In this episode of The Creative JuggleJoy Podcast, host Delores Naskrent shares an inspiring journey that began with a high school crush and evolved into a fulfilling career in commercial art and teaching.
The episode, titled "From High School Crush to Creative Career: An Unexpected Journey," dives into the serendipitous events that led Delores to discover her passion for art, navigate the challenges of freelancing, and eventually find her calling in teaching.
A Chance Encounter Sparks a Passion for Art
Delores begins by recounting how a chance encounter with a cute boy in high school led her to enrol in a commercial art class, where she met her mentor, Mr. Sandeman. This mentorship sparked her interest in commercial art, and she
gained valuable experience working in sign shops and the garment industry.
These early experiences laid the foundation for her creative career, allowing her to explore different facets of commercial art, from screen printing to designing point-of-sale displays.
Freelancing and Navigating Newlywed Life
As Delores navigated the highs and lows of freelancing, she also balanced her newlywed life, showcasing her resilience and determination to keep her creative dreams alive. Her journey took an unexpected turn when she was offered a teaching position at her old high school.
Despite initial doubts and a competitive selection process, Delores embraced the opportunity and found a new passion in teaching.
The Challenges of Teaching and Family Life
The episode highlights the challenges Delores faced while juggling her teaching responsibilities, family life, and the need to obtain her certification. She shares the transformative impact of teaching on her creative career, particularly as she introduced technology into the classroom.
The arrival of the Mac Plus computer, equipped with Adobe Illustrator and a printer, marked a significant milestone, enabling her to transition from traditional art methods to digital art.
Personal Struggles and Finding Stability Through Teaching
Delores's story also touches on personal struggles, including her turbulent home life and the eventual separation from her husband. Teaching became her anchor during these challenging times, providing a sense of normalcy and fulfillment. Her dedication to her students and the success of her commercial art program became a source of pride and joy.
Balancing Freelance Work and Embracing Art Licensing
The episode further explores how Delores balanced her teaching career with freelance work, taking on diverse projects to supplement her income. Her persistence and adaptability allowed her to thrive in the ever-evolving art industry.
The introduction of art licensing was a game changer, providing her with creative freedom and new opportunities to share her art with the world.
A Story of Resilience and Adaptability
Delores's journey is a testament to the power of resilience, adaptability, and the pursuit of creative passions. Her story is filled with valuable lessons and inspiration for artists and creators at any stage of their career.
The episode concludes with a message of encouragement, reminding listeners that every step in their journey matters and that it's never too late to chase their dreams.
Transcript:
Delores Naskrent: 0:04
Hello everyone and welcome to another exciting episode of Creative Juggle Joy, where we explore the art of building a thriving creative business while balancing all your other responsibilities. I'm your host for today, Delores Naskrent, and I'm excited to share my story with you. It's not really just about me. It's about the incredible journey that we can all take as artists, illustrators and creators. No matter where you are on your path, it's never too late to pursue your creative dreams. So grab a cozy spot I've got a cup of coffee here because it's a little chilly and a rainy day and, yeah, I hope you join me. For those of you who don't know me really well, I've been on this creative journey for quite some time now.
Delores Naskrent: 0:58
I started right out of high school Can you believe that? I was fresh-faced and eager to make my mark, and I had had an incredible mentor, mr Sandyman, who guided me through three formative years. I had never dreamed in a million years that I could make money with my art, but he nurtured my passion and helped me realize what I wanted to become, because I really had no idea. I literally ended up in his program because there was a really cute boy that I wanted to be in class with, and that's how I ended up in the commercial art room at Crocus Blaine School, casplain School. While I was in his program I had done some work experience and part of that work experience was in a wallpaper shop. I then also worked in a fabric store and those experiences really sparked my interest in commercial art. Mr Sandeman spoke of so many wonderful jobs that existed for commercial artists. I envisioned moving to the big city to really dive into that world, and so began my 10-year adventure.
Delores Naskrent: 2:16
I first started in a sign shop, getting the chance to explore screen printing. That was truly an eye-opening process. The next challenge I had was working in the garment industry. I worked in a big factory where we designed embroidery for winter shirts and hats. That was a really great place to gain a lot of experience. From that experience I eventually moved into display work and I worked in a display company where we would create gigantic decals and things for fleet markings, like all the milk trucks, for example, and we also did a lot of point of sale posters and the like for department stores. So we'd create all sorts of hanging banners and anything that you would call point of sale, so the kind of images you see when you're walking through a department store. We created any kind of display that was necessary, and not just for department stores. We worked for all sorts of different businesses, creating displays for them, for example, for when they were traveling to trade shows. And of course, I did whatever I could on the side as well. I took on every freelance project I could, so I did a lot of the work that I had done from the original jobs, the sign shop kind of jobs I took a lot of those as side projects. I did whatever I could to make some extra money.
Delores Naskrent: 4:06
I was newly married, and it wasn't at all what I expected. I'll eventually share more about that. Life had so many surprises for me, though, and just when I thought I was really settling into my career, an unexpected opportunity arose. I was offered a teaching position back at my old high school. I can't tell you how stunned I was. Mr Sandyman was retired, and I didn't feel nearly as qualified as I think there were another 30 candidates, some of them qualified teachers teachers already, but I decided I would take a chance, and, yes, I was invited to interview for the job. Now can you imagine this? Me in a canary yellow pantsuit, head to toe, not just like the shirt, the pants too, and I was meeting with a conference room full of guys in suits. No other woman was present. Can you imagine? I thought I had lost my chances right then and there. But I was eventually offered the job and I really committed to the role.
Delores Naskrent: 5:15
Believe me, there's tons of stories I can tell you all about that period in my life. I had to get my qualification, so my teacher certification, all the while juggling a toddler and a husband who was unemployed. We had moved back to my original city, so everything was different, really, really different, and you know what that job was the best thing that ever happened to me. I found out that teaching not only fulfilled a deep-seated passion within me, but it also brought back the joy that I had felt in that classroom as a student. So that was around 1987, and something miraculous happened at the time. You'll probably all remember this, but At that point, specifically that year, the technology revolution in graphic design was beginning.
Delores Naskrent: 6:20
My principal surprised me with my first computer, and it was a Mac Plus. It came equipped with Adobe Illustrator and a printer. There was a lot of learning to do, but I could I could hardly believe it. I was so excited because this was something I could never have personally afforded to purchase, let alone have access to. But gone were the days that I had spent marking up designs and ordering typography because you had to do that and go somewhere and pick it up and then you had to come home and paste it all up. I was taking my first steps into the digital art realms that would shape my career and I was hooked. I absolutely loved the technology.
Delores Naskrent: 7:13
Now, on a little side note, my educational journey wasn't the smoothest sailings because it took me five long years to complete my college and university studies studies. I had my second baby girl just after the first month of summer school and was back in the classroom by October. Yep, I had only had nine weeks to recover, if that's even possible. Those of you who've had babies you know what I'm talking about. Again, plenty of stories there. But the bottom line is, I persisted. I spent sleepless nights studying, sometimes up until the morning hours, and, in all honesty, those years felt like a blur. Yes, it took me the whole five years to become fully certified.
Delores Naskrent: 8:03
With time, my numbers grew and I was thrilled to create a really successful commercial art program, with technology being a huge draw for teenage students, as you can imagine. Eventually I was able to get an assistant who was a former classmate of mine and she also went through the process of becoming certified as a teacher. We quickly became the go-to educators in our community, teaching students about Adobe Illustrator and then Photoshop as well, and nurturing the passion for the digital arts. We were even teaching other teachers how to teach the software and that was the industry standard back then Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop and believe me, they have changed a lot since that time. Since that time we're talking, you know basic typesetting, bare bones, illustrating those programs have evolved tremendously in 40 years. So our program was very popular and it became the model of such programs in our province. Best of all, our students recall fun times in the classroom and best of all, our students and my teaching partner and I really recall some fun times in the classroom, really recall some fun times in the classroom. After all, we were all together for half days for a full three years. So we would have grade 9 and grade 10 students in the morning and then in the afternoon we'd have the grade 11 and 12 students. Everything that we taught was outcome based and the whole goal was that by the end of their four year or three year program they could be hired. They were 100% competent and getting them into the workforce with their certification was the chief goal.
Delores Naskrent: 10:14
But anyhow, in the background, my home life was very turbulent. My husband struggled with addiction and I was caught in a cycle of abuse. It was a tough and isolating time, so teaching really became my anchor. It was my daily dose of normalcy amid all the chaos of my home life. In the end I mean, believe me, it took years. He had to go and, thanks to the support of his family especially, they got him away from us and I was left to raise my daughters alone, which seemed like it should be really really tough. But honestly, we rejoiced. It was a wonderful time Peace at last and it was a challenging transition.
Delores Naskrent: 11:06
But you know what? This was the turning point in my career. I embraced everything. I was teaching. I dove into freelance work and I gradually found a way to supplement my income. I explored everything. I took work from everywhere. I did everything, from seed packets to magazine illustrations. I created sell sheets for local businesses, anything really. I even began teaching myself how to create patterns and design for products that I could sell at craft sales. And just then I got the biggest contract of my life. It was to illustrate an entire online anatomy and physiology course for the local college as they readied themselves to teach nursing online to the northern communities here. That was another huge advancement that technology was beginning to allow, and that was online education. All of this stuff just really perfectly has shaped the way my business has evolved From that point forward.
Delores Naskrent: 12:26
I was working two jobs full-time teaching and my side hustle, which was my own creative business. As a matter of fact, I can't even think of a time in my adulthood where I didn't have some sort of side hustle going on. You know, it wasn't until many years later that I stumbled into the world of art licensing, and let me tell you that was a game changer. There's a whole huge story there too, too, and I'll share that sometime. My first contract allowed me to create for the sheer love of it, free from client demands and creative restraints. It was truly a moment of liberation. Art licensing validated my work and ignited a fire within me that I thought had gone out. I was so excited to be able to share my art, my creative pursuits, with the world, and, you know, from that point forward, that's when I really started to dream. I've created and sold my own products, my work wholesale. I began teaching online, I licensed my art creations and I explored lots of different ways to build the diverse income streams that I enjoy today. I know I'm always talking about that, but really this was a pivotal moment. The success that I've experienced has been beyond what I ever imagined, and now I'm sharing what I've learned with all of you and that fills me with so much joy. Having a partner like Kaylie to work with has changed my life. It really has.
Delores Naskrent: 14:12
My mission today is to support you in finding your own creative path. I want artists like you to thrive in this beautiful journey of creating and selling your art. Whether you're into digital illustration, textile design or any of the other forms of creative expression that there are out there, there's a place for you. I concentrate mainly on digital illustration, and I love teaching artists how to maximize tools like Procreate and Affinity Designer, which are my two favorites at the moment. These programs are game changers for digital artists and illustrators, and I'm so excited to share and guide with these two programs. We're going to be talking a lot more about those things in upcoming episodes.
Delores Naskrent: 15:04
So I think it's about time I wrap up today's episode and want wanted you to leave just thinking about one thing every one of those little steps I took mattered. Your journey may seem overwhelming right now, but trust me when I say that these steps lead to incredible possibilities. I know you can do it. I really believe you can because I did it. So if you're just starting, don't be afraid to embrace both the challenges and the victories along the way. Let yourself have the space and grace to grow and learn. All of this didn't happen overnight. I mean, I am no spring chicken. My hope is that, with this podcast and the resources I share the resources that Kaylie shares that we can help lay a foundation for your creative business and for your dreams to grow.
Delores Naskrent: 16:03
Thanks so much for joining me today. If you enjoyed this episode and want to keep exploring your creative path with me, why don't you hit that subscribe button and join me every week so we can uncover more insights into the art world? And if you can think of anybody else that could benefit from this, let them know about it too. I mean I'm just starting out with this and I know in the past. I mean, I'm just starting out with this and I know in the past that word of mouth has really helped. I would appreciate that very, very much. Remember it's never too late to chase your dreams. Now, if you're interested in any of the links I mentioned, or anything else I believe might resonate with you, be sure to check out the show notes. Your support means the world to me. So if you enjoyed this episode, I would be really, really grateful if you could like and subscribe to the show. Thank you all for being such an incredible community. I appreciate every single one of you. Bye for now.