I successfully made it through my first FULL year as a freelance graphic designer while being a stay-at-home mom!! My son is now nearly 18 months old and I am forever thankful that I can care for him at home. I’m so happy that my relationship with All Times Publishing has now continued for over two and a half years. Since becoming a freelance designer in March 2016, I have been able to support ATP when they need it most. Being able to turn around a job in less than 24 hours has been my specialty. But with that, my time management skills have been absolutely put to the test. That brings me back to the time ATP needed a full page ad design for the special Valentine’s Day “Ultimate Date Night” contest. It was a last minute task and I had three hours to get the ad out on proof. In normal circumstances it would take me an hour, so no problem! However, I had a screaming/whining baby in the background who had just received a flu shot. He needed ALL my attention at that very moment. I felt like I had a drill sergeant yelling over my shoulder, “GO FASTER!” Now that’s pressure! I can’t say I’ve ever worked under those conditions at my previous nine to five jobs! (HA) I knew that if I could work under those circumstances, produce the result the client was looking for and deliver it on time, I could do just about anything! I also knew that it would get easier. Everyone always says when you have a baby, “it will get easier.” They were right, because it really does! Having my child on predictable schedule helps tremendously. And yes, I’m that Mom who runs on the same schedule every single day. Naptime and bedtime = design time!
I can confidently say that I have found a balance between mom duties, freelance work, and even found time to reach a personal goal or two – like maintaining this blog! With over 400 hours of design time for ATP, I’ve collected the work that has stood out the most to me this year. Here I have a variety of work that either reproduced really well in print, stood out because I was happy with the design, and/or a made the customer very happy. Let me know YOUR thoughts!
My favorite piece of feedback. “Holy moly this is GRRRREAT. That’s the best layout that I’ve ever had! Thank you!” — Cakes & Other Goodies at Center Street Market, Canastota, NY
My favorite job. Onondaga County Parks Winter Program Guide.
A goal for 2018. Find a design challenge and conquer it.