I’m a Magazine Designer

It’s really pretty crazy to admit. Especially when people ask what I do in conversation, it feels almost surreal to say it out loud. I’m a magazine designer.

I know that in this day and age, being a professional designer is not all that unique, but to me it still seems pretty amazing.

A little bit about my background may give you some insight as to why I’m amazed at this semi-typical idea. I grew up in a smallish town in Oklahoma and lived there my whole life, even staying there for college. I went to a small school, so I’ve only had actual art classes for maybe 2-3 years through all of middle and high school. I majored in history with a minor in political science, and was totally envious of everyone in design classes or going to art school, but I’d always been warned that those weren’t “real careers”. We’ve all heard the concept of the ‘starving artist’ right? I didn’t want to be one.So, I worked for a law office during my last year of school, and was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my “real career” degree, which still didn’t seem to be express ticket to the work force.

My dad became ill during my senior year, and it kind of turned my world upside-down. Instead of considering law school or pursuing a teaching certificate (or any other option I could think of), suddenly my only priority was just to graduate college. My dad was on his own, and I was the only one to help him, so that became priority number one. College, two jobs, and planning a wedding had to get squeezed in during free time.

I successfully graduated on time, was married two weeks later, and my dad passed away almost exactly a month after that. Suddenly I found myself with a whoooole lot of time on my hands. I went to work at an insurance brokerage, and weaseled my way into the accounting department.

Yep, accounting. Have you see that word yet, anywhere in that story up there?
Nope. Me neither.
But there I was, accounting.

Then we moved to Illinois. My husband was called to be a worship pastor, and we’d been searching and praying for the right place to land. After visiting some friends in Illinois and seeing their church, we felt God pushing us to go on an adventure! So we packed up and moved to Illinois without any real job or house plans!

I’d found part-time work as a para-educator for the school system, thanks to a recommendation from my awesome friend who works as a teacher here. We actually ended up working in the same classroom, which was an absolute blast! Those same friends let us stay with them while we looked for a house, and a couple weeks later, we both had incomes and a roof over our heads!

About a year later, my husband and I both found ourselves working full time for the church! And there I was again, in the accounting department. I know. Wha . . ? Same. But thank goodness, because the ending’s good.

Long story short (-ish, but mostly still long), after volunteering myself to help out in different areas, I found myself working in the media department. It was awesome. I’ve learned some web stuff, some graphic stuff, some social stuff, some video stuff – mostly just enough in lots of areas to be dangerous. But I just love it!

I’ve loved being creative since I was a little girl – construction paper was #1 on my wish list always. So having the opportunity to be creative not only for a purpose, but for the purpose is an absolute dream come true!

I can make literally anything out of construction paper. #hiddentalents

Skip ahead a couple of years. Our senior pastor was given the opportunity to become the publisher for Christian Standard Media – a publishing company that owns Christian Standard and The Lookout. (You’ll hear a lot more about them later.) He in turn, gave me the opportunity to become the designer for both magazines. I had also just had our baby girl, so the opportunity to work from home, literally, could not have come at a better time! Let me just tell you – zero hesitation. So this is what I do now!

I have one other person on my team – my magazine partner-in-crime – and together we tackle all things visual for both magazines. The obvious print magazines themselves, social media, website branding, apparel, photography, you name it. It’s so much fun, I really can’t even do it justice. I’m learning as I go, but I can’t imagine anything more exciting!

Interested in checking out the magazines? Visit christianstandard.com and lookoutmag.com and follow us on instagram, @christianstandardmagazine and @lookoutmagazine!

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