Wow! How did this happen? One day I was unemployed and the next, I’m running a creative business. Okay, a lot of hard work and learning happened in between but it feels a little like magic.
In my typical fashion, let me start in the middle of the story and work my way to the beginning. In early 2019, I was working as the Senior Product Designer for Sizzix/Ellison. It was fun and I enjoyed what I did. I had even just celebrated 10 years with the company. I started there as a Graphic Designer and worked my way up to Senior Graphic Designer / Brand Packaging Specialist. {They wouldn’t let me put that on my business card because it was too long}.
After six years as a graphic designer, I found myself as one of only three people in the company that knew how to create the art for craft dies so I asked to become a Product Designer. They made me the Senior Product Designer which was awesome! For four years I enjoyed drawing stamps, papers and designing dies.
Then in early 2019 there was a major downsizing of all of the Product Designers and I found myself unemployed and trying to decide what to do next.
*****insert a little magic here*****
I had so many design ideas and was trying to think of a way to use them. I was approached by someone who knew what I could do and asked if I wanted to keep designing for the crafting industry. Heck yeah!
In the span of a few months I designed a year’s worth of products. But the story doesn’t end there. I also had to design the packaging and learn where UPC codes come from. I had to learn how to organize spreadsheets and a Design Team. On top of that, I had to learn how to shoot decent photography, how to build a website, how to design a trade show booth and how to effectively post on social media. Still working on that last one.
Now, if you work backwards from the middle of my story you may see how a little serendipity {dumb luck} comes into play.
I’ve always made things with my hands. I sewed doll clothes as a little kid, hand-quilted a blanket at age 12, taught a watercolor class at age 15, and experimented with etching, tie dying, batik, knitting, crocheting, macramé-ing, silk screening, scrapbooking and many other crafts over the years.
I received a degree in Graphic Design and started designing packaging for a large toy company. I designed advertising for companies like Compaq and Hewlett Packard, sink catalogs, computer hardware sales brochures and Disney Baby blanket packaging. And during this time I was always scrapbooking and sewing.
While designing sink catalogs, I was downsized out of a job when the company downsized itself out of business. A recruiter told me that Sizzix/Ellison was looking for a graphic designer but they thought that the position was already filled. I snagged an interview and afterwards I sent a handmade thank you card and got the job!
Which puts us back at the middle of my story.
I have no idea where my story goes from here. I still have a million ideas and not nearly enough time to follow through on all of them. It is a wonderful situation to find myself. It really does feel like a little magic happened along the way. Everything in my past has prepared me to work towards this amazing future.
My hope is that you find inspiration here at i-crafter {Innovative Crafter} and maybe learn new skills and techniques along the way. Whenever I’ve taught workshops or classes, my main goal was to make sure everyone had fun and tried something new. So thank you for joining me and let’s make something together!
-Lynda
Disclaimer: I am not a web designer so bear with me as I work out the kinks here.
