Yesterday my family and I attended the last of my youngest child’s high school banquets and today we said goodbye to the other as he headed to a classical music festival for the next 6 weeks – which as an aspiring musician looks to be the MO. As of late, I find myself participating in a lot of “lasts” as my husband and I get ready to send our last child off to college. As each of our 3 children embark on their individual lives, it’s making me pause to take stock…
When I started this business 12 years ago, it was a decision that allowed me to earn a part-time income while staying home to raise 3 children. At that time I could never have guessed it would play such a pivotal role in all our lives. As we suffered through 17 months of unemployment during the worst of the recession the business supported us through 2 kids in high school plus one in college, all the while providing me a fruitful career rich in creativity, adventure and full of possibilities for growth.
A graphic designer by trade, what started out as print design for one client morphed into web design for another, then email marketing for maybe the previous, then WordPress, then social media, even flip-turn publishing! At every corner the client would say “can you do such and such?” and I’d say “Sure!” I morphed and grew out of necessity and have loved every step of the way!
I’ve had the good fortune of having worked with some wonderfully amazing people through this business in many different industries– very varied, public as well as private sector. And I’ve learn so much from so many. Now at times I have the opportunity to pay it forward and I think “Wow! When did I get to be the mentor?” It’s a wonderful feeling!
In the past few months I’ve mentored a few young adults in their career paths both in design and communications and it wasn’t till I heard “I learned so much from you Kathy” that it dawned on me what had transpired. And all the time I thought we were just working together. In actuality… once again, they were pushing me! These newbies – the ones that don’t know that rules exist, they think out of the box and continuously push the envelope: “Is it possible to do this instead of this?” they say, or “why can’t pigs fly?” and then my wheels begin turning and metamorphosis begins again!
This is a part of the business that I love. I’ve been asked if I would consider taking on an intern, and not till now had I considered it. As I enter this new chapter I’m thinking of the possibilities… growth and expansion. As Sheryl Sandberg has asked “what would you do if you weren’t afraid?”