I am in a lull and enjoying the calm before the next storm.

I have been really bad about updating my portfolio in recent years, so maybe this will become an extension of that. At the very least, I will be able to look back and see what I was doing at this phase of my life.

Right now I am in a slower phase (which is a blessing since Daniel has been working nights for the last 14 days). Here is a glimpse of some of the projects I have been working on. 

This is a textbook I am working on for Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, NC. It is the biggest project I have taken on to date. A big part of this project, besides designing the 300+pages, is keeping everyone on track so that I get content in a timely manner. Managing the proofing process is also lots of fun. We are about halfway through this year-long project right now. May is the target print date.

This is an Annual Report I am in the process of wrapping up for The Crossnore School in Crossnore, NC. The Crossnore School is non-profit residential foster care home for children in crisis. This is the third year I have created their Annual Report. 

An example from a recent ad campaign for The Crossnore School. Once concepts are approved, the ads are sent to various publications throughout the region and run for several months before we move on to the next campaign.

Ad created for Ascend Federal Credit Union, located in Tullahoma, TN. Ascend is a client that I take on overflow work for throughout the year.

 

Logo designed for the blog Stroll Through the South, located in Huntsville, AL.

As you can see, right now my projects vary from very corporate to smaller, local businesses. Last month I also wrapped up a catalog for a media company located in Chattanooga, TN as well as sold a personal design for a sign project. In the freelance world, you never know what you will have on your plate.

The Camp House

When I first became a mom, four-and-a-half years ago, I had a difficult time letting go of the me before kids. I can't be certain, but perhaps it was hard to make the adjustment because I had spent my ENTIRE adult life (almost 10 years!) filling roles that did not include motherhood. 

Thankfully my life circumstances at the time allowed me to continue working part-time as a graphic designer and I have been able to spend the last 5 years wearing multiple hats.

One of the biggest blessings of continuing part-time with my career, besides keeping a foot in the door and my skills up-to-date, is that I made a friend who understands the me who works. This has been helpful in so many ways since I no longer go to an office where I would be surrounded by peers.

We actually met through Craigslist, when I was first just starting up freelancing in the Chattanooga area, and we have been colleagues and friends ever since.

Initially 98% of our interaction was through email, but in recent years we have made an effort to get together several times a year for coffee or breakfast. We talk shop. We talk motherhood. We talk about life in general. We discuss current projects, client frustrations, new software, and she doesn't mind if I bring a baby along (I'm pretty sure Jack tagged along as a newborn when she first interviewed me!).

I'm so grateful that I live in a time that I can work remotely, and that I have peers who understand why I choose to freelance as well as the frustrations (and benefits) of working from home.

Today we met at The Camp House in downtown Chattanooga for breakfast. The place was hopping. I had a latte with my scrambled eggs, bacon, and potatoes with cheese. The food was simple but incredibly delicious. You know I love breakfast, and this place hit the spot. With lots of couches and big tables, The Camp House is a great place for a meeting or to work remotely (though maybe on a quieter day, today was super loud). They also have a huge outdoor area for warmer days.

The Camp House is a unique venue in that while it serves as a cafe during the day, and music venue in the evening, it is also a church on Sunday – a part of The Mission Chattanooga Community that meets in three distinct venues throughout the city of Chattanooga. If you haven't had a chance to check out The Camp House, you really should.

 

TopConTn 2015

This past Saturday I took off my mommy hat for the day and spent the entire day wearing my designer hat. Since entering the freelance world and become a full-time mommy, I really don't get many opportunities to immerse myself in the design world. I spent my day with a fellow designer at the TopCon design conference here in Chattanooga at Track29.

The day was a little tricky for me in that I am still nursing Isaac, but Daniel and I were able to coordinate so that he met me right before lunch and then again right before the last speaker of the day. Getting to hear speakers in my field was inspiring for me, and Daniel (along with the help of his sister, Amy) had a fun day with the boys. Isaac did melt down at the end of the day, but the witching hour is always hard no matter who is with the boys.

James T. Edmondson sharing his process for creating fonts.

From a strictly design point of view, my favorite speakers were James T. Edmondson of OhNo Type Company and Bethany Heck from Microsoft. Overall fine artist, Wayne White, did a fantastic job of wrapping up the conference encouraging the attendees to find the things they love and pursue them – even if it is crazy puppets.

Bethany Heck questions the rules regarding typefaces.

Illustrator, Logan Faerber, shared some of his failures and mistakes on his journey as an illustrator, and art director, Adé Hogue, shared his 6 crushing doubts. Doubts and mistakes are things all of us can identify with at some point in our careers.

Wayne White shares his crazy adventures in fine art including his work on Pee Wee Herman.

James Edmondson shared his process for developing typefaces and Bethany Heck went into depth about not being afraid to break the so-called rules of only using 3 typefaces in one work. I think the more experience you have under your belt (and more understanding of the design process) it becomes easier to break these rules. Fresh out of college, it is easier to make mistakes just by not having a good grasp of why you should or shouldn't combine certain elements.

 Logan Faerber shared some of his failures and mistakes, working with Marvel.

Adé Hogue shared his 6 crushing doubts and ways to stay creative.

It was fun getting to screen-print our own t-shirts. Print-making was among my favorite classes in college and I have always thought it would be fun to pursue again at some point. Fresh out of college, I actually purchased the equipment, but I didn't have a good space and I never really got it going. Maybe as my boys get older I will be able to create a studio space at my house. Who knows?

I am feeling very inspired and looking forward to implementing some of what I learned on Saturday into some of my upcoming projects. I have to say that I feel very blessed to have the clients that I have and that I am able to combine a lifestyle of being a stay-at-home mother who can also continue to freelance and keep my creativity flowing. 
 

 

Motherhood has maybe been a slight step back for me professionally, but it hasn't meant losing myself, or my profession. I am so grateful to be able to do both.

Daddy Playdate

Once again Daniel managed to get his 60 hours in before Saturday which meant that he was actually home for the entire weekend. It was nice to see him for two whole days but those long days during the week sure are hard on all of us.

I have been fairly slammed with freelance projects this month and was needing some quiet time to put the finishing touches on some of my work, so Daniel graciously offered to take Jack to the Creative Discovery Museum on Saturday.

I knew Jack would have a blast because Saturday was wild west day and there would be a miniature cow and horse for him to see at the museum.

Thankfully Daniel snapped a few pics of Jack's fun at the museum. It would seem that Jack was most interested in the water table and the playground on this particular visit.

I have to say that one of the reasons I always take tons of pictures is 1) Daniel doesn't take many pictures (as evidenced by the fact that he didn't get a single picture of the miniature animals) and 2) Although he did ask a stranger to take a picture of him and Jack with a horse, the stranger DIDN'T GET THE HORSE IN THE PICTURE!!! Which is EXACTLY why I hate to ask strangers to take pictures for me. 

Evidently Jack was not a fan of sitting on the miniature horse. Or he was sad because he intuitively knew the stranger was cutting the horse's head out of the picture?

Anyways, you can tell I am the mom of a small toddler at home because while my boys were away (besides working on my freelance work), I enjoyed a long, hot, uninterrupted shower. I drank an entire cup of coffee before it got cold and I even did the laundry. I'm a little bummed that I missed seeing the miniature cow, but having several hours of quiet to myself were AMAZING.

That afternoon, while Jack slept (and I continued working), Daniel enjoyed some time to himself by taking Sophie on a hike/run down to Rainbow Lake. He can't get over the fact that I took Jack down there with our BOB stroller. I didn't think it was that crazy...

Have I mentioned that we are excited that there are numerous hiking and running trails close to our new house? Our inspection is Thursday and we are counting down the days until we can move in!