1. How do you manage balancing your career with your personal/family life?

​ ​Right now, I
work during naps and for a few hours after my daughter goes to sleep at night. It
makes for very long days, but for me it helps to dedicate specific times of day to
specific responsibilities, rather than trying to do both simultaneously. When I am on
mom duty, I like to give 100%, and the same goes for my clients when I am on the
clock.
2. How did you decide that you wanted this to be your career (pick your major, start a
business, etc.)?​ I started college deciding between pre-med and communications. I
chose communications because I knew it would allow me more flexibility down the
road when I had kids, and I knew writing was my strongest skill. Within
communications, I chose public relations because it allowed me to write in a
business setting. Prior to graduating, I craved a job focused on internal
communications at a large company, and after a few years I was able to find a great
fit that also gave me the chance to use my design skills. I built great relationship
with this company, and they became my biggest client when I decided to start my
own company. I elected to start my own business when my husband and I moved for
his master's degree. We knew we might have several moves in the future, as well as
children, and I wanted something flexible, that I could scale up or down, and allow
me some choice in how I spent my limited working time.
3. Do public and social issues, such as the government shutdown, impact your career?​ ​My
largest client is one of the nation's largest healthcare organizations and health
insurance providers. As such, I try to stay aware of healthcare legislation and how it
impacts my client and how they make money.
4. How is your career affected by changes and updates to technology? ​One of the reasons
why I chose to pursue communications was because I saw how automation and
other software advances were making some jobs obsolete, but I was confident that
the ability to write and write well was a safe bet. With the design aspect of my jobs,
the software for design is constantly being updated, and it can be overwhelming
sometimes. However, technology has given me job security in other ways. Many
years ago I was hired to run the internal communications on a large scale software
implementation for a company with more than 35,000 employees. This was the first
of a handful of implementations, and afterwards I was asked to consult on others,
giving me a chance to get my own business off and running. In this way, changing
technology played a huge role in my career. I have found that the greater the
technology, the greater the demand on people to accept it and change, which is
where communications, change management, and the ability to explain things both
visually and verbally is essential.
5. Do you go to conferences or meetings to discuss new innovations or ideas in your field?​ ​I
have in the past, but I don't anymore. Most of my working time is spent on design
now, so I am always on the look for good (and bad) examples of design and how I
can learn from them. It is a constant act of osmosis.
6. What kind of education/schooling did you pursue in order to begin your career and
achieve what you have today?​ ​Actually, I gained some of my most valuable experience
as a layout editor in high school. I had an advisor who taught me the crucial
principles of layout and design. From there, I took many applicable courses in
college and tried to learn as much from mentors in different jobs as possible. It's
interesting, but many of the classes I took in college that weren't part of my major,
but were just those that seemed fun or involved a skill I just wanted to learn have
been the most valuable to me in my career. I took a lot of AP classes in high school
so I had more flexibility and time in college to take some of those courses. I have a
BA in communications (public relations emphasis) from Brigham Young University.
7. Where do you think your career is going in the future?​ ​I am hoping to continue running
my own company and working 10-20 hours a week until my kids are in school, and
then either scale up my hours or get a part-time job somewhere doing what I love,
writing and design.
8. How did the first year (after college, start of career) play out? what changes have you
made since then?​ ​I graduated from college in 2010, during the height of the recession,
which was stressful. But luckily I had a professor who had become a mentor to me
and he had a good friend who helped run an ad agency. I had my last interview the
day of graduation and started the next week. I had interned for a few years at an
agency and knew it wasn't my first choice, but I was just thrilled to get a job. I had
incredible mentors and I learned so much during my two years at the agency,
including what to look for in future jobs. And during meetings with clients at the
agency I met two of my future bosses, who would both become clients when I started
my own company.
9. If you were hiring a new employee, what professional and personal characteristics would
you look for?​ ​I think the most important thing to look for is not just a good work
ethic, but someone who enjoys the learning process. Every job has a learning curve,
I would want someone who is excited to learn, and not embarrassed by it. Beyond
that, for me it would involve someone who was familiar with the relevant
software/tools, and someone who was organized. A lack of organization can result
in deadlines being missed, and clients being lost.
10. What kind of work do you do (specifically) in the day to day?​ ​Once I get through
emails/texts/phone calls about projects, I get to work. Common tasks are designing
flyers, brochures, or rack cards. I edit or write website copy, I make revisions to
existing pieces that are making their way through different levels of the
 organization. I find images, graphics, and fonts that work well for each task. I create
posters and signs and massive backdrops for conferences, and I provide strategic
insight about how to maintain brand standards.
11. What styles/techniques have you learned that have helped you in your career (in school
and otherwise)?​ ​Through high school, college, and different jobs I learned the
principles of design (line of sight, balance, white space, etc.), and how to successfully
achieve these. I loved hanging out with the production team at the ad agency and
from them I learned more about printing standards.
12. What kind of graphic design is typically commissioned?​ ​Different graphic designers
specialize in different types of things. I mainly work in printed materials, a lot of
rack cards, brochures, flyers, and posters. I also beautify powerpoint presentations
for large meetings and conferences. I have done a few logo/brand creations, but
others with significantly more talent skills do more of that.
13. What kind of people come looking to you for business?​ ​Almost all of my business has
come from companies or individuals I previously worked for. I also do pro-bono
work for Coach K's non-profit in Durham. When I started my business it was very
important for me to have at least non-profit client.