We were lucky to catch up with Laurel Robinson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Laurel thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

This all really started when I went through a lot of BIG life changes all at once. Around the middle to end of 2023, I decided to move with my parents to their house in California that they bought to retire to — that’s what really changed it all. I would also like to make clear that although this was technically a choice that I made, it was the only REAL option for me. Even on my full-time senior designer salary at the time, I wasn’t able to afford to live on my own — or live much better than paycheck to paycheck. Plus, I’ve always been close to my family and didn’t really like the idea of being left on my own over 1,000 miles away (as well as just wanting to be closer to my aging parents). Unfortunately, despite all of this and despite my job being very doable from a distance, my graphic design job that I had been at for 11 years decided that they could not let me work remote. Now, even though I’m still not really “on my feet” and things are still tough, I do believe that getting taken out of that corporate situation was what will ultimately be the best thing for me. I like to think that I needed to be pushed out of a job that maybe wasn’t my ideal fit or that I’d grown out of, to hopefully find something better.

So, all at once, I lost the only “big girl” job I ever knew, was moving to a new state after nearly 30 years in Texas (aka most of my life), leaving friends and the home and community that I’d known for such a long time. It was overwhelming, to say the least. Thankfully, my manager who I grew close to really put a lot of time and effort to help me build my portfolio site, she revised my resume with me, and really went above and beyond to try and help me find something new. I will always appreciate her more than I could ever explain for her mentorship, friendship and always fighting for me the best she could.

I hit the LinkedIn and every-other-job-site-I-could-find grind — sending out resumes, cover letters, applying ANYWHERE I felt like I could even be a reasonable fit. For months, it was just ghosting or rejection which took a huge toll on the confidence and self-esteem that I’d spent about a decade building in my previous job. I felt so depressed and lost. I really thought with my experience and skillset that I would have no problem at least getting a few interviews, but hearing *nothing* or just getting flat-out rejected just really knocked me down. I started to feel like maybe I wasn’t good enough — wondering am I doing the right thing? Did I make the wrong decision (even though I know that I would’ve been miserable back in Texas on my own)? Do I have to start *all* over again with something else? If so, what? Being unemployed for the first time since I was 16 was really taking it’s toll — not to mention that my savings weren’t exactly anything to brag about so, of course, I worried about that money running out (on top of having to find insurance again after moving and sort out all that fun stuff on top of all this). To say it was a stressful, overwhelming time would be an understatement.

I DO want to say quickly though: I couldn’t have done any of this without the support and safety net of my family. My parents are the reason I have a roof, safety, somewhere to sleep, food, and all of my necessities taken care of while I try to get back on my feet more soundly again. I know that’s a privilege and I’ll never be able to fully express how grateful I am. Now, my hope is that I can build some success for myself soon so that I can pay my own way again and take that burden (though they would never call me that) off their shoulders.

So, the move was a lot — if that hasn’t been obvious yet. We arrived to a house full of boxes that just didn’t feel like a home, away from friends and the community we had, away from my job and the stability that gave me. Everyone was tense and stressed out, and it was just…a hard time. But I tried to do what I could, focus on one day at a time and just see where that took me. It was still hard and I still cried a lot more than I ever have (though, I will admit — proudly! — I’m an emotional person). A moment where things started to shift was in January 2024 when I had enough saved specifically, I got the greenlight to become a dog mom for the first time. I’d always wanted a corgi and the stars aligned and brought me my little Winnie around my 35th birthday that month. I felt like it was the perfect time to give myself a “project”, a sweet little critter that I could love, who could love me, and who I could take care of, giving me something to *do* and get up and about for. I decided that 35 was the perfect time to pick myself up and get to writing this new chapter.

By about February, I started to look into taking a leap into opening my own small shop. It’s something I had always admired and thought looked like something I would love to do, but (ironically) with my full-time job, I never really had the time or creative bandwidth to try tackling it. I guess I figured if no one else wanted to hire me? I’d just go ahead and hire myself! I also thought that if I could grow a following on my shop, it would just be more potential connections to be made, more eyes on my work to maybe help me find other work (freelance, contract, etc). So, a piece at a time I started figuring it out: getting a Shopify store set up, thinking of and working on designs and branding, getting an Instagram account set up — all that fun stuff. I had the name “That’s So Niche” in mind for a couple of years, actually — I read it like “that’s so fetch” from ‘Mean Girls’ — but my idea was to create a fun, inclusive place with unique designs for everyone’s favorite niche interests. I’ve always loved pop culture so, I felt like this was a way to channel my passions into designs that I could actually share with others who have the same interests. I wanted to make designs and show some love to all of our nostalgic faves and to movies, shows, etc. that maybe don’t have lots of (or any) fun merch to shop.

After a few collections and gaining more followers on Instagram, my confidence started to rebuild. Sure, I haven’t done any crazy sales, but I was still proud of creating something from nothing and that *anyone* would want to buy things I designed. No win is too small, and I always have to remind myself that we all have to start somewhere and that growth takes time — I just have to keep at it. All of the feedback and love I was getting has made me feel more confident that this business (both my shop and freelance business) CAN be successful — the hard part is just getting in front of folks. I’m confident that I have talent and that I have unique designs that people gravitate to, it’s just *finding* all those eyes that’s the uphill struggle. That’s still something I’m trying to figure out almost a year onward since opening. Going from “just” a graphic designer to wearing all of the business hats, so to speak, is really a learn-as-you-go endeavor. I truly believe though that if I just keep going, being as consistent as I can be and learning along the way? There’s no way to do anything accept grow and succeed. Some advice I got was that I can only fail if I give up, and I try to keep that in mind, especially when I’m feeling my lowest.

My hope is that I can keep growing, keep learning as I go and finding my community. Meeting people and building connections and relationships has been the best part of this whole journey (next to getting to work on fun designs of course)! When I feel down, the community I’ve already built feels like a group of friends that I can lean on, and I can’t even express how much that’s helped me on this fun but overwhelming journey. I’ve made great new friends, but also gotten so many more creative opportunities just from people who’ve found my shop. I love getting to meet other creatives and shop owners, having them to talk to, get advice from, and even work together on projects is truly a dream! I even got to collab with one of the first small shops I ever followed on two collections last year — total pinch me moment!

Even though sales are slow and my savings are getting lower, I try to remember to be proud of how far I’ve come — to have hope that my talents and the amazing community I’ve already started to build will all take me exactly where I want to be. I just have to be patient and stay on the path ahead. Patience isn’t always easy (I admit it!) but hope? Hope I definitely have. I believe in myself — the person I am and the creative I am — and I believe that one day I can make this shop and freelance business a true dream job.

Laurel, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I got my BFA in graphic design, studying in college because I’ve always been more of a creatively inclined person. I always did art and music electives growing up — anyone else? The degree was pretty new when I started college, but I was eager to learn graphic design as it seemed like a great skillset with a wide range of possibilities — not just creatively but out in the “real world” as well. Skip ahead a few years and I had my first design job. I started as an ‘intern’ working every other day, but got brought in full-time in probably less than a month. This is the job I essentially grew up in — starting soon after college and leaving after about 11 years when I wasn’t going to be able to keep working for them once I moved to the West Coast.

At my previous job, I learned a little bit of everything. I learned how to be in a corporate environment and work with clients, I worked on all kinds of print projects (stationary, newsletters, pop-up banners, you name it), logos and award badges, email and website graphics (including animated GIFs). I really feel like I can do just about anything. I’ve always been an “I can figure that out” kind of person who wants to do everything I can to give the client their vision. Of course, I also believe that I’m always learning and will never know everything — so, I can ask for help and admit when I’m hitting a wall, but I’ll always do my best to figure it out first. Part of what was fun at my last job was getting to work with huge publishing clients. I’ve designed logos, emails, and other collateral for many well-known brands which essentially boosted my skills of creating for a wide range of clients and learning how to create designs for different brand aesthetics so that every individual design matched that individual brand in look and feel.

I think working with large brands has really helped me understand how to design with purpose — which is something I strongly believe in. No choice is made at random and every single element needs to be intentional. It’s not just all about aesthetics, but also about legibility and about marketability. For better or worse, I’m a perfectionist. Whether it’s for my own shop or for a client, I’m never going to send something out that I’m not personally happy with (or that I don’t think my client will love). Of course, I’m always open to feedback and love working with others to perfect ideas, but in general? I’m not going to show something I’m not proud of.

I think my experience sets me apart alongside my positive, “we can get this done” attitude. Even if I have to research and learn a new skill or software, I’ll look into that if it gets the job done right. I’m proud of my ability to create unique, on-trend designs from scratch (when some folks may buy mass-produced files on Etsy or other websites — no judgement! I just think I stand out more offering custom, unique designs right from my lil’ brain)! Again, working in the corporate world has also helped me learn how to communicate with collaborators or clients in a clear manner, always being as thorough and clear as possible so that I’m sure we’re all on the same page and happy with whatever outcomes. My goal always is to make my partners, clients, or customers proud that they chose to work with or buy from me.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

The social media I use the most right now is Instagram (and starting on Threads), and I’ve found that fostering a relationship with clients and followers has really helped me build an organic community. What I really want is that feeling of community, of friendship, that doesn’t feel forced or that I’m only here trying to sell people something. Of course, I’m trying to grow my business and make a living for myself, but I believe that community is our true strength — that having folks we can talk to and lean on who feel like they can do the same with me is so much more valuable in the long-run.

I make a point to reach out to as many of my followers as I can when they follow my IG, just to say hi and introduce myself so they know a little bit about me as a person. I’m also good about sharing stories when the shop is tagged and replying to any DMs I get from folks on the shop account. All to keep fostering a personal relationship with my community there.

I would rather foster an organically built community of folks who shop multiple times and/or who actually care about me as a person (and care about my success like a friend) than any kind of overnight or flash-in-the-pan “success”. Yes, it takes longer and there are times I wish I had one of those businesses I see with 10s of thousands of followers and seemingly tons of sales (usually just printing designs bought off Etsy I’ve noticed), but a lot of those that I see just don’t feel as unique as what I have to offer — so, for me, I think it’s ultimately worth playing the long game as best as I can.

I feel like if I build relationships (real ones!) with the folks who are kind enough to check me out and support me, in turn they will shop when they can (a handful of people have already been repeat customers for me which means the world) — but they’ll also mention my name or my shop’s name to other people in their circles, they’ll share my content and/or engage with it. I feel like when people really care about YOU and believe in who you are as a person — not just a shop or a shop owner — they are way more inclined to want to support you in any way that they can and will stick around for the long-term.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I think the most rewarding thing is just that: creating. It’s getting to have an idea myself or get an idea from a client and actually having the ability to turn that into actual art. Going from nothing to something is just so cool, right? I also love how you can give a bunch of creatives the same project or idea and they’ll come back with all completely different designs — I LOVE seeing how different people solve creative ‘problems’ and I feel like it shows and expresses who that person is. It’s a self expression that I feel like has always moved me in some way — like taking our passions from our brain to something beautiful and tangible in a way. I love getting to help people bring their visions to life … or to even bring my own visions to life. Nothing beats the feeling of a design starting to come together and the pride in that final product.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thatsoniche.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sonichedesigns/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laureltastic
• Other: Portfolio Site: https://www.thelaurelrobinson.com/