And perhaps I don’t say that often enough.
So, here’s a little insight into my world.
I’ve been doing this for a long time. I started as an artist — and I still paint today.
At school, I was told:
“You won’t make a living out of that.”
Apparently, I took that personally. 😂
Instead of giving up on something I loved, I decided I was going to find a way to make creativity my career.
I studied graphic design, but even back then it was obvious that computers were going to completely change our industry. So rather than fight it, I learnt programming too.
That was more than 30 years ago.
Combining creativity, design and programming wasn’t particularly common then. Being a woman doing it made things even more interesting.
And I’ve kept learning ever since.
Web development. Branding. Marketing. SEO. User experience. Google. Software. AI. And about a million things in between.
I’ve always said that I think differently and I see things differently.
It’s probably one of my greatest strengths.
Over the years I’ve worked across so many different industries that I’ve learnt to look beyond the immediate job in front of me.
A website isn’t just a website.
A logo isn’t just a logo.
SEO isn’t just getting a keyword onto Google.
They are pieces of a much bigger business puzzle.
And I genuinely love helping clients put those pieces together.
But here's the bit we don't always talk about.
When you care deeply about your work, criticism can sting.
I expect a lot from myself. Probably too much sometimes.
I will research something that wasn’t technically part of the job. I’ll investigate a problem because it doesn’t look right. I’ll think about a client’s business while I’m making dinner. I’ll find an opportunity and send it through because I think it might help.
There are plenty of things I do behind the scenes that my clients will probably never know about.
Not because I’m trying to be a hero.
I just care.
So yes, when someone dismisses my knowledge or questions my ability without first understanding my background, I can take it personally.
Recently, I had someone new to a client’s business ask me what my expertise was and what my background was.
Fair question, of course.
But it also made me realise something.
Maybe I don’t talk about it enough.
I don’t walk into every conversation listing my qualifications or telling people how many years I’ve been doing this.
I’d rather listen.
I’d rather understand the problem.
I’d rather help.
But being quiet about your experience doesn’t mean you don’t have any.
And I suspect a lot of experienced creatives — particularly women — will understand exactly what I mean.
So perhaps this is my little reminder.
I’m an artist.
I’m a designer.
I’m a developer.
I’m a marketer.
I’m a business owner.
I’m a problem solver.
I’m a teacher when someone needs me to be.
I’m occasionally the person saying, “Please don’t do that to your website.”
And after more than three decades in this industry, I’m still learning.
I’ve built my business through changing technology, changing industries, changing economies and more Google updates than I care to remember.
It hasn’t always been easy.
But I’m still here.
Still creating.
Still learning.
Still helping businesses grow.
And I will happily share what I know with my clients. I’ll help with the design, branding, marketing, SEO, technology and sometimes the random business problem that has absolutely nothing to do with what you originally hired me for.
All I ask in return is something pretty simple:
Respect my experience. Respect my craft. And be nice.
Do that and, knowing me, you’ll probably get considerably more than you paid for.
Oh — and if you fancy a chat along the way, I also come with a fairly wicked sense of humour.