- Sep 3
Artist’s Notes | August
Well, hello!
If you're new here – this is Artist's Notes, a rubric I do roughly once a quarter where I share what's been going on behind the scenes, in the studio, and in life in general. It's been a minute since the last one, so there's a lot to get through – let's dive in!
Noticed a map on a walk, and it turned into a lead
A few weeks ago I was out for a walk with my family along the RiverWalk downtown, and stopped to look at one of the wayfinding boards – just a plain location map, nothing illustrated or custom. And I stood there thinking, hmm, this is such a good opportunity for something more custom and intentional, and I got curious about who's actually behind these.
Turned out it was CMLC – Calgary Municipal Land Corporation, the city-owned organization behind a lot of downtown development and placemaking.
So I did what I usually tell other creatives to do and rarely see anyone actually follow through on – I reached out. Found the right contact, sent a note about noticing their work and being curious about what they had going on, with no expectations attached.
And she replied! Not just replied – she was warm about it, complimentary about my portfolio, and looped in her director of marketing too. We've got a call on the books soon.
Nothing's confirmed yet, and I'm not going to pretend I know exactly where this leads. But this is exactly why cold outreach works better than people think – you don't need a perfect pitch or a massive network. You need to actually notice things, be curious enough to ask, and follow through instead of just thinking "that would be cool" and moving on with your day.
A new business partner?
For a while now, the studio side of things has been quieter than usual... A few projects kept moving, but the bigger picture of where Deeply goes next was on hold while I figured out what I actually needed.
I realized what I actually wanted was a partner who'd be just as passionate about the studio's growth and potential as I am – and I'm excited to share that I found someone. Can't get into details yet since we're still figuring things out together, but I'll say this much – if you've seen "Meet the Fockers", you know exactly the kind of "circle of trust" energy I'm looking for here, haha. We'll see how it goes!
And speaking of circle of trust – also building out a small reliable group of freelancers I can call on for client projects through the studio. Specifically looking for web designers and brand designers right now (everything else is covered). If that's you, send me your hourly rate, location, and availability!
The biggest contract of my life
Can't share the details buuuut what I can say is that this is the largest contract I've signed, in many ways.
It's proof that brand illustration still matters, that companies are still willing to invest seriously in getting their visual identity right, and that there's real room to grow in this industry instead of just protecting what you already have.
A lot of that comes down to portfolio, obviously – but just as much comes down to how you position yourself, how clearly you communicate what you actually do and who it's for. That's a big part of what I dig into in my Portfolio That Books Clients guide, if that's something you've been meaning to work on.
A big collaborative project through the studio
Been working on something big through Deeply, in collaboration with another designer – lots of moving pieces, lots of hours, and honestly one of those projects where you look back at the process and go, wooow, we actually pulled this off!!
Can't get into full details yet since there's an official campaign release coming, but here's a sneak peek of some of what's been in the works!
A whole quarter buried in digital products
This quarter went all in on digital products – new brushes, a course, several guides, the whole direction of building things people can use. Barely came up for air!
The goal the entire time was the same: making things accessible and compact enough that they're not overwhelming, but still substantial enough that someone actually works through them and gets a real result.
What made a lot of this possible is having sat on both sides of the table – as a freelancer, and as a client hiring freelancers through the studio. That combination shaped almost everything made this quarter, because it's clear what's missing from most templates and guides out there, having felt both sides of that gap.
What else is going on
My husband and I are taking a short trip to Victoria, BC in September – just a few days to get away and change scenery. Haven't flown anywhere in almost two years, so this one's very overdue!
Obsessed with Calendly's new branding – if you haven't seen it, take a look here. So, so good.
Slowly reading Rework by Jason Fried and DHH, whenever the baby and work leave a gap. It's one of the books recommended inside the Good Work Isn't Enough сourse too – essential if you think of your freelance work as an actual business, because it is one.
The workspace refresh mentioned before is still in progress. Pinterest board is full, execution is coming... eventually.
My daughter just had her first birthday last week – which also means it's been a full year of me being a mom while working full-on the entire time. A whole year, wow!
Was invited to my first podcast ever for Creative Insider, that is part of TDK Community! Was lovely to share my experience, but a little nerve-wracking too, not gonna lie!
I hope you're having a wonderful day 😉
Thank you for reading,
