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| Illustration by Jeannie Hart |
I got an interesting email that made me think about several
things. The email was about work, nothing too fantastic in that statement. They
discovered me via About.me and inquired about my credentials. As I crafted the
reply, while typing out whom I've worked with or for over the years it hit me—I've
had some pretty awesome clients, the problem being, I'm not allowed to say very
often who they are.
You see I work (as in 'pay the bills' job) with a lot of
sensitive information. Not like national security stuff or anything, just your
run of the mill behind the scenes before companies become brands or books about
to be released sort of way. Unfortunately, this means that for the most part on
things like LinkedIn and About.me I have to be vague. Once done, I update but
there are projects that I've been working on for years and I just can't say
anything. In other cases, I've worked with wonderful companies that don't mind—when
finished with the overall project—if I use their name, however, once more those
projects usually take years to finish.
This leaves me with a standard statement when people ask me
what I do for a living. I tell people, "I draw." In the last couple
of years, this has been my mantra and most people don't delve deeper into it. But
I find myself wanting a level of respect that I honestly deserve and struggling
with the idea of bragging. I know the definition of bragging is to talk with
excessive pride about an achievement or possession. And that's not what the
goal is, I mean, I am very proud of the work I do and I work hard. However,
being 29 (yes, a woman just told you her age) I'm still being called, 'that
crazy artist.' And maybe that's part of the problem, that people see artists as
being 'crazy.'
I'm very open with my fine art side life and for most this
is the only interaction people have with me when it comes to what I do. People
know me as the person who is fun, artsy, and yes, I can carry a conversation
about many things. But what they don't see is the many days I work between
10-15 hours to hone my craft. Nor do they understand the amount of knowledge
coupled with experience it takes to do what I do. Whether it is branding,
illustration, or running a company all they see is the fine art I've produced
and the joy that I have. That though, is such a small part of what I do.
Perhaps that is part of the reason why I'm moving. Why now,
after several job offers, I'm not afraid of moving. I get to show those who've
only known me as the crazy artist that being an artist is not that crazy.
