We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Becky Escher a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Becky thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

It’s been over 5 years since I started my business, and I’m financially thriving, but it didn’t start out that way. The process of building a business takes patience, a positive attitude, and lots of nurturing especially when you’re running a one-woman-show.

When I decided to take the leap into freelancing full-time, I was facing extreme burnout. I had already been maintaining a full-time corporate marketing job, working retail at the mall *just-for-fun*, and maintaining a small freelance client load in the evenings. I wanted to do everything but I was tired and creatively tapped.

Exhausted, unsure of what to do next, and ready for a change I did what every 20 something would do – quit my job and travel. Using my savings, I took a 6 month hiatus to figure out what made me happy and what I was good at. I boiled it down to working with people and in my words, “making things look pretty”.

I officially started freelancing full time from my parent’s house in 2017. Because I wasn’t sure how things would pan out, I kept a part-time retail job at an interior design shop where I got to stretch my creative brain and work with DIYers. I wasn’t making a ton of money, and was relying on credit cards to make up the difference.

The internet at my parent’s house was unreliable, and given the nature of design I needed consistent connection for research and to access the cloud. This inconvenience led me to finding a hot desk at a local Coworking space.

This Coworking space offered networking and business enrichment opportunities. I learned what creative graphic design solutions small businesses and nonprofits in my area needed. After just a few months, my workload started filling up with branding requests, social media management consultations, and creative campaign development sessions.

Soon after, I said good-bye to my retail job to focus on freelancing. A few months later, I moved out of my parents house. A few months after that, I was no longer dependent on credit cards to stay afloat.

I’ve gotten to fulfill my passions of working with people and making their brands look – not just pretty – but polished and engaging. Small businesses and nonprofits are an underserved community who deserve to look as good as a corporate entity.

I continue to maintaining a lucrative career as a freelancer by maintaining genuine relationships with clients whose missions I believe in. Clients come to me because they know I’m committed to making their brand shine.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hey, I’m Becky! I’m a Texas-based graphic designer dedicated to helping small businesses, non-profits, and event planners create meaningful, visual connections with their audiences. In short, my job is to make you look good.

Graphic Design encompass everything from branding, to package design, social media graphics, and event collateral. I enjoy helping my clients solve problems creatively and visually.

Often times, I step outside of the lines and help my clients with business-essentials like managing social media accounts, developing and executing advertising campaigns, and finessing websites.

I value the diversity of my clients and the unique projects each client brings my way. Many of my clients include Advertising Agencies, Corporate Entities, Non-Profit Organizations, Small Businesses, and Event Planners.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new clients for me has actually been word-of-mouth advertising from current and former clients. This might sound a bit old school, but personal endorsements have been the reason my business has continued to grow. When a client is pleased, they’ll often share their experience with others in their industry. This can create a snowball effect which has impacted me tremendously. I’m incredibly grateful for my clients and their desire to help me grow as a designer and a businesswoman.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a graphic designer? Experiencing clients’ reactions when their brand visually comes to life. I cherish the moments when expressions light up, and the possibilities they’ve pondered and dreamt about become a reality.

I see myself as a translator who’s able to decipher business needs into a visual identity be it a a brand story, a social media campaign, or an event design concept. The ability to transform a client’s need from an idea into a real-live graphic or visual story evokes so much joy and momentum. It’s what keeps me motivated to do what I do.

Contact Info:

• Website: beckyescher.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/becky-escher-5425a227/

Image Credits
Crude Coffee Bar, Style FW, Becky Escher