I graduated from Washington and Lee University in 1995 with a degree in Journalism and a concentration in Photography. Within two weeks I was settled in Charlotte - living with friends, waiting tables, and interviewing for graphic design jobs.

Nine months later, finally realizing it was nearly impossible to break into this business as a beginner, I moved back to Cleveland and was immediately hired as an assistant graphic designer at a corrugated box company.

My boss was a jerk and the job was boring, but I had a giant Macintosh computer with Photoshop and Illustrator and I used the opportunity to learn everything I could about these two programs that are the foundation of my business today.

After six months, I moved on to a series of graphic temp jobs where I refined my skills and learned the ins and outs of print design. In 1997, I landed my first “real” job as a Marketing Assistant for an Architectural and Engineering firm in downtown Cleveland. This was where I learned how to sell a company’s services to the public using graphic design and good marketing. Finally, I ended up at my brother’s web company, WRIS for a six year stretch as VP of Sales and Marketing. It was there that I learned the valuable skills of web strategy and web design.

When my husband and I welcomed our first baby in 2004, I became a stay-at-home Mom and fell comfortably into my new life managing the home front and caring for the baby. However, once my son and I got to know each other and he finally picked up on the nap schedule I had adamantly imposed, I found myself with some time on my hands and a whole lot of pent up creative energy.

I took on my first client just two months after my son was born and have been designing logos, corporate identities, websites and brochures out of my house ever since. Except of course, during the summer of 2005 when we put an addition on our house and I served as General Contractor. I was pregnant, raising a toddler and living in an RV trailer in the backyard during construction. But that’s another story entirely.

After my daughter was born in 2006, I spent several foggy months trying to soothe her colicky screams while coming to terms with the temper tantrums of my terrible-two-year-old. But, eventually life settled down. I am now back on track and happy to have found a career that allows me to enjoy the best of both worlds when it comes to balancing work and family.

All of my jobs come from friends and relatives and the people they refer to me. Most of my clients are entrepreneurs and many of them are women. I love working with entrepreneurs because they have so much passion for their projects and their excitement is infectious. It feels good to help people like this create the foundations for their new ventures.