What to Expect in 2020

Things are about to get exciting for The Lovely Geek. I’ve been working on stuff behind the scenes this past year which are finally going to come to fruition in the coming months.

If you’re new around here, let me fill you in on a little backstory. I’ve been designing and developing websites since 2002. I started freelancing in 2006, but shortly after I began my undergraduate at The Art Institute of California – Sacramento in 2010 I found myself ramping down. I only took a few clients on for school projects, and it was also during this time I started my first agency job.

After graduation in 2012, I decided to not take on any new clients. I wanted to give my full attention to my agency job, and that’s pretty much what I did for the next eight years. During those eight years, I worked for two agencies. At the first one, I started as an intern during school and then moved to full-time upon graduation. I wore many hats while I was there: front-end developer, creative strategy, design, and project management all of which gave me valuable experience. At my next agency job, I got to hone in on my skills a little bit and focus on design as a UI/UX Designer. My skillset expanded to mobile and web apps, print collateral, social media marketing graphics, and more.

It’s been a wild ride gaining experience through my agency jobs and growing as a designer. But before I get into what’s next, here’s a recap of career-related highlights from 2019. A lot happened just in this past year alone!

Notable Moments from 2019

I started taking on a few new clients

During a year I was trying to wind down in preparation for baby, somehow I found myself taking on freelance clients. I didn’t do anything in particular, people just really wanted to work with me! I managed to get three new clients this year, and I did a redesign for a previous client.

I partnered with a former coworker

One of my previous coworkers left the agency we were both working at in 2018 to grow his own freelance business and pursue other opportunities. We worked really well together as we were both passionate about good design, proper functionality, and attention to detail. In 2019 he brought me aboard as one of his designers, and I already kicked off a project with him.

I participated in Creative Wood – Student Edition

The AAF Sacramento Ad Club hosted a special event called Creative Wood which consists of working within a group to create and advertisement based on targeting a specific demographic for a product promotion/launch. The Student Edition involved professionals, in the advertising field, taking the lead. This allowed for the students to work side by side with someone that is in the same career field that they one day hope to embark.

I spoke at Design Week Sac

Sacramento hosted its very first Design Week, and I was asked to speak on a panel in regards to client and culture fit. Having both experiences in agency and freelance allowed me to pass on some wisdom to my colleagues, and I got to meet some really cool people in our community!

I was promoted to Lead Designer

About a month before my 4-year anniversary I was promoted to Lead Designer at Three29. I was responsible for overseeing all creative, and design aspects as well implementing and ensuring strict adhesion to the creative department process. I also onboarded two new junior designers prior to my maternity leave.

I had a baby

It’s taken five years of TTC and two miscarriages to get to my baby girl. I got pregnant at the end of 2018, and in August I gave birth to my beautiful daughter, Lily.

I left my agency job

In November, I made the decision to not return to my agency job after maternity leave. The road to baby was a long one, and the thought of having to think about childcare come January depressed me. Like it really depressed me, to the point where I was having a hard time being present. I knew deep down I wanted to be home with her.

The beauty of the work I do is that I can do it from anywhere. This leads me to…

The Lovely Geek in 2020

The last 10 years I spent obtaining my degree and agency work. Now, with the start of a new decade, I’m officially going to be freelancing again. Slowly. My first priority is being a mom, so I’m going to be super picky with who I take on as clients in the beginning.

I’ve gained a ton of experience in the past decade not to mention valuable connections in the industry. It definitely puts me in a much better place when I think of freelancing now compared to when I first got started.

In addition to freelancing, I’ll also be spending this year learning. In March I head to Palm Springs for Alt Summit, a conference geared towards women and entrepreneurs in the creative industry.

One of my goals is to attend at least one major conference a year, and Alt Summit is it! I’ve been wanting to go for a long time, and I managed to get tickets when they were at their lowest during last year’s conference. I’m excited to learn and get inspired!

So how do I work with you?

I have a newly revamped Studio page that will be up and running in the next few months. Here you’ll be able to get an overview of what I have to offer and how to get started. To be the first to know when that launches, subscribe to my email list.

Get me on that list!

2020 is gonna be a great kickoff to fantastic things ahead. Here we go!