Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Isenhart

Hi Erin, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?

I worked in newsrooms during college and into my early professional career, for exceptional, active news outlets where I experienced the inner workings of newsrooms at three successful organizations: 1) a Pulitzer Prize winning daily newspaper in Grand Forks, ND, 2) a weekly newspaper at the historic Fort Sam Houston US Army Post in San Antonio, TX, and 3) a digital agricultural media outlet in Omaha, NE.

My experiences in these newsrooms were nothing short of exceptional. Highlights of these years included:
– Working through the night of the 2000 US Presidential election in which there was no declared winner and there was a buzz about Florida’s ‘hanging chads.’
– Being tasked by the Managing Editor with keeping tabs on the Elian Gonzalez case in which a young Cuban boy found floating at sea became embroiled in an international custody and immigration case until he was physically removed from his comfortable U.S. home in Miami and sent back to Cuba.
– Taking on the job of “vacation relief” employee in the newsroom, meaning I filled in for those on vacation in every department of that newsroom, learning to do the jobs of almost every employee on the floor
– Following the 9/11attacks, collaborating with a diverse yet small newsroom team at Fort Sam Houston who reported on military politics and post-9/11 military and civilian security
– At a time when print was beginning to fall prey to the rise of digital media, I felt safe working for a digital news and weather outlet, however I was in the middle of a major technological shift as well. Technology as we knew it in 2002 was changing and it was changing fast. It was time to sink or swim for companies like the one I worked for.

While absorbing and practicing the ways of creative writing, factual reporting and opinion journalism along with design and layout of print publications, and graphic design for digital platforms, my creativity flourished. The fast-paced, deadline driven energy had me excited for the future and at the same time wanting to follow my creative ways into something new. It was time to take the next step in my career.

That step led me into creative Marketing. I spent about a decade in corporate Marketing, mostly working on my own, without a creative team. I took every opportunity to utilize outside sources of training, connection and collaboration, from regular attendance at the annual Adobe Max conference in California, to quarterly meetings with peer groups at home in Omaha, to memberships with the American Marketing Association, to holding a seat on the national Board of the Insurance Advertising Compliance Association and more. I soon found that creative communication and the creative side of Marketing in general, was where my passion and my talent came together.

Then it came time to think about my work-life balance and to address the burnout situation that many of us know all to well. It was time to start a family, to make time to focus not solely on work, but also on life at home and to find a way to enjoy working without feeling constantly overwhelmed and stressed. That is when Yellow House Creative Marketing came to life.

After a decade of self-employment I have navigated the ups and downs of owning a business, the ‘feast and famine’ of contracts and project work, and everything in-between. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with exceptional professionals who I have learned from and who I greatly respect. Organizations have allowed me to step into their Marketing departments to lead movements within their organizations, to take their Marketing teams from only sales support to a strategic part of moving their organizations forward. I have had the privilege to work with people from all different industries, from performing arts to insurance, from real-estate to non-profits and community support and from media buying to beef cattle production and genealogy. I enjoy the challenge of working with professionals in different industries. It gives me an opportunity to learn something new everywhere I go.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

Life is full of obstacles. It gives us the opportunity to come up with creative solutions. That’s an import part of my personal and professional life. Do uncomfortable circumstances come up for self-employed professionals? They sure do. And we should expect that and be prepared to shift our plans if needed. I am blessed to have a supportive husband who will sit down with me to talk through these professional challenges and come up with an informed and thoughtful decision. I think it’s important for everyone in the ‘gig economy’ to have a support network not only to help work through challenges but also to bounce ideas off of or to share projects with. I have often been asked to take on work that’s not in my wheelhouse and I’ve passed the job or contract on to a colleague. In turn, they have done the same for me. That’s when it’s nice to have connections with other professionals. That sense of community is not only valuable but it makes work a lot more rewarding.

As many professionals do now, I work out of my home. And with two young children at home in the summer and days off of school, the “office” can get a bit crowded and chaotic. I do my best to manage those days with ease and efficiency, but sometimes it is a real challenge. That’s where the creative solutions come into play again.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?

Thanks to my past work experience I have found that my passion and my talents align in the creative marketing space. What do I do most? I create annual marketing plans and budgets, I build social media campaigns, create brand management strategies, create corporate communication plans, and most recently I have begun incorporating AI into the Marketing world.

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?

We can connect on LinkedIn! (Erin Barney Isenhart) Or shoot me an email at [email protected]. I am always looking to collaborate with other creative folks!