We recently connected with Lyn Mack and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Lyn thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

To be honest, I learned how to build and design websites using Myspace when I was in middle and high school. I was really good at making layouts from scratch, and it didn’t take long for requests from my friends to start pouring in. Myspace layouts were pretty generic back in the day, but people wanted pictures of themselves, their favorite artists, and other personal photography in their backgrounds, so I would build them for them. Studying and learning HTML was not as hard as I would’ve imagined, and by the time I took computer science my freshman year of high school, I was pretty well=versed in the basics. I learned some new skills, and continued to build on the knowledge I went in with, and by the end of the year I was able to create a single-page website with graphics, scrolling words, and a music plug-in. When I wasn’t building layouts and websites for my peers, I was watching Grey’s Anatomy – and that sent me on a career path completely opposite from computers. I got so wrapped up in that specific channel of helping people that I didn’t realize web/graphic design would still fulfill me in the same way but with less stress and sleepless nights. Now, I’ve been in web/graphic design for two years, and the greatest joy from this line of work is knowing that I have the ability to take someone’s vision, their passions and goals, and help them build their brand or business. I’ve made logos and business cards for florists, crocheters, and bakers. For the better part of 2022 I worked side-by-side with a trauma therapist creating worksheets, videos, and blog posts that her clients and the general public could access in order to work through their traumas on a more affordable budget. Now, in 2023, I’ve partnered with a realty investment company in order to help them showcase their vacation rental properties, assist in their expansion, and create educational modules for people who want to learn what they do. In turn, I also get to work with their interior designer, and I’ve done some work for her as well. It’s all very exciting, and the only thing I wish I’d done differently was learned that medicine wasn’t my only way of helping people. My newfound career in web/graphic design has connected me with other self-employed, small business owners and entrepreneurs who love their line of work as much as I do, and my greatest honor is being able to be a tiny part of their incredible journey. In a way, our happiness is correlative, and that is something that fills me with immense joy. If I had stuck with it straight out of high school, who knows where I’d be today. In the same breath, I have to say I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, so I’m focusing more on my happiness now and less on the regret I have with not taking this journey sooner.

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

The most important thing I’ve learned in my life that I want people to take away from this is that the only limits in life are the ones you set for yourself. I spent the better part of my twenties trying, and failing, to live up to the expectations of others. It wasn’t until I decided to do things for myself and by my own rules that I found a true path to happiness. There are so many people out there finding the courage to follow their dreams and passions, and I love that I have the privilege of being a small part of their journey. When I first started my business, I was only doing logos and business cards, I hadn’t built a website in over a decade and I did not believe in myself enough to try again after such a long time. The more I designed for people, the more I started to play around with web design again. In February 2022, I got my first long-term client, who trusted me to build her website and expand a brand she’d started building 11 years prior to our partnership. It allowed me to branch out and design branded products, including downloadable PDFs, guides, and therapy worksheets. Like me, one of her biggest goals was supplying her clients with affordable products and services, we were very well matched and I enjoyed the months we spent working together to help those in need. As a mother of three, I know the financial strain caused by trying to establish yourself as a brand/business owner, so I provide all my services at a fraction of the price – people shouldn’t have to sacrifice their livelihood in order to start building one.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Last year, I found out I was pregnant, and also high risk. The first couple of months were easy, but things took a turn for the worst at the end of September. I had just completed a job for a family preparing to leave on a six-month sabbatical visiting places in the world effected by global warming. They were so impressed with my work that they asked me to build their website, which I offered to do at a discounted rate considering they’d be traveling for the next few months. Unfortunately, a few days before our consultation, I was admitted into the hospital when my water broke at 23 weeks. It broke my heart to contact the family and tell them I wouldn’t be able to build their website due to my hospitalization, but I had to focus on my health and do what I could to make sure my son had enough to safely make it into this world. Eleven days later, I had an emergency c-section, and we spent the next four months in the NICU, my whole life was dedicated to my son and his two older siblings at home. Once he was home, it was a hard adjustment, and postpartum depression got the best of me. I thought about that family often, and wished everyday that someone would contact me for one of my services, give me something to do that filled me with a purpose outside of being a mother. The more time went by, the more I felt my love for my work slipping away from me, my family needed me, I didn’t have to focus on anything else. In April of this year, a family member contacted me about making a graduation banner design for my cousin, and just like that my passion was reignited. Even though it only required a few hours of work on my part, it was enough to help me remember why I chose web/graphic design, and how much I love it. I reactivated my Fiverr account, announced the end of my hiatus on twitter, and revamped my website to advertise my work. A few weeks later, I was contacted by the realty investment company I’m working with now. My work with them has just begun but we have a lot of work ahead of us and I am excited to help them build their brand and expand my portfolio. Life has rarely missed a chance to throw a curveball at me, but no matter how long it takes, I always find my way back to my path.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

One of the most effective ways I built my following on social media was with my social media kit. I had a branded set of templates I used on my social accounts, and being a blogger made it easy to showcase my work. I created eye-catching and platform fluid templates that allowed me to share my blog posts with my followers, and catching the attention of people that would soon join my audience. My graphics made people do a double take, and the blog posts attached to them helped me make some lasting connections. I am also someone who has always done what I can to uplift others, so I would often share the posts, promotions, and art of other creatives on social media in order to support them, and in turn, others supported me. The creative community is truly a network of people aiding one another, it’s a trickle effect of kindness and support.

Contact Info:

• Website: lmdigitalhub.wordpress.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/lmdigitalhub
• Twitter: quelyn_duh
• Other: www.homestaysandsuites.com