Since this is my first entry I am going to provide some background on myself and my online business. It all started so many years ago, I was working on movie sets as a human prop, making pennies and living with my parents. Sitting around on movie sets can be really boring sometimes (I know, those of you that have never done it are going to think that’s an insane statement, others that have done it will say “true”). I had to find some sort of hobby to make the time pass, I always liked crafts so I started repurposing old jewelry while I was sitting around in studios. Originally I was doing this for myself, I was broke and wanted new things so I just took the old and made it new. People started noticing me when I was sitting around crafting, I actually began selling my jewelry designs while I was working it was pretty cool so I decided to put some effort into it. I created a ton of jewelry, then created my first online shop called Unique Accessories. Everything was so different back then when it came to selling online, there were not any tools like there are today. I built my online shop from scratch using dreamweaver, some really awful photos and integrated PayPal buttons for purchases. It was a total bust and I still have a box of unsold jewelry.
Receptive Imagination, Freelance Graphic Design
I got a full time job and worked for the man for a couple of years as well as did some freelance work doing graphic design. My first freelance website was called “Receptive Imagination”, at first it seemed like the PERFECT name because that was the best description that I could find that explains my design technique. It was about listening to the client, receiving their vision, then imagining what I could do to make their vision into reality. It didn’t take long for me to realize that people are really terrible at spelling, myself included (please don’t judge my grammar either, English is hard). Spelling out Receptive Imagination over and over and over made me insane, so I decided to K.I.S.S. that name goodbye, that was when Metro-designs was born.
Metro-Designs, Graphic Design Services
In 2008 I got laid off due to the real estate bust (this isn’t a sob story so just stay with me). When I lost my job I decided to move to Austin, TX the cost of living was less there and I had read that Austin was a great place to start your own business which is the main reason why I choose to go there. Once I got there I was looking for work, putting my resume out there, getting little response. I started freelance designing, my goal was to help small businesses grow through the use of my skills in graphic design. I got a lot of clients and many regulars but I also got some of the problems with came with it like creating something then not getting paid for it. There was a lack of stability in freelancing, but it was paying the bills so I kept going with it and stopped wasting time looking for a full-time job.
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