Where the heck have I been?
I can't believe it's been over a month since I posted on the blog. I have been so freaking busy that blogging has taken the very back seat. It's still in the car, just in the very back... So what in the world has had me so busy that I can't take 30 minutes out on a Friday morning to pump out at least a TGIF post? Well, I've been building an empire. Sorta.
When I graduated in April I didn't have a job lined up. I figured I would take a week to recoup from one of the most intense academic years of my life then start the job hunt and be employed within a couple of weeks. Nooooot quite how it happened. Over the course of 3/4 weeks I sent out countless applications to various companies offering my services as a junior web designer and/or graphic designer. Junior positions are hard to come by and very competitive so I had apps that I checked obsessively and sites that I had send me job postings as soon as they were available. But apparently there are a lot of qualified people out there looking for the same jobs I was.
Being unemployed for a year meant that funds were preeetty much depleted so making some money was high on my priority list. I knew I eventually wanted to be self employed but I didn't think it would happen for at least a few years. But hey, desperate times and all. So, while I continued applying for jobs and reaching out to people I thought might be good resources I also started working on portfolio projects and rebuilding my site.
Word got out that I had graduated and was looking for some work. At first it was just a family friend asking for some help on Instagram but then that turned into a bigger and way more exciting project. Then I was asked by a friend from Victoria if I would be interested in doing some contract work for her. Heck yes. THEN I got asked to start working on a branding and website design project for a friend of a friend. BAM! Those three projects have been amazing but I know that in order to keep this whole self-employed thing sustainable I need to get more clients.
So that's what I've been working on - since late April/early May I've been spending just about every waking hour working on client projects, refining old school projects, rebuilding my portfolio site, and holding down the fort while the parents were gallivanting around Italy (parents these days, ammirite). But, in keeping with my strong belief that balance is key to good mental health, there has also been some fun times thrown in there. Last weekend I went to Tofino with a group of friends, this weekend I'm going to wedding, and in three weeks it's my birthday - all the fun!!!
There's a lot going on and the days are long and the work is plentiful but the work is also good and fun and I'd way rather be working this hard for myself than spending my days in an office working for someone else, at least for now. Who knows how long this season will last but while it does I'm going to soak up every minute and learn as much as I can! Things will likely remain pretty quiet over here for the next little while but I will try harder to at least get TGIF posts out because they're so much fun for me to look back on down the road!
Happy Friday friends, thanks for sticking it out and hanging around while I figure my shiz out! See you soon!
photo cred - nathalie taylor