My adventure with Jessica Sawyer Design began in 2012 shortly after a life changing diagnosis. I had always been very sick, but continued to work hard and persistently through school. So much of my work was done at home, in bed, but I managed to graduate with honors and even college credit. When it came time to balance college and work I began to realize I would not be able to attend at a reasonable rate. How could I show up for work when I couldn't even attend class? How would I support myself? What was going on with my body? Why could Doctors not figure it out? I began trying to find answers and seeing specialist after specialist and in 2011 I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. It was a huge sigh of relief to finally receive help and treatment.
But.....I was very lost in my life. Everything I had worked for was this "plan" of college, of this particular job and suddenly I had no idea what I was going to do with my life. It's funny how things don't always go to plan, because something better is about to happen! I quickly completed a Pharmacy Technician certification as my "plan B" and decided to find something that could fit into this new journey.
I remember when I was very small, before anyone told you that you had to be a Doctor or Lawyer because they made a good living, telling others that I just wanted to make things pretty when I grew up. It was a good starting point, thinking of my Lisa Frank dreams and doodles that eventually gave me the idea that lead me here.
Mind you, I had NO graphic design experience at the time. I didn't know how to get my ideas from paper and into the computer, I didn't know what all of these programs did, and when I first started out almost everything was done manually. I quickly realized I was in over my head and took a few online classes to get oriented.
When I began doodling and publishing my work online, my friends and family had no idea what I was doing, but they gave me all of their support, love, and feedback. Even my earliest customers were amazing women to work with who offered design suggestions and supported my very early dreams. I don't know where I'd be without the combination of wonderful people that built the foundation of my business!
2013 was the first real success of JSD. As the market of digital designing began to grow, so did my shop. This brought in a lot of copycats and outright thieves. It was very discouraging, as a designer, to see your work copied and even adding "Jessica Sawyer Design" to the tag and being sold right along side yours. I knew I had a choice. It's a choice all business owners must make, at some point or another, to keep going. I began to find my "defining factor". I decided on a few main color schemes to somewhat tie in all of my designs. This helps a good bit of my work coordinate and work with each other. I took extreme care making designs for girls, girly (including bows, tutus, and colors girls WANT to use), and boy designs boyish in the same manner. I couldn't stand the overly played, basic primary colors that seemed to be used on so many children's items so I created artwork I wanted to see myself... artwork with patterns and detail with better coloring. I wanted navies and aquas and pinks. I wanted color schemes that weren't so common and to break all the laws of "draw it as it is". I began finding my style that set me apart from other designers and began drawing with quality such as shading and highlighting and finishing touches that so often get left out and creativity. We (designers) may all have our own interpretation of "themes", but I began to pick mine out of the crowd quickly. I continue to make quality, creativity, and playfulness my main goal.
I celebrated 5 years in business this year and everyday I get to wake up with ideas of what new things I create that day. I get to be part of other's businesses, big moments, and crafts and bring my own creative touch to other's lives. I couldn't be more in love with what I do!
Thank you so much for helping me live my dream!
XO Jessica
But.....I was very lost in my life. Everything I had worked for was this "plan" of college, of this particular job and suddenly I had no idea what I was going to do with my life. It's funny how things don't always go to plan, because something better is about to happen! I quickly completed a Pharmacy Technician certification as my "plan B" and decided to find something that could fit into this new journey.
I remember when I was very small, before anyone told you that you had to be a Doctor or Lawyer because they made a good living, telling others that I just wanted to make things pretty when I grew up. It was a good starting point, thinking of my Lisa Frank dreams and doodles that eventually gave me the idea that lead me here.
Mind you, I had NO graphic design experience at the time. I didn't know how to get my ideas from paper and into the computer, I didn't know what all of these programs did, and when I first started out almost everything was done manually. I quickly realized I was in over my head and took a few online classes to get oriented.
When I began doodling and publishing my work online, my friends and family had no idea what I was doing, but they gave me all of their support, love, and feedback. Even my earliest customers were amazing women to work with who offered design suggestions and supported my very early dreams. I don't know where I'd be without the combination of wonderful people that built the foundation of my business!
2013 was the first real success of JSD. As the market of digital designing began to grow, so did my shop. This brought in a lot of copycats and outright thieves. It was very discouraging, as a designer, to see your work copied and even adding "Jessica Sawyer Design" to the tag and being sold right along side yours. I knew I had a choice. It's a choice all business owners must make, at some point or another, to keep going. I began to find my "defining factor". I decided on a few main color schemes to somewhat tie in all of my designs. This helps a good bit of my work coordinate and work with each other. I took extreme care making designs for girls, girly (including bows, tutus, and colors girls WANT to use), and boy designs boyish in the same manner. I couldn't stand the overly played, basic primary colors that seemed to be used on so many children's items so I created artwork I wanted to see myself... artwork with patterns and detail with better coloring. I wanted navies and aquas and pinks. I wanted color schemes that weren't so common and to break all the laws of "draw it as it is". I began finding my style that set me apart from other designers and began drawing with quality such as shading and highlighting and finishing touches that so often get left out and creativity. We (designers) may all have our own interpretation of "themes", but I began to pick mine out of the crowd quickly. I continue to make quality, creativity, and playfulness my main goal.
I celebrated 5 years in business this year and everyday I get to wake up with ideas of what new things I create that day. I get to be part of other's businesses, big moments, and crafts and bring my own creative touch to other's lives. I couldn't be more in love with what I do!
Thank you so much for helping me live my dream!
XO Jessica
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