HEY THERE, I'M KATIE
it's so nice to meet you!
CREATIVE DESIGNER
A WEBSITE DEVELOPER & GRAPHIC DESIGNER,
THAT SPECIALIZES IN DIGITAL ART & ILLUSTRATION FOR DESIGN AND DETAIL TO FIT YOUR VISION
get to know me more
an in-depth look at my journey
It’s almost hard to pinpoint where exactly my journey began. Looking back, I believe life had been trying to show me the path I was destined for all along. It dates back as far as my childhood, where you would always find me drawing or creating something. Fast forward 20 years and it’s almost surreal to me that this is where I am at with my life, especially for how long it took me to figure it out..
DREAMS VS. REALITY
When people asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I’d tell them I wanted to be an artist. However, this dream quickly faded after consistently hearing, “that’d be great honey, but here’s no money in that.” It’s almost like it’s been out of the question since then. Since creative work had brought me so much fulfillment, I allowed my endless list of talents to be carried alongside with me throughout my journey. Even though people have encouraged me to do something with my talents as I’ve gotten older, I still wasn’t able to put it into perspective for myself.
life opened my eyes for me
When I faced graduation, I really had no idea what to do with my life, so I just went to work. I was working two jobs when I enrolled into community college. I switched majors quite a few times while enrolled. One career I sought after didn’t pay enough to survive, therefore I switched majors knowing this one would bring in a good pay. However, I quickly realized if it wasn’t something I enjoyed then it wasn’t worth the pay at all. I decided to take a break and figure myself out before committing to another major switch. The thing that I had never realized, is what actually gives me fulfillment out of a job…. which is doing what I love and what I’m good at.
my revelation
My revelation began in 2020 when the pandemic began. The business I was working for went into a temporary closure. I was working as a Floor Manager at the time, therefore the managers and I got together to collaborate on ways to bring in sales with our doors shut. It was an opportunistic time for me because I always jumped on any situation that needed creative thinking. I suggested an e-commerce store and they let me run with it. I did not have any previous experience in website developing, however I did have several years of experience doing graphic design projects for them as well as my freelance work. Being as though I excelled with technology from a young age and taught myself the graphic design programs so quickly, I was extremely confident in my ability to achieve a successful online store for them. Within a month, I had created and launched the online store. Day one, it already began bringing in sales.
What a sense of fulfillment and confidence this brought me, as well as a passion I had not yet discovered in myself. Don’t get me wrong, like any new project, there was a lot of learning curves. From what I thought was a simple undertaking of creating an online store, revealed a world of new things to learn. Each area that of development and design that I didn’t know even existed, opened a world of new opportunities. With the endless list of possibilities to do and learn, opened a door for me to utilize all of those creative talents that had traveled alongside my journey. This is what I want to do with my life!
how can i make this work?
So for nearly three years, I remained in my position with the employer and managed the e-commerce store. I took the time allotted in that part of my position, to learn new things and expand my online store. I also took the I’d take the time spent outside of work, a wife, and becoming a new mom- to pour my heart into learning new things for website developing and graphic design so I can make this my living. I’ve learned so many new programs, expanded my knowledge of Shopify, WordPress, email marketing, SEO, CSS, and more. I’ve done a lot of freelance projects and have built my clientele in the meantime as well.
my gratitude for all things
Now here I am and grateful for this entire journey of mine- both good and bad. I finally understand now why I was left so unfulfilled for so many years. Looking back ay my time with my previous employer, I am particularly grateful for that chapter of my life. Not only did they trust me with any creative project, but they gave me full reigns. Without them I would not have created the online store in the first place, nor would I have been given the opportunities that I’ve had while employed to build my knowledge and portfolio.
as for now
I’m beyond excited to begin offering my services. I’d love to hear from you about your visions so we can make them a reality. After all, I’ve come to realize the most important thing is to- Follow Your Dreams, Passions, Creative Pursuits, Intuition, Skills, and most importantly…