But really….why am I blogging?

In my last (and only) post, I went over the very general reason about why I started this.
I still have a handful of people asking me “but really… what’s with the blog”? So let’s do this- one more blog about my blog.

Graphic Designer Awareness
“Oh, you’re a designer? Thats…. nice…?”
Fairly regularly, I get asked what exactly I do. People quickly follow with “websites, right?” and I have to bottle of up the nervous laughter at the fact websites are definitely not my passion. But no, ma’am… not websites. I usually try to squeeze in a few respectable examples like “logos and advertisements” before they lose interest, even though 55% of a designer’s time is spent educating clients how to explain what they they have in their head (another 25% is trying to convince them you’ve made it better).

But these questions are one of the reasons I keep a Facebook account. I do my best to be someone who is approachable, and whether your question is technical, career based, or, even “I need a design, how do I get it?”, how I answer those represents not only myself, but my goal as a designer. I could easily charge everyone my hourly rate, or refuse to help (I do know designers who refuse to work outside 9-5). But instead, I want to help you become become resourceful with current resources (Etsy), but also understand what your budget should be and how to make the most of it.

I want to share my love of stickers.
Stick to what you love!
I had a sticker book growing up, but as I matured, stickers always resonated with me as a fun, unconventional, inexpensive way to get people excited about your personal interests, or even your brand. How long has Walmart (or even Target), been giving stickers to kids as an incentive for visiting? As I became more active with techies (credit to the CodeMash, the Developer conference I’ve done much design for), I realized the sticker culture is alive and well! It remains a way for people to express themselves and their interests. They’re basically little bumper stickers of life on your laptop, cooler, or skateboard.

Add value to digital art.
With the technology rapidly changing around us, so is art. And even though it’s not all as “messy” as a traditional oil painting, digital art is HARD. There’s a different type of challenge and self control involved when you know you can go back and edit or change any line, any time- you must know when to stop. Whether painted or digitally created, art takes skill, passion, and dedication. And sometimes there really is blood, sweat, and/or tears that happen along the way, no matter what the medium.

To Gain Support.
My definition of success would be to get the support of my friends and followers to buy my designs, which I’m inspired to create un-commissioned. Freelance is fun and while I love helping people, there’s just something amazing that happens when people love your art that you created because you wanted to, not because you were paid.