The Early Years

You may be surprised, but by the age of 4, I was already learning graphic design on Microsoft Paint. My parents saw how interested I was and when I was about 7, I started using Microsoft Publisher to design brochures, website mockups, books, and more. When I was 8, I started learning Photoshop CS3, and by age 9, I built my first website on Wix! Throughout my teen years, I learned HTML and CSS to design my Tumblr, and that opened the world of designing and building websites in Adobe Dreamweaver and WordPress.

The College Years

I graduated from high school a year early, so at 17, I decided to attend Old Dominion University. During my sophomore year, I was hired to host workshops teaching students how to get scholarships. Once my boss, Passion, learned that I enjoyed graphic design, she hired me to create monthly newsletters. She always encouraged me to try new things and gave me the space to really explore my creativity. During my junior year, I took on another graphic design job for the housing department, where my boss, Danielle (yes - we're name twins!), taught me Adobe Illustrator and InDesign. I never thought I would use them more than Photoshop, but she opened my eyes to a whole new world. The day she taught me about glyphs was when I realized I had so much technical skill to learn, and she helped me a lot!

The Freelancing Years

As I was learning so many new skills, I started freelancing with local businesses I networked with through my university. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do yet, so I started with projects like slide decks, mini websites, social media graphics, etc. I was fed up with WordPress updates and security issues, so I switched back to Wix and soon after, I became a Wix Partner! I tested out different services with a range of clients, and that gave me proof of concept. Towards the end of my junior year, I was looking for a summer internship with several local marketing agencies. During one of my interviews, I was told that "if [my] portfolio was better" they would "maybe" offer me a 10th of what I was making as an hourly freelancer. Oh honey, I was shook! Instead of interning that summer, I decided to just keep freelancing and really build my personal brand in the 757.

The Transition

Let’s fast forward to the spring semester of my senior year. I was a full-time college student pursuing two degrees, two part-time jobs, a caregiver, and a freelancer. I had a family situation that made it difficult for me to go to work, so I decided to quit both jobs and two months later, the world shut down for the pandemic. Freelancing gave me the freedom to work odd hours while still paying the bills, and all of my classes were virtual. In October 2020, I decided to transition into an agency model with the goal of consolidating our service stack to focus on providing more value in each package while leveraging individual talents and interests. The following month, I graduated from ODU with a B.S.B.A in Business Management and B.S. in Lifespan Communications, which meant I was no longer in school and fully ready to launch my career!

The Agency Years

Since launching House of MKTG, 100% of our business has come through referrals or Instagram, which I think is a testament for the level of quality and care our clients receive through our partnership. We are a small (but mighty) team of strategists, designers, and developers, and we continue to serve clients all over the United States! With the blessing of being able to create my own business, it’s also my responsibility to continuously adapt and work towards building a business that not only supports our professional and financial goals but also supports us in leading fulfilling lives!