Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney Kamm.
Courtney, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I have always been a creative person and when it came time to choose a college major, I knew it had to be in the art field. I graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a fine arts degree specializing in graphic design. After graduation, I started my first job as a designer for an outdoor magazine. When my first son was born, the chance to stay home with my little man drove me to take the leap of starting my own business. Two more kids later and I am still loving this little business and the work it has brought! I have loved the opportunities of working with other local businesses and some pretty awesome people! Each year has brought new work opportunities and growth and it has been so much fun! Graphic design has provided me with a creative outlet and has surprised me with artistic growth.
Has it been a smooth road?
When I first quit my job, I thought I had all this work lined up. It all fell through except for one client! That experience taught me nothing is for sure. Jobs/clients come and go, ideas change and the project itself can grow or become less. My workload is constantly changing and every week is different. I will be thinking that I am all caught up and within one day, I will receive multiple new projects. Art is subjective, my work can be unsuccessful simply because someone says so. This can be hard at times because something that I have poured myself into and become attached to can be completely thrown out. Creating something you are proud of and having the ability to separate yourself in order to accept constructive criticism is important, yet can be hard. Working from home with three littles is a challenge in itself. I want my kids to see me working hard at something I love but not allow it to interfere with my most important role as their mom. Finding the right balance is something I am constantly reevaluating. Having a schedule, designated work hours and works space has helped me juggle family life, my constantly changing workload and deadlines. I have also accepted that listening to the soundtracks of Curious George and Ninjago may just produce some of my best work. Another obstacle I face is creative block. I am constantly looking at art, architecture and interior design for inspiration. I am obsessed with time-lapse videos! I also work on personal projects to give myself an outlet when I am stuck on a client project.
We’d love to hear more about Courtney Kamm Design.
I always start on paper! My designs start as hand drawn or painted and are then rendered and completed on the computer. I want each client to have original artwork that is custom to their needs and style. I love both fine art and functional art and the ability to marry the two excites me. This is an area that I have really grown in the past two years and has really defined my style of stationery. I specialize in custom wedding/event stationery and this past year, I also designed my own line of semi-custom wedding stationery. The bulk of my work is event stationery but I do get a good mix of branding and advertisement as well. One of my favorite parts of being a freelance designer is the variety of projects I work on. I could be designing a wedding stationery suite, a logo, and magazine layout all at once.
Do you recommend any apps, books or podcasts that have been helpful to you?
Instagram is the main social media app that I use. I will post work on here as well as look at different trends such as products, patterns, materials, etc. And like I said, I like to watch time-lapse videos of drawings and paintings. I also use Google apps for business purposes.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.courtneykammdesign.com
- Email: courtney.kamm@gmail.com
- Instagram: @courtneykammdesign
Image Credit:
Courtney Kamm Design
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