I started drawing when I was in elementary school. I remember the days where I chose to stay in the library during my lunch hour to find books on how to draw animals such as horses (one of my favorites.) I thought they were strong and magnificent creatures and I enjoyed drawing every minute detail. I found peace and serenity every time my pencil began to make round strokes and my fingers getting blotched with ink as I smudged around to create shadows.
This was my meditation and I loved every second of it. It was a designated time for focus and a method to eliminate the chaos in my surroundings.
My hobby soon became my passion. Only this time, it grew with intention. There was always a direction and purpose each time I lifted my pencil – an end goal. Whenever I completed a project, it had to resonate with me somehow, otherwise it didn’t mean anything. If I felt nothing, it was invalid.
I fell into Graphic Design by accident while working in several jobs and although the tools in the programs like Adobe overwhelmed me, I found myself tirelessly and relentlessly looking to learn more. Why? Because if I didn’t produce a reaction from my design it WAS INVALID. And I wasn’t going to give up so easily.
My skills began to grow and so did the reactions from my clients. When this occurred, again I found myself naturally digging deeper. This time I wanted to capture my CLIENT’S vision not mine. My skills were becoming complacent because the only person I was designing for was for me. I found a new challenge by designing for my clients.
So I began to listen and take notes. I would ask genuine questions about the way they see the world, the way they conduct business, their struggles and battles along with the rewards. I began to connect with them and before I knew it I was offering creative solutions to their problems. It became instinctive to me.
I wasn’t just designing graphics for the sake of “designing graphics” to pump them out like some sort of factory. I decided to take it a step further and began to unleash the power of Branding in Design.
Branding allowed me the opportunity to create a distinctive identity for my client’s and their business. I was able to take their business further through unique and aesthetic design strategies which allowed them to market themselves amongst their competition.
They were grateful to have trusted me to push the envelope further.
And I am MORE grateful they allowed me to do so.