I’ve never really been the sit-in-one-chair-until-retirement kind of person. I moved around a lot as a kid and have tried many different things. I’ve followed my passions throughout my career and been flexing my brain on both the creative and analytical sides. While this wasn’t a planned career strategy, I am in a unique position to offer some #seriouslyhighvalue for small business.
After I finished my graphic design diploma I decided to go to Acadia University to complete a BA in English and was the Editor of the Yearbook while I was there. I really enjoyed piecing together all of the moving parts required to publish a book. I liked coordinating the photographers and writers and I liked meeting with the printer and even went on to help other yearbook editors organize their books. When I was almost finished my BA, the president of Acadia had a connection to PACE university in New York and gave me a glowing recommendation to their Masters of Science in Publishing program. I spent a year in NY learning all about printing technology, contracts, editing and I even did an internship at TOR/FORGE (science-fiction publisher).
I came back home to Nova Scotia with boxes of books but no job in the ‘industry’. I worked with some non-profits and a couple academic institutions and then decided to focus in on one of the aspects of my experience that I loved since university- coordinating. I quickly learned that there was a whole industry of people who organized, coordinated and managed projects- project managers. In 2014 I got my CAPM and then in 2019 I achieved my PMP (no small feat after a few thousand hours experience, a crazy detailed application and a 4 hour non-stop exam).
The two sides of my brain grew together and are working as one well oiled machine.
My right brain is all things creative, and as a graphic designer, we go through a creative process where we figure out the feelings and emotions you want your customers to feel when they see your brand and translate those feelings into quality art/graphics for things like logos, social media posts, posters, brochures, websites, printed posters, banners, magazines, signs etc). We look at colours, fonts, layouts and composition to bring your brand to life.
My left brain is all things analytical. As a project manager, I know all of the moving pieces that are required to get from your idea to a finished product. I think about things like stakeholders, resources and risk. I manage your budget and schedule and make sure you are up to date on the status of your project(s).
Put them together and you get some seriously high value.
For a creative project like a monthly magazine, I can coordinate all of the photography and writing but I can also take on the creative layout work myself. I can gather and incorporate feedback into the project and then liaise with a printer and see that it’s printed to specifications.
I can also manage multiple creative projects at once under your brand umbrella!
Here is a break down of my seriously high value:
- I can save you time by communicating directly with photographers, writers, printers
- I can save you money- you get 2 roles for the price of 1
- I can provide project security, I can manage your project’s budget and give progress reports & I am trained in risk management
Seriously cool bonus!: My latest creative endeavor led me to buy a laser engraver/cutter and now I can take your brand to the next level by using my laser to create a unique/bespoke product- a great way to thank your clients and employees. See my shop for details.
