Where I began...

Where I'm at now. 2013 Portfolio Spread

In the mood for a little back story as to how I began? Don't mind if I do...

I started dabbling in graphic design in high school when I was sixteen. We didn't have a very good program for the work that I wanted to do back then, and lets just say my art class/teacher did not feed my inner artist. To be quite honest they damn near put the flame out completely. When I asked if I could design things on the computer instead of drawing plants, the response I received was along the lines of..."Ummm, why? I guess so for the last 10 minutes of class." I took what I could get. This was the same art class that I asked if I could be a part of the high school photography group (because my small town school didn't have an actual class, the art teacher just chose students that got the privilage learning some photography and taking photos at the athletic events and such)...anywho, that question was met with:

Teacher: "Do you have a camera?"
Me:"Yea, I guess but its just a little pocket camera..."
Teacher: "Well, there you go...teach yourself with that. It's the same."

Cue depressing sound effect.

Yep, my ART teacher had zero impact on my passion for graphic design and photography. But before you start thinking to yourself that my high school was crappy, think again. I wouldn't trade my small town upbringing for the world, and I give a ton of credit to my experiences through FFA that got me where I am now. Sure they didn't teach me how to use photoshop or a camera, but I got some tremendous building blocks through my Ag classes and FFA competitions that I know I wouldn't have been able to get anywhere else. Seriously folks, never underestimate the power of a former FFA Member.

Anywho...despite my artistic flame just about being put out I still knew that I was meant to be in graphic design. My senior year I was blessed to have been dating this crazy guy (my now husband) that had a mother running a sign shop through the local Anhueser-Busch Distributor. It was refreshing to have someone that encouraged my need to learn more about graphic design and better yet I got a job during my senior year in the work study program working right there with her as an assistant.

Thanks mother-in-law! I probably sucked then but you encouraged me anyway ;)

Following my graduation I moved to Pittsburg,KS to attend one of the best tech departments in the country at Pittsburg State University... and it was all pure awesomeness from there! I knew right off the bat that I was in the right place. Not many students can say they take such great joy in their major, but I did. The photography aspect came in as an extra with my course work and it ended up sticking with me enough for me to continue teaching myself quite a bit. I loved it and some day's I will miss the challenges. But I couldn't be happier with my decision to stick it out at PSU regardless of how hard it seemed at the time. And when I say hard, I mean get pregnant twice, move five times, commute the last two and a half years and over 100 miles a day hard. Yea I did that...don't ask me how because I don't have a clue. I survived and so did my amazing family!

Now I am here. Six months out of college and building my business slowly but surely and now I am about to start a new job with a local design group as an assistant designer. I'm so excited that things are panning out the way I had hoped. Although my husband was getting a little worried that I hadn't found a "real job" yet...I had faith it would fall into place. ;) My path has been a strange but blessed one so far that's for sure. Can you believe I am just now realizing after all of these years that it really is okay to call myself an artist? It feels good to be able to really think and say that after the hard start I had with "art". Take that high school art teacher!

I guess this leads me to ask you, my followers/friends/clients/artists...where did you begin and were your origins typical or expected? How many people told you along the way that you couldn't do it?

Thanks for sticking around to listen to my ramble. Hopefully my scattered brain isn't too terribly hard to follow. Until next week....maybe. ;)

-Shelby Demo