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.

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!

Catching My Breath

After weeks of life being set to go.go.go. work has finally slowed down for me. I am beginning to catch my breath. It's kind of been like running a long race. There are times you can't see straight and feel like you are going to keel over, but you keep pushing forward. You keep putting one step in front of the other and eventually you cross the finish line. When you finish, it takes a moment to breathe normally again and it may take a couple of days for your feet and body to stop aching.

Yesterday afternoon I tried to savor an afternoon snack of hot coffee and chocolate pie... 

Jack had other ideas. Evidently naps are not for teething babies.

That is what this week has been like for me. Trying to return to a sense of normal without the constant motion of being busy with work. It's a good thing, but it's also been hard to adjust to. Learning to find and keep my life in balance is something that I have to work on continually. Life is always changing and I am doing my best to change with it.

On top of that Jack is in the throes of teething. For his sake, I'm extremely thankful that my work has slowed. He needs me right now. A lot. Yesterday he just wanted to be held. all.day.long. Any time I took him near his nursery for a nap, he bawled. Daniel could distract him for a little while, but mostly he just wanted his mama.

Something's Got To Give

I have been missing from the land of blogging lately. Actually I have been MIA from a lot of things. Being a {new-ish} mom who also works as a freelance designer from home means that some weeks are crazy busy. Last week was one of those weeks. 

While I worked to meet tight deadlines to help a new client get ready for an upcoming trade show, groceries were not bought; dinners were not made; workouts were skipped; the house was not cleaned; books were not read; sleep was in short supply; and Daniel was left to fend for himself.

Somehow I managed to take care of my boy, but that is not a lifestyle I would want to maintain for any appreciable amount of time. 

I feel so blessed to be able to work from home with the flexibility to take on new work or turn down projects if my plate gets too full. I am still learning how to balance this new life of mine. I don't always get it right, but hope that I will get better at the balance part as I continue to navigate this new world of work-at-home-mom.

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Up until recently we have not bothered to buckle Jack into any of his stationary seats {baby rocker, rock 'n play, high chair, etc.}. Last week I set Jack in his baby rocker while I got caught up on my emails. 

After a few distracted minutes, I looked up to see that Jack was no longer in the rocker.

He was on the floor.

Little guy had figured out how to thrust his little body until he wormed his way out of the chair! Thankfully it was only a four-inch drop to the floor and little guy was not bothered by the experience.

In the future, we will be sure to buckle our little one in.

Trust

This week I have been nervous about my workload. I actually have several projects going on, but there is this nagging voice that keeps wanting to know where the next project will come from. If the projects stop coming, then I don't make a living. The past 6 months have really been a lesson in trust for me. I have to get out there and sell myself, but I also have to trust that God will provide.

Today I have been feeling especially antsy. There is always the thought in the back of my mind that I should start searching for a "real" job. But then I just got a call from a potential client. My former boss had referred me to someone who works for Center City Partners. The call was to find out if I would be interested in putting in a proposal for designing a Guidebook for people who live and work in the city of Charlotte. I am ecstatic about the possibility of getting this project. I am also thankful that even when I am worried about things, God has my life in his hands and I just have to keep trusting that everything will be ok.

Forgetting about yourself.

I have heard it said that doctors and nurses are great at healing people and terrible at taking care of themselves. It also seems that you hear of financial advisors whose finances are in shambles and moms who focus so much attention on those around them that they forget about themselves. I suppose this could be true of people in almost any type of occupation.

Yesterday I had a meeting with a native Charlottean, graphic design veteran who allowed me to pump him with all sorts of questions in an effort to educate myself. One of the most profound things he shared with me was this: "Don't forget about your personal brand identity. Designer's have a hard time designing and developing brand identity for themselves."

This statement holds such truth. I work one-on-one with my clients to develop their brand identities and at the same time I have not given the same thought and effort to myself. Something can look good, but if potential clients don't know who is behind the work, then it is useless.

Tired

I am so tired. I was up this morning at 6:30 for a 7:30 breakfast meeting with a local graphic designer who has been in the industry here for over 20 years. I really pumped him with a lot of questions regarding running my freelance business. It is wonderful to have a resource to ask all of my questions to. I am learning though, that even though he is offering some great advice, I am a different person than him and will choose to do things differently. This is kind of like being taught a certain way to do things by your parents or someone else that you look up to. But as you grow and mature, you will adapt their teachings to suit you. You may not do things exactly the same way, but that is what is so great about God making us individuals. We ended up having a 2.5 hour discussion and I still have many questions. Hopefully we will get together again soon.

I officially got my business license today. It was a lot less painful than I anticipated. I had been putting it off for some time. I went right before lunch and didn't have to wait in a single line. It was great! I went in, signed my paperwork, wrote a couple of checks and presto change-o I am officially legal to run my own business.

Since I was uptown already, I met Daniel for lunch. That was a nice treat.

On a random side note, I was in Wal Mart this afternoon doing my grocery shopping and there was this grown woman wondering through the aisles calling out "Ma" and "Mama." It was very odd. At first I thought she was a teenager, but she was definitely 10+ years older than me. Maybe her mother got lost???

Meeting at City Club

So I am not really a "country club" kind of girl. In fact I sometimes wonder how I get by in Charlotte where it is common for people to live in million dollar homes and drive expensive cars. I actually had a meeting on Tuesday with a stylist to do some graphic design for - I am not exactly stylish so I am not sure what she thought of me.

Anyways, last night I had a dinner meeting at City Club in Uptown Charlotte. I have only been to City Club once before and that was for a company Christmas party. The restaurant is at the top of one of the buidlings Uptown. The view of the city is great, even at night, and the food was delicious. I definitely felt out of my element though.

When I drove Uptown last night to the meeting, nobody had told me that the center of Uptown would be closed since they are setting the streets up for "A Taste of Charlotte" and City Club was right in the middle of all of the chaos. I could not get to the appropriate parking garage and had to park 2 city blocks away at the Dublin Hotel. I had assumed I would be able to park in the building and did not wear appropriate shoes. So now both of my feet have blisters from the extra walking.

keeping busy

i got up early this morning to finish a project - it can be difficult to separate life and work when your office is 10 feet from your bedroom and your cell phone and email gives everyone instant access to you.

the last couple of weeks have been insanely busy.

this week either daniel or i have something going on EVERY night so we aren't seeing much of each other, i will be glad when it is the weekend.

Non Profit Organizations

I feel that I am on the brink of seriously broadening my horizons. Several weeks ago I sent out marketing piece advertising my services specifically to non-profit organizations. I feel that non-profit organizations are lacking in good design, so I am starting a journey of offering my services as a designer at a discounted rate.

Yesterday I had my first official meeting with the Latin American Coalition. They desparately need their website redesigned. As we talked and they showed me what they were about, I realized that there is so much that I do not know. It is so easy to form on-the-spot opinions based on the news and what others say.

Today I had another meeting with a friend who is also trying to help a non profit called, 2nd To None. We are hoping to collaborate our services to help this organization.

I am also volunteering for a committee at church where we are communicating the importance of helping people. The first big project is a food drive. In Charlotte, NC it is very easy to forget that our city is full of poverty and hunger.

My eyes are being opened with each new project.

Clients - Urgh!!!!

Can I just say that is extremely frustrating when you send an invoice to a client and they call you up complaining that their bill is too high.

They think that a postcard design with 3 different comps, copy AND all corrections and file prep time should have only taken you 2 hours when it took you closer to 6.

They proceed to tell you that since you are a professional it should only take you 2 hours because you "know what you are doing" and that they could produce the same work if they sat down for 5 hours!!!

This is the time when freelancing really sucks.

have a headache

It is super humid outside. I shouldn't complain too much because there is no comparison between here and Arkansas humidity, I am just not ready for the heat yet.

I have been running ragged today and yesterday. When you are freelancing and your office is a bedroom in your home, you have to meet clients all over the place.

Yesterday morning I had to book it over to north Charlotte for a "coffee" meeting at a Starbucks and then back to south Charlotte for an afternoon "coffee" meeting at Caribou Coffee.

Today was lunch with my copy writer and then off to a last minute meeting in another town, south of Charlotte, for a meeting with a real estate agent at her office. Followed by a conference call with my partner in Nashville to discuss what we should do about our start-up business...

It is great to be busy but the mileage is adding up and I have been sweating all day from running from one place to another and now I have a headache. At least I am currently staying busy and I can claim mileage and food expenses as tax write-offs...

the good and the bad

This week has been an insanely busy week. It seems that all I have been doing is working. Which at some point should translate into getting paid. It is wonderful to be able to roll out of bed and start working and to stop when I want. The problem is that I have not seemed to figure out how to stop. And then there is the pesky business of having a cell phone.

For instance, I was already to go work out at the Y. I had all of my stuff with me but as I backed out of the driveway I realized that I didn't have my cell phone. So I ran back inside to grab the thing and tried leaving for a second time. I had not yet left my neighborhood when I received an urgent phone call for me to make a last minute change to a project that I had already sent off and considered closed. So I had to turn around, go home, make the change and miss my cycle class.

So the good is that I have freedom and can go work out during the day and the bad is that even with freedom there is still responsibility to get urgent projects done that may mess up your day!