Root & Folio

04/01/2026

I always sit back and reflect after a busy work season, or a challenging chapter in my personal life. It's hard to believe that it's been almost 2 years since I went though my layoff. A lot has changed, but at the same time, there are many things that have stayed consistent in my life.

For the past several weeks, I've been REALLY regretting not booking a family spring break somewhere warm. Our winters in Ohio are cold. I remember having the literal air sucked out of me after leaving a BGSU hockey game with my mom one evening because of the sub zero temperatures. This winter, especially, has seemed long, cold and very busy. Today though, I'm starting to hear the birds chirp, lawn mowers, and I've even got my home office window open for a nice fresh breeze of air. Which conveniently drowns out my cat's snoring.

But as our season changes and my workload has calm down, I'm starting to reflect on these past 6 months and what kind of projects I want to get involved in for rest of the year. These past 6 months alone, I've worked with several destination marketing clients, a winery, a political candidate, an interior designer, 3 non profits and an accounting firm. As I type all of that out and double check that against my client list, I'm wondering how I had time to fit all of those in!

Being so busy, showing up online and attending in-person networking events ALWAYS falls to the wayside for me. I'm a team of 1 (4 if you count my office mates 🐱 🐱 🐶), and wearing all of the hats can be exhausting at times. In light of new seasons, showing up regularly is going to be a new goal of mine. A few questions. How do you carve out the time in your schedule to post? What types of events are you attending? How do you keep things fresh and engaging?

But on a less serious note, where are you favorite family vacation spots? 🌴

08/13/2025

You don’t have to be alone in growing your business. NE Ohio, come check us out in person Thursday mornings! Shoot me a message for details.

05/01/2025

I got connected to True Digital Communication several months ago and was hired to lead the design for Princeton’s Fine Wood’s 8-page manual where they showcased their products. Shout out to Kayleigh Hanlin and Jessica Greathouse for bringing me on to assist with this project! It was fun collaborating with your crew.

I was hired for this project for my years of magazine design experience. Have an idea for a professionally designed print piece? I have a network of trusted writers, editors, photographers and illustrators that I work with. Shoot me a message! I’d love to collaborate.

02/11/2025

It's crazy to think how much life has changed in 3 years.

On a personal note, today is my 3-year wedding anniversary. Thad and I had planned to get married summer 2022, likely in my backyard at my little house in Cleveland. We wanted something small and intimate, something no fuss and low stress.

But life had other plans.

We moved things up after we got word about a deployment he was being pulled on in March of that year. Our local courthouse only does one wedding a week, always on Fridays. So Friday February, 11 it was! I loved our little courthouse wedding. That year was challenging in a lot of ways, but it made us both appreciate everything we have built since.

Professionally, I'm now working for myself. I've been fortunate enough to keep a steady stream of work since pursuing full-time freelance in August of last year.

I think I'm hitting my groove.

Putting myself out there and networking has been a whole other animal in of itself. Figuring out how to streamline my processes and find clients that I want to collaborate with has been rewarding.

Fun fact, all my current projects are print focused. I truly thought it would have been the opposite. Everyone is always saying, "print is dead." I was laid off from my previous company because they were doing away with print marketing.

Funny how things work out.

Makes me wonder where I'll be in the next 3 years 👩‍💻

📸 Angelo Merendino

02/07/2025

Since starting my freelance journey, I often get the question, “what is an art director?”

I like to tell people we are the contractor that subcontracts out different pieces of the project to solve a client’s problem. I use my vast network of creatives that include photographers, illustrators, copy writers, set designers, clothing stylists, food stylists, hair and makeup artists and talent agencies to execute and solve the issue.

We focus on creative strategy and ex*****on.

I call myself an art director and designer. I love solving the creative problem, but I also have a passion for design.

I have so many fantastic people that I love to work with. I’m starting to get the opportunity where I’m bringing more people in on projects that I pick up, and I’d love to meet more of you. I especially love working with Ohio based creatives as I find that having the ability to form in-person working relationships is helpful with some of my local projects.

Comment below if you’d like to connect!

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02/06/2025

Today was a neat step in my solopreneur journey. I got to add my first contractor to my books! What a cool feeling 🎉

I'm starting to book for mid April as hubby and I have some travel plans coming up these next few months 🇰🇷 Shoot me a message if you're in need of a creative guru for your next project!

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02/03/2025

I got connected to Genesis LA several months ago and was hired to lead the design for their 44-page 25 Year Impact Report where they showcased several projects that they funded over the last 25 years.

I love companies like this–they’re invested in their communities and love to see them thrive. They work with nonprofits and small businesses to transform underserved communities by providing financial solutions with the “goal of growing the next generation of community development infrastructure within Los Angeles County.”

I was hired for this project for my years of magazine design experience. Have an idea for a professionally designed print piece? I have a network of trusted writers, editors, photographers and illustrators that I work with. Shoot me a message! I’d love to collaborate.

01/29/2025

When I say intentional design creates the difference, I mean just that. It’s the difference between a generic graphic and a tailored strategy. It’s the difference between something trendy and a visual solution that speaks more than what the words are on the page. It’s the difference between a transaction and a true partnership built on trust and shared respect. I don’t want to create visuals that apply to the masses, I want to help my clients solve a problem in a way that is a direct reflection of their brand and speaks to their people.