I hope this letter finds you well. It’s hard to believe it’s been almost three months since I last sat down to write. I am often hard on myself for not keeping up a consistent routine of posting, but I also want to take my time to reflect upon moments or seasons of life as a designer. One thing that I am incredibly proud and excited to share is that I attended TypeCon this month.

It was the first time I’ve ever gone to a conference like this. I felt lucky that it just so happened to be local to Portland, and that the company I’ve been working for chipped in for me to attend. For those unfamiliar with TypeCon, it’s a three day conference dedicated to type lovers, designers, and educators to nerd out about typography in all kinds of ways. Talk about a graphic designer’s dream.

I really appreciated the thoughtful curation of talks, and not having to pick and choose between which ones to attend. It was one set linear schedule, and you’re just along for the ride. I really didn’t know what to expect going into it, except that I was hoping for some inspiration, to learn something new, and to meet new people. 

I was definitely nervous to attend. There wasn’t anyone I knew personally who would be going. I would be solo-leveling this ride, and figuring it out as I go. My social anxiety kept telling me that it would be awkward or difficult to interact with my fellow creatives. I kept wondering if it would feel welcoming or not. Once I was actually at the venue the first day, my anxieties subsided. Each new person I talked to was open, friendly, and honest. Once the coffee was served, we piled in to the conference hall. It started off with at talk about values and ethics in design, which I thought was quite fitting.

Overall, there was a strong theme of returning. Returning to traditional methods of craft and creation. Referencing cultures and preserving them. Using physical forms to make new ideas rather than rehashing the same old sans serifs. I found it interesting to see how this movement towards analog, craft, and things made with the human hand, extends to every niche, including typography. There was one particular quote that resonated with me from Nina Stoessinger’s talk: no typeface is neutral.

I feel that as designers we are often taught one “right” way of designing, one linear path of design history, and often one way to create: quickly. Rarely do we have the time to research as much as we would like (when was the last time I looked into the history behind a particular typeface?), or to play around with new mediums, or dream up a new dream. These are things that are necessary for artistic expression and progress, and yet forgotten as part of the modern design practice.

I’m still pinching myself that I got to experience this, and I can only hope it’s the first of many more to come. It really filled my cup, and gave me so many ideas of things I would like to make. Artists always live at intersections of interests, and the best work comes from combining these different elements to make something new. That’s why I love mixed media so much. I want to keep finding ways to bring different mediums into my design practice. 

It’s all about finding the right project, the right time, and the right balance to create something truly unique and meaningful. Sometimes it’s luck, sometimes you have to be the one to initiate that process, and sometimes it’s through passion projects. Sometimes we just have to make the damn thing.

Thanks for reading and reflecting,

Allyssa

I hope this letter finds you well. As you may know, over the past few months, I’ve been very focused on making things in the physical world. From joining a junk journaling group, to using my sketchbook again, to turning my poster designs into painted traditional media pieces.

I love making things, and somewhere along the way, that turned into making things that only exist for the internet. For a digital campaign, for social media, or even brands that are primarily online. It makes logical sense to put time and resources towards an area that makes the most money, that has the most possibility, and reaches the most people (sometimes).

Recently, as I’ve mentioned in my series, I’ve realized that I really missed having a physical result to my work. Having something you can hold, you can see and feel the texture of the brush strokes in, and something that is tangible. Everything I make comes from a sketch initially, so why not embrace the fact that I have the background and ability to paint and draw my art?

That was the whole idea behind switching my prints from print-on-demand to locally riso-printed pieces. It was to retain the artistic integrity and quality of my prints. To create things that have high standards, and support other local businesses in the process. It’s definitely not the easy way; it takes a lot more time and resources to produce them this way. But to me it’s worth it.

That’s why I decided to take it a step further. Now I’m taking the hand-painted versions of my work, and using those scans to create the new prints. It all goes back to making things that feel distinctly human, and distinctly me. I’ve always longed for more integration of my illustrative background with my digital identity, and now it feels like it’s one more step closer to that. One step closer to the mixed-media girlie I’ve always been.

All of this leads me to announce that I have a new print store. New sizes, new products, and a new design. The Bark Back piece is the first painted version that I’ve added to my collection of prints, and there’s a limited edition of 20 for this first run.

If you’d like to snag one, or any of the other new products, the link is here. I also have a promo code (REFLECTIONS) for 20% off, just for the subscribers of this letter. I’ve implemented a new payment system, which takes even more payment options, and even has a pay later option.

Your support would mean the world to me, and would allow me to keep making pieces like these in the future. To keep painting, and making, and dreaming.

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Thanks for reading and reflecting with me,

Allyssa

I hope you are safe and finding comfort in this newest season of life. It’s been a while. I have been busy juggling my many interests and jobs, alongside figuring out a new medication, taking a much needed break, and trying to find joy and meaning outside of my “work” and live more offline. Due to all of these things, this newsletter has fallen down to the bottom of the priority list and eventually slipped my mind altogether for quite a few months. But I sincerely miss this format, and miss not being reliant on the social media algorithms, and wanted to come back with a light topic of some design I saw while I was in Japan.

Most of what I noticed and took pictures of was the wayfinding signage. The signs at the train stations, especially. I was impressed with the intricacies of not only the public transport system of the trains themselves, but the graphic system behind them. There were some sublime examples of color-coding, and a sense of clarity that I think every niche of design could learn a thing or two from. While I was in Kyoto, I also noticed these super cool symbols associated with certain areas of the trains that were giving cybersigilism realness.

Another category was advertising. I was overwhelmed by the amount of cool logos, colors, and variety. Even in the one photo I took at Shibuya Scramble, there is a mixture of the modern tech advertising that we’ve all seen a thousand times and the calligraphic Japanese lettering. There was so much whimsy in this one cafe brand with its kitchy logo mascot.

Lastly, there were some vintage and historical pieces. We went to the Museum of Housing and Culture on one of the days, and came across some old techniques

I really enjoyed all of the illustrations, the mixture of typography, and systematic thinking. Even in the most crowded of places, each piece felt like it had a distinctive quality. It also got me thinking that fonts and design are a universal language. Even if you can’t read Japanese (or any other language), you can get the general vibe of a place based on the logo and the qualities of the typography.

*****

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Thanks for reading and reflecting,

Allyssa

I hope the end of the year is treating you well, and that you are able to spend time resting and reflecting. It’s been a hell of a year, my birthday just came and went, and I wanted to keep the tradition alive of writing this list of lessons I’ve learned.

Take what resonates with you and leave what doesn’t.

1. You can change your mind at anytime

2. Making art is resistance, and so is looking at art made by human hands

3. Movement helps the mind, any kind!

4. Everything is temporary

5. Trying something new is always worth it, you will learn something

6. A sweet treat won’t ruin your life

7. You don’t need to buy that new trendy thing. Surround yourself with beautiful items that will last and will be used instead

8. Sing! Dance!

9. The same amount of bad happens with the same amount of good

10. Some traditions are trash, and some are worth keeping. You get to decide which!!

11. Haters will hate and lovers will love, and you will encounter both often

12. Do what you love but don’t let it consume you

13. Keep things just for yourself; a hobby, a friend group, coworkers

14. Stop overthinking but don’t stop thinking completely

15. Take time off, time away, and time to rest

16. Believe that everything works out in your favor

17. Take the train! Or a bus! Or a boat!

18. We need to be with people, as often as possible

19. Hope is stronger than hate, hate is just louder

20. Design for fun, for your friends, for your family, and for yourself

21. Nature is everything, and we are nature

22. Inspiration is everywhere, you just have to look

23. Magic is real

24. We made everything up, it’s okay to break the “rules”

25. It’s okay to not know

26. But do know your worth

27. 27 feels the exact same as 26

Thanks for reading and reflecting this year. I hope you have a happy holiday season!

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With love,

Allyssa

I hope this letter finds you well. I have been dealing with lots of life things lately, trying to be more offline and present, and haven’t made as much time for writing and reflecting. Over the past month I’ve been settling into my new job, traveling to see family, and trying to get the remainder of the year planned out.

I recently went on a big trip to my home-state of Maine to celebrate my stepdads 50th birthday, and see lots of family and family friends that I haven’t in years. It was a really nice time, and going back always reminds me of how far I’ve come. From a small town of 3,000 people to a big(ger) city 3,000 miles away seems like something that would have been impossible only a few years ago. Even during lots of change or trying times, it’s a good reminder that I followed my heart despite the odds. That I have a job in the field I went to college for, as a creative, is a feat in itself. It fills me with gratitude.

It’s also a reminder of how much I love my routine. Some days, it can feel so mundane to work from home and do mostly the same thing every day. But as soon as I go away, I remember why I did those things in the first place. All of the little things from how I make my coffee every day, to watering our herbs, to playing with our cat Doja, to going on mid day walks, to my routine at the gym, all contribute to my mental health and overall wellbeing and make me feel like myself. I used to call Maine my home even after I left for quite a few years. Now I feel homesick for the home I’ve created.

On another note, I’ve been staying offline for the past month. I deleted all social media apps from my phone on a random Wednesday, told myself I would try it for a week, and haven’t gone back yet. I realized that I was wasting so much time scrolling, without it really bringing me joy or meaning. I think I still need more time to find what the right balance will be for me. I’m not sure if I’ll ever fully go back.

While I’m grateful for the connection and support that social media has provided, it’s very rare that I actually feel that connection. With the ever-changing algorithms, half of the time I don’t even get shown my friends’ work, and they don’t see mine. I don’t like the feeling of the never-ending grind to post just to post so your work gets seen, and Meta makes all of the profit off of it. Plus with the influx of AI into everything, that adds another sour taste in my mouth.

Instead of scrolling, I’ve been getting back into physical media. In between meetings or after work, I try to fill that time with drawing, painting, and most recently oil pastels. It’s so satisfying to make art just for the sake of it. No intention, no end goal of creating just to post it online, just unfiltered artistic expression. Here’s a few recent pieces I’ve added to my sketchbook.

Something I’ve always considered is how to incorporate my love for the physical touch of art into the digital world of graphic design. At one point it was digital illustration, then at another it was mixed media and scanned objects, and at another it was experimenting with riso printing. I think this phase will unlock something new for me in that way. Who knows what that will be, maybe some of these pieces will end up in posters in the future. But for now, I’m enjoying them just as they are.

It seems like the overall theme of this year has been re-connection. Reconnecting with family, reconnecting with old friends, reconnecting with physical media, reconnecting with exercise, the inner child, etc, etc. I hope that you feel the same and are able to connect with some new or old part of you.

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Thanks as always for reflecting and reading.

Allyssa

I hope that this letter finds you safe and supported. Times keep getting more and more unprecedented, and because of this, I wanted to take the time to remind you (and me) that you can change your mind. At any point, about anything, period.

For me, a big challenge recently has been stability. With the nature of an unpredictable economy, and the AI-takeover, freelancing as a creative can sometimes leave you without any opportunities for a while. Even long-standing contracts can unexpectedly get a change in workflow or budgets, leaving everyone involved in a vulnerable situation.

That being said, in the past few months I’ve been exploring the possibility of returning to a full-time position. I was told by one of my biggest contracts in March that the uncertain future might impact my workload, which propelled me to look around. Since then, my partner has lost their job, and another one of my clients decided to part ways.

Despite (or in spite) all of this, and as luck would have it, I landed a full-time position and started this past week.

I feel eternally grateful and lucky to have landed something in such a tough job market, and still have some freelance work on the side that remains manageable. Besides that, the company is a carbon-neutral business, cares deeply about building a better future, and genuinely seems like a rare gem in today’s world.

Maybe I just have rose-colored glasses, but that’s the great thing about life. Even if I do, I’m allowed to feel it out. I’m allowed to try out different things, different experiences, and see what sticks. Most of all, I’m allowed to change my mind, and so are you.

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• Cool Festival Graphics by fdnnlly

• Cool Sticker Sheet by renographics

• Cool Sticker Design by wildkatstudio

• Cool Poster Graphic Tee Fundraiser by itschinwosu

• Cool Type Visualizer by jamesjunk.co

Thanks for reflecting,

Allyssa

I hope that this letter finds you well and enjoying the beginning of summer. I’ve been struggling to keep up with everything over the past month, and this letter tends to fall towards the bottom of that list. Between my contract work, client work, gallery shows, and finding time for hobbies, socialization, and fun, time starts to blur. But even during the busiest times, I’m constantly reminded how important it is to step away and disconnect.

This past weekend, I went camping with a small group of friends, and it was simply the best time. I didn’t have cell phone service or internet connection for the entirety of the weekend – something I’m not used to. I didn’t have the bombardment of news, notifications, or work to compare myself to. I actually didn’t pressure myself to make anything at all for once.

It’s so easy to forget how to just be. We are all always under so much pressure, from society, from our friends or family, from our jobs, from ourselves. I’m still learning to let some of that go. Your job, or the fact that you’re an artist, designer, or creative–whatever you call yourself–doesn’t make up your entire personality. Or at least, it doesn’t have to. Of course, it’s a big part, but you’re also allowed to have time where you’re not constantly creating.

It was really refreshing to discover that nothing crazy will ever happen from taking a break. It also made me feel like we collectively don’t spend nearly enough time outdoors. Especially if you work inside, at a computer, all day. This is your sign to get outside and disconnect. To do something that doesn’t have anything to do with your career or social media or anything else that has a metric to judge by.

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• Cool Type Design by mchlaskew

• Cool Poster Design bymatthewmiller

• Cool Billboard Design by cool_lookin_bug

• Cool ‘A’ Animation by stanplow

• Cool Riso Print by starkeepstudio

• Cool Poster Design by alessandro_comotti

• Cool Poster Design (& series) by Stephanie Specht

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Much love,

Allyssa

I hope that this letter finds you well and that you’ve felt the sun on your skin recently. The past month has been one of the busiest ones yet, and although this level of workload has its ebbs and flows, it’s during these busy times that I noticed a few things. Particularly about what being ‘busy’ or even ‘successful’ as a designer can mean.

Ok, so you know how like, a bunch of companies are getting boycotted right now? Whether it’s about DEI efforts getting rolled back, or where their funding comes from, or any other reason, boycotting works when done long enough. But I can’t be the only one who’s noticed some of these companies doubling down and operating as “business as usual”. How peculiar it is to see these very same businesses and companies increase their advertising budgets while this is all happening.

I personally have seen more Target and Starbucks ads over the past month than maybe ever, which could be a coincidence, but I find this really interesting from a design perspective.

Designers and creatives are often caught in the middle of these situations. I mean, someone has to be making these ads, (unless they’re AI which is a topic for another day) and often creatives are at the whim of their clients, no matter how big, small, “good” or “bad” they are.

This results in people that are caught between a rock and a hard place, often told to be grateful to have work at all in an increasingly competitive job market. While design as a profession has become both more accessible and more recognized, allowing designers to voice their opinions in spaces that were not as available before, there’s still seemingly a large gap of what’s considered.

That gap, I believe, comes from this “business as usual” ideology. Designers, creatives, and marketing people at-large who have a metric to achieve; a means to an end. Many creatives, even outside of design have had to adopt to this as well, from being overworked and underpaid to just trying to get by, there’s little room for questioning.

So what’s the role of the designer here? Is there a morality to design? Is the notoriety that we attribute to “big clients” a valid idea? Is the busy nature of ‘just get it done as fast as possible and don’t ask too many questions’ a symptom of this entire thing? Is the busy-ness just a distraction? Is design sometimes just a job and that’s all?

Is it a privilege to consider this in the first place? Most definitely.

I don’t have the answer, although I do think that there’s room for improvement. Creatives probably care too much about their jobs, regardless of the deeper moral questions. Meanwhile, we all need to get paid at the end of the day. Is there a middle ground?

Let me know what you think in the comments.

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• Cool Stamp Designs by jacob.hutch

• Cool Vinyl Packaging by brianraudenbush

• Cool Merch Concepts by bymatthewmiller

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• Cool House Plant by somethingsavage

Thanks for reflecting,

Allyssa

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I hope this letter finds you well, and that the signs of spring are taking bloom and finding their way into the small moments of joy. Despite the horrors of seemingly everything right now, I’ve been trying to share my own joy too–and celebrate whenever possible. One of which I didn’t even realize until a week later, was the one-year anniversary of going freelance full-time.

A little over a year ago, I was still working in Corporate America Advertising™ and felt my soul being separated from my body every single day. In hindsight, it’s really not that deep. But in the moment, I felt overworked for projects and brands and end results that I didn’t even care about. I am still grateful for that experience, the people I worked with, and the immense scale I was able to work at. But a year-younger-me felt the need to find some meaning outside of just feeding the capitalist machine over campaigns that didn’t really do anything.

Fast forward to now, with a year of freelance work under my metaphorical belt. I’ve experienced truthfully some of the highest highs and the lowest lows of my adult life within this past year. I worked with over 14 different clients and friends within this past year. I met some amazing people from all different backgrounds. I secured a couple of long-term contracts and working relationships. I joined the Portland AIGA Board as Director of Design for Good, which has opened my heart and mind to local creatives more than ever. I redesigned my website again, rediscovered my sketchbook, and reframed a lot of my thinking.

This all did not come without its challenges. I experienced months of extreme drought, where I did not have any clients, any income, or any certainty on what would come next. I never wanted to feel that dread ever again, which led to a period of overworking and burnout. Navigating business operations like contracts, pricing, managing client expectations and feedback loops, and taxes is no small feat on your own. I’ve felt doubt more times than I can count, and have wondered if I made the right decision. I’ve struggled the most with separating work from life (especially in the past month).

Despite all of this, I’m still here, doing the damn thing. I’m starting to prioritize bigger and longer projects and opportunities. It really wouldn’t be possible without all of the amazing humans I’ve met, who have connected with my work or my story or some intangible thing or even worked with along the way. I have a lot of empathy and get attached, which is why it’s important to set boundaries and be flexible. I can wholeheartedly say I wouldn’t still be doing this if it wasn’t for the people.

For my fellow freelancers, I see you. For my fellow creatives who are thinking about going freelance, I see you. For my fellow people who are just along for the journey, I see you. Leave a comment about your freelance experience, or if you have a question about mine, let me know.

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• Cool Book Art by book_master_official

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Thanks for being here,

Allyssa

I hope you are well and getting through the start of the year. The past month has been slower with client work, so I’ve been focused more on personal projects, which often involve some kind of content creation. From my recent long-form video to writing this newsletter, to working on static one-off designs, I thought it would be a good time to talk about how I see content changing, both for myself and the communities I surround myself with.

I have been struggling with the idea of short-form content recently, as platforms that I used to enjoy seem to morph into completely different entities. As someone who has grown most of my following on Instagram, and has seen the policy and algorithm changes firsthand, I have to continuously ask myself if it’s worth it.

Not to mention the fact that long-form video creation and writing this letter flex completely different creative muscles. Writing always feels like home to me, but filming and editing feel so difficult that I procrastinate creating videos for months. Part of me wonders if this is a good-uncomfortable-that-makes-you-grow-and-learn or if it’s a this-just-isn’t-for-you-uncomfortable.

I have a real fear that there’s no keeping up with it at this point. As someone who makes a living primarily from client work or contracts, or even a full-time job previously, I simply don’t have as much time or even motivation to stay on top of trends to make something that I feel is high-quality enough within the short period that it is “trending”. Even the shorter form videos that I have already filmed don’t seem to quite “fit”.

I know a lot of creators say to just make what you like to make, but what if you make something and don’t like it? Should you still post it? Or perhaps you don’t quite know what you want to make, what feels distinct enough, true to yourself/your interests, and would still resonate with other people. Even the static designs that I’ve made recently and have liked, don’t get much reach online lately.

Beyond all of this, I see a real push for physical media and quite literally getting off of the phone. From people ironically going viral for trying “dumb phones,” to the rise of collage and physical printing, to collecting physical media like DVDs or CDs or even VHS tapes. These days it feels like anytime I pick up my device, I am bombarded with an overwhelming amount of information from the dumpster fire that is the current geo-political state. At the risk of sounding like a boomer, I am actively trying to replace pick-up moments with things like reading, writing, calling, researching, scheming, and drawing.

I’m curious if this is just a momentary trend in itself of being chronically online while trying to get offline and build community IRL, or if this is something that will be more of a lasting change. I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

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• Cool Heart Art and Words by katie_benn_

• Cool Art Poster by oliviaherrickdesign

• Cool Painting by chelseacorrineart

• Cool Typographic Posters by tomorrowtype.today

• Cool Poster Design by safkan.tehlike

Thanks for reading,

Allyssa

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I hope you have had a safe and welcoming start to the new year. It’s been a slow start over here at DBA Studio, which I’m actually quite grateful for. I remember in years past when I had to go back to work at full-throttle and would get burnt out so quickly. Now I get to take my time getting back into a typical routine, reflecting on the previous year, and planning the year ahead.

Every year comes with dramatically different wins and losses, and that remained true for 2024. I continue to struggle with acknowledging my accomplishments, even as I write this. I think that’s partially because it feels like each accomplishment has an equalizer of a struggle.

I struggled with financial insecurity, and then I found 2 contract roles that helped with that. I struggled with creating my own artwork outside of client work, but then I released 7 new riso prints. I felt stir-crazy more than ever before, working from home most of the time, and mostly by myself. I traveled to 4 other states, one for the first time, and discovered a handful of coffee shops, and a library, that I love to work from. I worked on over 12 client projects over 9 months, some being a perfect fit, some being more of a struggle to complete. I had my first design residency, a new personal project, a new volunteer position, and too many new friends to count.

Everything feels like a push and pull, and there were plenty of things that pulled and pushed me in unexpected ways. I created a YouTube channel, only to post two videos. Our cat had a plethora of unexpected health issues, resulting in over a thousand dollars in veterinary bills. I realized that my computer doesn’t have nearly enough RAM, (story for another day) and will likely need to be replaced within the next couple of months despite buying it less than a year ago. I fell off posting consistently plenty of times, didn’t grow my online following as I thought I would, didn’t travel internationally, and definitely didn’t pay off my credit card debt.

It becomes harder and harder to quantify these things, especially in a constant state of unprecedented times. Even my hardest times from the past year don’t even scratch the surface, and can’t even really be compared, to the levels of injustice and disaster that happen more and more frequently.

Looking ahead into 2025, most of my goals revolve around course-correcting some of the things I missed in 2024. From posting consistently, making more than two YouTube videos, continuing to incorporate movement into my daily routine, and getting at least 15 client projects, to name a few. But most importantly, I want to spend more quality time with people. Building relationships, sharing, and community has always been the main goal.

Let me know what you’ll be getting up to in the new year in the comments below.

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• Cool Recycled Collage by austenzombres

• Cool Illustration by canseco.ltd

• Cool Design by kiracyan.design

• Cool Art by ricki_lee_scheef

• Cool A Typographic Animation by dtan.studio

Thanks for being here,

Allyssa

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I hope the end of the year is treating you well. In honor of my birthday and turning 26 this year, I wanted to keep the tradition alive and share my list of 26 lessons I’ve learned in 26 years.

1. Having a clean, organized, home / space really does matter

2. Stand your ground even if it’s uncomfortable

3. Find and then follow the inspiration, even if it comes at 11pm

4. There’s always more to learn

5. Time is best spent with other people

6. Time alone is important, too

7. Shots of Malort are never a good idea

8. Talking to strangers is community-building

9. Good coffee is always worth it

10. You’d be surprised by how much you can do, make, and figure out

11. Opportunity is everywhere

12. Things that you like are not arbitrary!! It is part of who you are!! (This can be anything from how you style your hair to the trinkets you collect)

13. Finding good people is the single best thing you can do in your career

14. Everything will change

15. Whatever you do, make it fun and easy for yourself (playing pickleball with friends is much more fun and easy exercise than sprinting on the treadmill)

16. Make things just for yourself

17. Ask for help when you need it; accept help when you need it

18. People are more loud about their successes than their failures, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any

19. Customize your character however you want!! Get that tattoo just because it brings your joy, dye or chop or grow your hair, wear whatever you want!!

20. Create new rituals and traditions for yourself

21. Every relationship is a two way street

22. Hindsight isn’t 20/20, perspectives just change

23. Updating your portfolio will always be an option

24. Social media isn’t everything

25. Everything in moderation, most of the time

26. 26 feels significantly older than 25

Thank you for being here and reflecting with me this year. I am eternally grateful to be building this space for reflection and design-related realness.

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See you next year,

Allyssa

I hope this letter finds you well. To say the past few weeks have been a rollercoaster would be an understatement. I’ve been putting off writing here, dwindling these editions to once a month to allow for much-needed space. Between the stress and heartbreak of the election, client work, traveling for my anniversary, and now already being in the thick of the Holiday Season, I find reprieve in the sparse moments of stillness.

I have the blessing and curse of a quintuple-event season. My partner and I’s anniversary lands a week before Thanksgiving, followed by Thanksgiving Day itself, followed by my birthday a week before Christmas, then Christmas itself, and my partner’s birthday at the end of January. Between all of these happenings, I continue to struggle to take the time off, rest, and enjoy the moment, without worrying about the next thing (or my place in the world).

Maybe it’s the natural stress of the holiday season, the pressure we put on ourselves to “end the year strong,” or the combination of trying to finish projects and reach certain goals as the year comes to a close. It’s all self-inflicted, really.

One of the biggest factors is that for me as a freelancer, the vacation time isn’t paid time off. So it’s harder to just relax without the typical inflow of income, which is why so many artists rely on their products to survive. For me, deciding to make only riso-based prints this year has been one of the best decisions and has brought me so much joy to just make.

As time has gone on and other projects have taken priority, I haven’t found the time to just make. I initially set a goal of one riso print a month, which was several months ago since I stuck to that. I had done a batch a few months back to try to get ahead, to “hard launch” them one by one, but I simply forgot. Sometimes life just happens and then it becomes December and you have a stockpile of prints that end up taking up space.

All of that being said, it sill means the world to me to be able to sell my personal artwork. To be able to share a piece of myself with you all, whether that be online, through this letter, or through the physical prints themselves.

If you have ever gotten something from my store, let this be a sincere thank-you. If you haven’t, I’ll be having a 30% off sale until the end of the year if there’s something that catches your eye. Every order is hand-packed and shipped by me, with surprise thank-you-goodies. If each of you just bought a postcard, that would make a huge difference.

I hope that you give yourself some grace this holiday season, and find the time and space to rest and reflect. In the next letter, I plan to talk more in depth about my year-end reflection.

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Thank you for being here,

Allyssa

I hope this letter finds you well and that the entry of the current season has been a time of reflection. The past couple of weeks have been very routine due to having a more consistent schedule and workload. Over the past month or so, I’ve found a path of contract roles that have created a sense of stability and consistency within the chaos of freelance life.

As I’ve mentioned in numerous letters of past reflection, freelancing has brought so many good things into my life. From creative freedom to work flexibility, to making my own schedule, and starting to choose what I want to work on. The biggest downside is that sometimes there are slower periods and uncertainty about what comes next. People deal with this in a myriad of ways, and I have experienced immense anxiety during these periods. This is how I came to discover the power of the contract role.

What is a Contract Role?

A contract role can vary widely, but typically it’s a role that you, an independent creative, can take on with a company at a pre-determined rate, timeframe, and hourly commitment. Some contracts are full-time 40 hours, and some are only 20, or any range between. Every company is different, but I’ve been lucky to work with people who value flexibility and have allowed me to set my own rates and payment schedule.

Finding the perfect fit for a contract role as a freelancer is no easy feat, but doing so can relieve some of the pressure and anxiety behind finding new clients. Lots of these can come from mutual connections, staffing agencies, or even job postings on LinkedIn. There’s often an application or interview process, where both parties can gauge if it’s the right fit. Plus, you get to meet and collaborate with other creatives you might not have met otherwise, an area that I have felt lacking from working for yourself.

Balancing Contracts with Clients

Everything comes back to “balance” but it’s really about knowing when you’re taking on too much. Having freelance contracts, or even retainers, can give some stability and routine back, but it will also take some time away from other endeavors. The side projects might fall behind, and you might have to be more selective with what you take on. Not to mention the corporate politics that exist in every company that takes navigating, accounting for financial considerations like taxes, and all of the other details that are part of the baggage.

For me, it has helped immensely, and I honestly don’t know if I would continue freelancing if there wasn’t some aspect of a stable contract, retainer, or recurring client. I have flown too close to the sun and there have been months where I was concerned about my finances, and therefore my life choices in general. But contracts are a great addition to the freelance toolkit that offers both freedom and security. As Hannah Montana said, it’s the best of both worlds.

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Thank you for reading and reflecting,

Allyssa

I hope this letter finds you well, and that the end of the current season has been a time of reflection. It definitely has been for me, as I just passed the 6-month mark of being a full-time freelancer. From transitioning to self-employment from a corporate agency job to finding clients, building community, and more, this milestone feels like a big one.

When I started on this journey of self-employment, I had no idea what was going to happen. Now, looking back, I feel so proud and grateful to be where I am. I have a handful of successful client projects (that I can’t wait to share), I started creating for myself again, secured ongoing contracts, and gotten more involved with my local creative community.

I’ve learned and honed hard and soft skills that have been on the back burner of my mind for years- from animating in AfterEffects to editing in Premiere and communicating brand strategy to clients. Most of all, I’ve loved the wide variety of mediums I work with, from sketching logos to using my scanner to create cool effects for merch, these crafted projects have been some of my favorites.

With these milestones, always come the challenges behind them. I struggled with the uncertainty of freelance life, and still do. Some projects didn’t go to plan, where the deliverables didn’t live up to what they expected, or there were unexpected delays or creeping scopes. Finding the right balance, in any circumstance, can be extremely difficult, and I’m still learning how to manage my workload and make sure I’m not taking on too much. 

Despite all of this, both the wins and the challenges have truly changed me as a person in the best way. My creativity has become a practice, rather than an output. I work on the weekends often, but I’m rarely stressed about the work that I’m doing. I’ve had too many coffee chats and co-working sessions to count, which has meant the world to me. I feel incredibly lucky to be surrounded and embraced by the creative community and to try to give that back as well. 

I truly hope that the next 6 months feel as invigorating as these past 6 months have. My goal is to reach another handful of impact and community-centered clients, create more stability with contracts, and keep experimenting. This has been no easy feat, but it has been so worth it. Whether you’re a fellow freelancer or an aspiring creative, I hope that you keep creating, and keep reflecting.

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Thank you for being here along this journey with me.

Allyssa

I hope this letter finds you well and that you’re finding space for rest and care. The past couple of weeks have been busier than ever over here at DBA Studio (I’m testing out the name). It’s during these moments that I am profoundly aware of the labor of love it is to run a business, to be creative, and to pursue anything at all.

The phrase “Labor of Love” usually means to do something simply because you love it, without any promise of something in return. This feels uniquely accurate to the duality of the joy and challenges that come with pursuing a passion and especially doing it on your own.

It’s Labor Day Weekend, which for many people means an extra day off and other rituals around gathering and celebration. Growing up it often involved camping or barbeques and enjoying the outdoors before the turning of seasons starts. For me this year, it means working both days in hopes of allowing myself Monday off. 

This is by no means a complaint. It has simply made me think more deeply about labor as a concept, and how love and labor are intrinsically linked. How labor encompasses not just the physical work, but the mental and emotional as well.

We’re taught to “work hard,” but to love what we do. To survive and provide. Working, hustling, and creating a career are often expected and are still sometimes not enough. Our value is based on our labor, and sometimes attachment to creative labor can feel like both a blessing and a curse.

Even during the busiest times, there’s still often a shadow of doubt looming in the metaphorical corner. Attributing busy with success is its own rabbit hole that I find myself in often, alongside the pressure to keep the momentum constantly going. As a business owner, you still have to do the finances, find new clients, and he administrative work while trying to find some balance between it all.

Certain things fall off of my radar. I’m unable to respond to inquiries or emails as quickly as I would like. Going that extra mile for my clients becomes more difficult. I sacrifice the time for personal passion projects and sometimes my well-being to keep up.

With all of these challenges, also comes immense fulfillment. The connections I’ve made along this journey, getting to work on some impactful projects, and honing my skill set. I can see how what I’m doing now will lead to future possibilities, and I’ve gotten such a sense of creative freedom over the past month.

Creative passions can be tumultuous and rewarding, but that’s what makes it fulfilling. The process itself is the path to success. Continuing to do something you love despite all odds is really a rare and magical thing, and continuing is what I plan to do.

I would love to hear from you about your experiences with the labor of love in your creative pursuits in the comments. 

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Thank you for reading and reflecting,
Allyssa

I hope you are all staying healthy, happy, and doing well. The past two weeks have picked up with workload significantly, which has made time go by even faster (as if that was possible). Due to this new workload, I’m working the weekend and trying to find equilibrium between work and play.

There’s a fine line between work and life when freelancing. For me, I’ve been lucky enough to maintain a consistent working schedule during the weekdays without too much interference. The personal projects that are my own doing are typically the only things I spend extra time working on over the weekend. Despite my efforts to separate my identity and life from just design, it always seems to spill over. 

It’s worth noting that I’m profoundly grateful for the spot I’m in right now. Steady, meaningful work is truly a rare gem that I’m trying to savor. Which is why working the weekend really doesn’t seem so bad in this moment. Getting to do this at all is an immense privilege, and I know that slower periods will come.

So right now I’m trying to just enjoy the work. Enjoy the creativity and expression in its various forms, and schedule my day accordingly.

I’ve gotten really into the “itinerary” TikToks recently, which mostly comprise of people telling you how to spend your day or your weekend. This has been so satisfying and inspiring for me. Instead of spending hours trying to decide what I’m going to do with my day, as it often goes, I get up and do the first thing on these made-up lists

It’s really just a starting point, and I end up improvising my way through the rest of the day. But having something to kickstart your day and get you moving and out of bed or the couch has been supremely helpful for me.

This brings me to the theme that has been the thread of my life recently, the routine. I was in a rut for a while with my routine, where I could only think of work or binging TV, but now I’m getting back into a groove of incorporating movement, mindfulness, and play into my everyday. It can sometimes feel like a constant effort to keep all of the moving parts, well, moving. 

Sometimes I wonder if I’m doing too much, trying to improve my routine while things are busier than normal, and continuing personal projects while there are a million other tasks to get done. Even with all of this being true, it has made life feel really full. 

I hope that you get to do something this week that makes your heart feel full.

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Thank you for reading,

Allyssa

I hope this letter truly finds you well. I’m continuously shocked by the passage of time, being that it’s already August and it feels like summer is slipping through my fingers. The past couple of weeks have been busy and slow all at the same time, busy networking and exploring new opportunities, but slow with certain work priorities. Amidst it all, I find joy in spontaneity.

My partner had this past week off from work for an annual Wellness Break. Even though we previously had no plans to do anything, we decided at the last minute to make the most of this and take a mini trip to Seattle.

It still feels surreal to me to just take my laptop and go to a new place. Especially because in theory, I could have done this even at my previous job. But I didn’t because of the amount of meetings and workload that would have made it more stressful than enjoyable.

Now I get to go to a new place and work on my schedule. Which is exactly what I did.

We have some friends in Seattle that we met up with for drinks and food throughout the three days that we were there, stayed at an old-charm hotel, and really just enjoyed exploring a new location. 

It’s so easy to fall into a routine that works, without ever considering an alternative. Sometimes without considering the need for a break. But once you do step outside of that norm, it feels so freeing. 

We get to make up the rules of our own lives. 

I would even argue that we are rewarded by making these healthy choices in one way or another. For me, it’s been a slower period work-wise, and as soon as I took this break and came back, it was like all of the opportunities came flowing in at once.

The metaphorical seeds I’ve been planting just needed some time to flourish. So we might as well enjoy the time while we have it.

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With love,

Allyssa

Due to the chaos of summer, it’s been almost a month since I’ve written. We’ve had friends visiting, a broken water pump, a camping trip, and lots of other life stuff that has prevented me from sitting down to write as I normally would. During all of this, I’ve come across some delays in my client projects, which has been the cherry on top of the chaos.

When I started freelancing, I told myself I would have a trial period of 3 months, and then evaluate how everything is going. It has been almost 4 months now, and I can say it’s been the most creatively rewarding experience, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel some pressure financially to keep up.

I know that everyone talks about the highs and lows, the ebbs and flows, of freelancing. Yet, it still feels so taboo to talk about the struggle when you do come across it. As a freelancer, and business owner, you want to be perceived as in-demand. There’s a fake-it-til-you-make-it attitude attached to it.

While this attitude has its merits, it’s an intricate balance. Not only that, but everyone is struggling right now. We live in a constant state of unprecedented times. Being able to survive as a creative person right now is nothing short of a miracle.

At the end of the day, we all have to do what we have to do. There’s no shame in that. You’re still a creative no matter how you pay the bills. Whether you have a part-time job to support your full-time passion, a full-time job to support your part-time passion, or anything in between. 

There are endless ways to make money in today’s world. For myself, I’ve taken other’s advice in diversifying my income, so it doesn’t all come from just client work. I’ve experimented with having my print store, offering different services, making YouTube videos and other personal projects during my free time, and later this month I’ll be attending my first in-person market, to name a few.

I know that these moments are only temporary, but as an anxious person, it can be hard not to constantly think about it. Maybe the anxiousness will pan out in the end, due to it pushing me to explore all of these possible avenues. It’s all a part of the journey, and that’s okay.

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Thank you for being here,

Allyssa

I hope you are doing well and staying cool. The past couple of weeks have been pretty work-centered and I haven’t spent as much time as I would like to doing other things. But one thing I was able to do this past weekend was go to the Laurelhurst Neighborhood Garage Sale

For those of you who don’t know, Portland does this thing every summer where each neighborhood organizes a huge garage sale. The Laurelhurst neighborhood had over 100 participating houses. So I decided to spend the day perusing the area, looking at old stuff. 

I came across old matchbooks, magazines, books, pokémon cards, jewelry, and a whole lot of random stuff. It was inspiring and stimulating to see so many different kinds of objects. These are things many of us don’t come across often, and I would argue that the popularity of thrifting can be attributed to this need to experience different stimuli, textures, and objects. It made me think about physical media. How many people no longer collect things? 

We spend so much time on our computers or our phones, and even books are conveniently compressed into e-readers. I’m not saying this is all necessarily a bad thing, it’s become a necessary part of our lives. Not to mention that having less stuff also is probably better in certain ways. Minimalism definitely has its place in the world but so does maximalism. 

I don’t think collecting things is completely gone. The rise of squishmallows and fidget toys proves otherwise, alongside the revitalization of vinyl and record players. Maybe it’s become something more niche, with choosing only one or two things to start collecting. Maybe it just takes time to create an intentional collection of ideas, inspiration, or objects that mean something. 

All I know is that physical inspiration is just as important as digital inspiration. Beyond just visual, physical inspiration is something you can literally touch, taste, or smell. I have a new desire to seek out physical inspiration and create my own collection of stuff with intention, rather than just trying to fill space with free or convenient things. 

I hope you find something that inspires you this week! Thank you for reading. 

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