We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Emily Singleton a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Emily thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
The most meaningful project I created was my senior project. I created a brand based on my late grandmother and her love for cooking. She always made something delicious, and her recipes have started a legacy in my family traditions. This brand is called Cherri, which alludes to her name, Sharon. I developed a whole website full of her recipes so that my family can still enjoy the food she once made for them. This project was difficult for my mom and me as we flipped through her old cookbooks, full of scribbled notes, and dove into old photos. It feels so great and sweet to honor her with this project as she is a big part of who I am and what I strive for today.
Emily, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I was born and raised in Jacksonville, FL, and that is still where I call home. I am very passionate about family and keep strong ties with all of my relatives. I wanted to start my own journey for college, so I traveled all the way to Birmingham, AL, where I attend Samford University. I am currently a senior who will graduate in May 2025. I study Graphic Design in school and have always had big dreams in my creative brain. I have always been someone who enjoys collages and sketching in my sketchbook. Which is a crucial step in the design process, might I add. I am a huge people person so I am always seeking ways to connect and grow in relationships. I have been so grateful to work on so many freelance projects in the past year, mainly based on connections. Looking back at my first year of college, I have grown tremendously as a designer and am very skilled in my field. I favor the art of branding and web design but also have a wide range of interests in design. I always try to work very intentionally with my projects and want to make every brief personal and beautiful.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I think one of the biggest challenges for designers is the idea of perfectionism. We notice every little detail that no one else will even appreciate, and that can cause creative blocks. For most of my creative career, I have struggled with this and comparison. It is so easy to look at designs online or even be surrounded by great designers and compare yourself. I’m constantly looking on Pinterest at designs that I tell myself are way out of my league. Something I’ve realized with this lesson I have allowed myself to believe is that I can make projects just as great. A little thing I like to do to pull myself out of striving for perfection is to just doodle. Take yourself back to 5th grade, when you would get in trouble for drawing on the desks, and start that again! It is so freeing to let yourself be creative and use the talents God has given you and, in most cases, will pull you out of your block.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is either physically holding your project or receiving positive feedback. When you get to work on a project that will be produced, it will make you ten times more excited to finish it. Seeing posters I’ve designed up on walls or a logo being put to use will never get old. Knowing that you spent many hours on something and for it to be on display or physically held is very rewarding. Also, when you get to work with a new or preexisting client on a project, whether that’s branding or some version of marketing, it makes you feel truly accomplished when they are over the moon about it. Part of why I love what I do is because I make things beautiful and, in doing so, make someone’s life a bit easier.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://emilysing.com
- Instagram: @emiilymade
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-singleton-b3958923b/
