We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kirstie Freimuth. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kirstie below.

Kirstie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later?

I first dipped my toes into the business of graphic design when I was a stay-at-home mom, approximately 16 years ago! It took some time for me to hone in on my passion for wedding stationery design and creative business branding. I started my entrepreneurial journey wearing several different hats: virtual assistant, event planner and jewelry designer. I fell out of love with those businesses but a few constants remained…..the joy that came from designing the event invitations and the branding for those various businesses.

Though I’d identified the passion, a few years passed before I really decided to focus on them with anything more than part-time, passing attention. As a result, I let a lot of wasted time pass. I’m now significantly older than most of my peers in the industry and, on occasion, I feel some regret. I wonder if I’d be further along in my career if I’d honed in earlier.

But as a woman of faith, I realize that God brings me along the path I’m supposed to walk in the time I’m meant to walk it. No matter what deviations I might make, I know that He is the one who guides my journey. Yes, I’m a bit older and may have less time in the business than my colleagues but I bring with me a life experience and maturity others may not have. A unique perspective……

We all as creatives have our own individual perspective that make us different from one another and is reflected in our work. There is room for us all and it is never too late to accomplish what God has given us the talent to pursue. I have every confidence that, despite wanderings and late starts, I am exactly where I am meant to be in my journey.

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

My name is Kirstie, mom to a soon-to-be college-bound son and owner of bonhomieDESIGN, a wedding stationery and creative brand design studio. Rather than niche down to a specific design style or industry, I prefer to operate as an ‘eclectic’ designer. You could say that my niche is the personality + passion of my brides and business owners that I work with – forming a relationship with my clients is the best part of my job and is an absolute necessity for me. Whether it be a traditional, elegant wedding suite with calligraphy and gold foil or a youthful, fun + colorful brand design meant to entice Gen Z, I’m there for it as long as my client and I are able to make a connection.

Operating from an eclectic perspective also works best for me because it allows me to learn and experiment. I’m a self-taught designer and, rather than view that from an inferior mindset, I believe it allows me to design without boundaries. While there are some rules of design that should be followed, I enjoy stepping away from convention and I encourage my clients to do the same.

My brides may come to me with a head full of all the formal ‘wedding stationery etiquette’ and if that’s what they want, then that’s what we’ll do. But if they want to break away from tradition, I help them create wedding stationery that is uniquely them as a couple – it’s their wedding, after all! My brand clients may think that the way to success is emulating others in their industry. But after a strategic deep dive into their business, their values and their target audience, I can help them identify how they can visually stand apart rather than blend in.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I’m no stranger to pivoting – in life or in business. I’ve worn multiple entrepreneurial hats: virtual assistant, jewelry designer…..I even had a ‘green’ housecleaning business! From wife to divorced single mom, I’ve seen a lot of changes. Some of these pivots have happened naturally and some were really tough. In my business life, the most difficult pivot for me was letting go of my jewelry design business (though if you follow me, you know it hasn’t gone away for good!) What I’m still learning, after all these years, is to remember that there is a season for everything. Letting go doesn’t mean that you’ve failed. Focus on what you’ve learned in the process and figure out how you can apply those lessons to the next endeavor.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

One particular goal that drives my creative journey is accessibility, specifically financial accessibility. I find great joy in doing custom design for my brides and fellow creative business owners. However, I am uniquely situated to understand that not everyone can afford custom design. It may be outside their budget but they still deserve good design – for their business and their wedding. So I offer multiple ways someone can work with me. For my brides, I offer templates and semi-custom designs. For businesses in need of visual branding, I have brand kits, guided DIY branding services and multiple tiers of custom brand design services.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bonhomiedesign.co
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/bonhomiedesign
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/Bonhomiedesign
• Other: etsy: https://bonhomiedesign.etsy.com

Image Credits
Michael Orzell Photography Elizabeth Grant Photography The Evergreen Collective