show & tell
NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS ARE MEANT TO BE BROKEN ... RIGHT?
by Emily Jane

Well, I do have a good excuse, I certainly haven’t been sitting around twiddling my thumbs. Things have been crazy busy in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, not only with Dorothy Jane Custom Stationery but also with other non-stationery related projects too. I have also done a bit of traveling.

I think the best of part of being self-employed is that I don’t have to count my vacation days, or coordinate with a co-worker our vacation days so that the office isn’t empty, or just plain asking for “permission” to take a day off. So far this year, I have traveled to Washington D.C. for my husband’s 40^th birthday, tagged along with my husband to Atlanta for a business trip, attended my cousin’s wedding in Phoenix and of course visited my family in Ohio for extended periods of time. It has been glorious. It is nice to get out of the house, visit new places, check out stationery boutiques in other cities, and to be inspired.

As far as non-stationery related projects, I have had the opportunity to work on a few projects both small and big. Last year, I freelanced at a local private school, which led to an opportunity to work with a few other non-profits in the area. A very good friend of mine is Creative Director at Illume in Minneapolis and has hired me to work on a few beauty packaging projects for her team. My cousin hired me to rebrand his candle company. I hope to get photographs taken of some of these projects to share each project in more detail. I am also going to be updating my very out of date portfolio website ... hopefully within the year.

Dorothy Jane Design has almost most matched in 6 months the workload of all of last year. Not bad if I say so myself. I have doubled the inquiries about potential work. With the increase in workload, several other things have taken a back seat, like the actual business of “doing business.” So I am trying to catch up on those details whenever I get downtime. I have also been thinking about how to restructure my business, how I want to handle sales and custom orders, new product development, etc. Especially because things are going to get a little crazy come Thanksgiving this year.

If that isn’t enough to keep one busy, I have experienced a few life changing moments too. Some small, some big.

For the past 4 years or so, I had been growing my hair out to donate for cancer patients. I wish I had styled my hair a bit better for the before picture, however, I think it makes the after look that much better.

Recently, we sold my Ford Escape because we purchased a new car for me. It was very difficult to say goodbye to my car of 13 years. I loved my Ford and took very good care of her and she took care of me. She was the car that got me back on the road after a very bad car accident, where I totaled my previous car. However, we were paying too much money to fix problems that kept reoccurring, so financially it made sense to sell her. I upgraded to a very nice Toyota RAV4 with all of the bells and whistles.

Which brings me to the biggest of the biggest life change for anyone … we are expecting a baby come this Thanksgiving! We are very excited, overwhelmed and nervous at the same time. I made it through the first trimester. It wasn’t easy, but it could have been worse. I mostly felt blah and exhausted which put non-essential Dorothy Jane Design work on the backburner. Now that I am in my second trimester, I have more energy, and am ready to get our house in order. Finish projects that have been started and furnish a few rooms … like the nursery. This is a new adventure for all of us and we can’t wait to see what God brings us come Thanksgiving.

meet

eleven56 & dee design co.

by Mary Deelsnyder

I am so fortunate to have so many creative, inspiring and supportive people in my network of friends. Mary and I met when she was hired to do freelance work for Aveda. She and I both share similar backgrounds and interests, with business degrees in Marketing and a love for design and stationery. Mary is incredibly accomplished and talented. I remember when Mary moved Eleven56 out of her home office into her new 'grown up' office in Minneapolis. To actually know and witness someone make that big move in their career was so inspiring and gave me hope. She now has two businesses, Eleven56 and Dee Design Co. working with a variety of big and small businesses and non-profits. Mary is a savvy businesswoman with an eye for design, doing it all with a sense of humor. 

WHAT IS YOUR DREAM? WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO PURSUE YOUR DREAM?

My dream was/is to be a designer. I remember specific conversations as a little kid about being a designer. However, I opted for business school instead of art school when I graduated. My first job was as an analyst at Best Buy. HIGH-larious, because I don’t know why they hired me. I was horrible at that job. It was during this time that my dad became ill with cancer. So, I quit my job at BBY and moved back to my hometown to help in the family business (construction...also humorous) while my dad recovered.

I think while working in the family biz and dealing with the possibility of my dad dying, I decided that life was too short to spend 40  hours a week doing something you hate. So, back to school I went to learn how to be a designer.

ARE YOU STILL WORKING FULL TIME? HOW DO YOU FIND THAT BALANCE?

I work full time running 2 design firms, eleven56.com & deedesignco.com. There’s this weird fallacy that if you work for yourself, you’ll have more time, or it’s easier to find balance. Not if you want to be profitable. You still have a strain on your time, it’s just different. If balance is what you seek, you have to commit to that concept and learn to say “no” more often than “yes.”

WHERE DOES YOUR DREAM COME TO LIFE?
The best thing about my office space is Loring Park right outside my doorstep. There are also running trails, the Walker Art Center and downtown Minneapolis is within walking distance. These things are important to me.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST DIFFICULT AND EXCITING PART ABOUT PURSUING YOUR DREAM?
Most difficult: Staying true to myself, my work and my process. Everyone has an opinion about how you run your business and I am easily influenced because I like people and I like their ideas. A creative business is different and should be as unique as the person who founded it. 

Most exciting: The most exciting part of owning a creative business is always when you really “get” a client and they “get” you and the magic happens. It’s difficult to articulate, but I’m sure all creatives have experienced what I’m talking about at one point in their career.

I’ve had people squeal with delight when I make them something! One time, a bride emailed me about how happy her mom was with the wedding invitations we designed because she thought I captured the couple so well. That’s the stuff that gets me out of bed in the morning.

CAN YOU NAME THE BIGGEST LESSON YOU'VE LEARNED?

The biggest lesson that I continue to learn was taught to me by my mother. “Trust your gut!” She always said that to me, no matter what the situation. It couldn’t be more true in my business. I think a lot of women possess this intuition and it gives us the upper hand if we listen to it. I’m still learning, but I have to tell you every. single. time. I didn’t trust my gut, it got me in trouble. And the stakes get higher each time you don’t listen. It’s crazy. 

IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT ARE THE TOP 3 THINGS SOMEONE SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE PURSUING THEIR OWN DREAM?

Top 3 things, hmmm, this one is tough for me. Trust me, I’m as opinionated as one gets, especially about design. But I don’t have an answer here. Everyone is so different and how they get to where they need to be has to be discovered on their own. 

All I can say is: “Go for it!”

WHAT INSPIRES YOU? HOW ARE YOU INSPIRED? 
I find inspiration in peace and quiet. I am also inspired by people, especially visionaries who understand how design can impact their business. It’s exciting to work with people that give a damn.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE IN 5 WORDS?
Simple, clean, direct, soft, colorful

WHAT BUSINESS BOOKS/RESOURCES WOULD YOU RECOMMEND TO SOMEONE STARTING A CREATIVE BUSINESS OF THEIR OWN?
Read the books that talk about how awesome it is to be an entrepreneur. There’s plenty of them. That will inspire you. Then pick up some business books to understand contracts, pricing and sales. Learn how to sell. Hire someone or take a class. Get out of your comfort zone and connect with entrepreneurs in other industries so you have other pros to commiserate with. Just do stuff...fail and succeed and learn from your process.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT PURSUING YOUR DREAM?

VISIT MARY'S PORTFOLIO OF WORK
http://www.deedesignco.com/#work
AND
http://www.eleven56.com