Back in 2015, I made the challenging decision to step away from freelancing and join an agency. The CEO and I had contemplated my move for roughly a year, and it finally felt right. Not long after, I was convinced I'd never return to freelancing.
However, as Al Swerrigen of "Deadwood" fame once quipped, “Announcing your plans is a good way to hear God laugh.”
Everything seemed to fall into place at the agency. I poured my heart and soul into the job. I earned a promotion, and even started and lead a department. Frequent trips to California became the norm. Leading workshops and interacting with VC's and entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley was my day job.
But then, 2020 happened.
By October of 2021, my life took a heartbreaking turn. My father, our family's bedrock, was diagnosed with an uncommon form of Stage 4 cancer. Sadly, we lost him just eight months later, on Father’s Day 2022.
Returning home from his visitation, I discovered my sweet companion of 18 years, my cat Chloe, had also passed on. And as if fate wasn't done with its cruel twist, I contracted Covid less than week after returning to work.
The final blow came unexpectedly later that month: the agency, to which I'd dedicated years, let go of a third of its staff — myself included.
In a mere two-ish months, both my personal and professional lives had crumbled.
Shaken, I declined job offers and assistance, needing time to heal and reorient. Nevertheless, as always, there were bills to pay. I had to get a new laptop, and health insurance. Fortunately, my professional network came to the rescue. Three contracts landed on my lap, and before I knew it, I had enough work to keep me more than busy. In the whirlwind, I established an LLC and was hit by the realization that I'd done the one thing I swore against: freelancing, contracting, solor-prenuering.
I felt a little bit like Lt. Dan yelling at the storm...like, bring it on.
In spite of the fog, the unsteadiness, the shock I was experiencing — I managed to keep putting one foot in front of the other. One year later, I'm still here, and I am happy to keep riding this wave for as long as I can.
There is wisdom that comes with time. I don't know if it's the "best healer", but I do know it creates wisdom when you sit with it the right way. With both grace and tenacity. Traits I learned from my dad.
His words repeat this chorus in my head: "When you are thirsty, you go to the faucet. The faucet will never come to you." I'd grown complacent, but adversity had reawakened my drive.
"When you are thirsty, you go to the faucet. The faucet will never come to you."
He gave me strength of will, and courage, and some part of me thinks he may have somehow lead me here.
I have a clear vision of where I want to go with this endeavor. I aim to foster an environment that empowers innovators, investors, and the broader community.
There are a million fantastic designers and agencies out there. What makes me unique is that I have a wide skill set in a niche area, and that gives me a chance to make a ripple effect with the work I do and the people I partner with. I intend to use my experience to create not only beautiful, well thought out designs and products, but also to provide guidance and resources to others along the way.
I don't want to be a designer who operates by just taking orders. I bring a white-glove approach that is rooted in understanding the speed of startups and making sure that the work I do is well thought-out, collaborative, and easy to scale. I want to be a true strategic design partner with my clients, so that we can grow and build amazing things together.
With time, I hope to provide resources aiding startups in branding, from pitch deck narratives to the nuances of prototyping and brand consistency. My goal is to augment marketing and creative teams, large or small.
Thank you for accompanying me on this journey. I'll be sharing weekly insights on a myriad of topics. Your feedback, sans the VC jargon, is always welcome.
Echoing my father's words, “The only limitation is the one you put on yourself”.
Here's to a limitless future. 🥂
