a blissful beginning …
Bliss came about by chance and a little luck. I graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in the spring of 2005 with a degree in Creative Advertising. Here I was, ready to embark on a professional career, and I didn’t yet know what I wanted to be when I grew up. I still couldn’t wrap my brain around the fact that I had accomplished so much by finishing school and was, by some definition, a “grown up.”
I had devoted five years of my life to learning the nuances of the advertising world and, to be honest, felt a little burnt out by it all. I was facing two possibilities: go on to an agency to start a career in the “cut-throat world of advertising”, or pursue graduate school. After all the intense schooling I had just finished, I wasn’t sure if I had it in me to do either – not to mention both options were terrifying considering I live in a city with some of the top agencies and one of the top graduate schools in my field. As always, there were many factors to consider, not the least of which was having just purchased a house with my boyfriend – who proposed the night we moved in!
I decided I would take an office job to help pay back my few student loans while my husband-to-be and I planned our future together. Fresh out of school and with a lot of life changing decisions facing me, I decided it would be great to put some of my design skills to use (which I knew would make my parents happy since they had paid so much for them!). If you’ve ever planned a wedding or been close to someone who has, you soon learn they can get pretty pricey, and so I decided to tackle any projects I thought I could handle on my own. At the top of this list were printed materials, specifically the save-the-dates and invititations for our upcoming nuptials. The response from friends and family was overwhelming. They had to know what boutique or web site I had ordered my invitations from. This was exhilarating! What was supposed to be a cost saver was being lauded over as professional work. I was having an epiphany … maybe, just maybe, I could turn a craft and hobby – something I was learning I LOVED – into my own little business.
Word of mouth spread (thanks to a great cheering squad), and soon I was being asked for children’s birthday invitations and baby announcements; the holiday season arrived and I found yet another creative opportunity. Before I knew it, I was working for more than just my friends and family, and was getting exposure at local craft shows.
In the past five years I have been able to take what was supposed to be a simple cost saver and turn it into so much more. I am able to entertain my creativity and use my design skills on a daily basis to produce the best quality custom designs for a variety of stationery and invitations, as well as a number of other products. If you don’t see what you had in mind, just let me know and I would LOVE to create something tailor made for you.
