As I have been writing and putting together a presentation for a conference for High School girls in the area about jobs, I have been thinking through a lot of how to describe what I do, what makes it perfect for me, where my goals lie, and how I got here. I wish there was an easy to answer to many of those questions but I have found there is not and instead I have a hard time defining my direction with my business. I have ideas that are all over the place but I fight many of them simply because I know I need to be realistic.
After I every weekend I wake up wishing I had worked the whole weekend. Not because I am behind, which I am a little bit right now…hang in there clients your work is coming. But I have found I want to work on all the other ideas I have in my mind on the weekends. I have paintings and sketches I want to do and DIY projects I want to create and things I want to plan. I do my work everyday for my clients and I am crazy in love with it and with who I am working with. I have dream clients that keep coming to me and I love what I do, but I also do that work so I can passionately expand myself as a creative. I read blogs, I stay up on what is moving and shaking in the world, and i create freely outside of the computer. I do everything from redecorating my house daily to painting things or rummaging through thrift stores to create things out of what I find which is totally outside of the graphic designer in me and those are the things that drive me.
But in the last year of business I have found out some very interesting things about myself. I have learned where I need help (which is huge as a business owner and as an adult to be able to recognize this I have realized) and where I am more than capable and need to be more blindly confident as some would say ;). The amount of brands I have rebranded in my head in the Grand Traverse area is crazy but do you think I have the confidence to walk into a company and tell them what they need even if I may be right. That is the blind confidence I do not possess and hope to in the future. But I wanted to write and lay out my cards to my readers and be honest with what I know I am good at and what I can honestly say I know need more than just a little help with. I felt this was best for myself to let people know what I struggle with and though I am really lucky to be doing what I am so passionate about and some how making a living that by no means good at the whole thing. I learn everyday and have to whip my own butt out of bed to do the work and hold my hand through so many things. So here we go.
Strengths:
– A natural eye for color, style, and design
– blind optimism
– work my butt off personality
– completely coachable
– a great listener
– humble
– a good balancer of life
– high expectations for quality
– a doer
– problem solver
– highly passionate
– Seeing the Big picture
Weaknesses:
– Shy and introverted
– phone calls
– finances finances finances (this includes taxes, write-offs, and budgeting)
– Organizing
– being confident in what I know is good
– negotiating things
– Keeping running lists
– slowing down
– drinking enough water
– getting ahead
– planning
– Execution of the big picture
– details
So there we go! Would love to hear of anyone elses strengths and weaknesses mostly so I feel better about myself haha. But I feel getting all these out there is better than never sharing at all. I love what I do and thus placing the image above and feel happiest when I am fulfilling passions and ideas in my studio. I love concepting ideas and it is weird how life just feels right when I am not what I like to call working but fully using my creativity. The same feeling you get when you are eating healthy and working out everyday. Almost like a good detox. So I know all my weakness are minimal to to what I know I can do and accomplish. I am trying to figure out ways everyday to conquer these weaknesses to better my company and my creativity.
Happy Monday all my friends!
