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

PHYLLIS, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I’ve always known I wanted to follow my passion for art and find a way to make a living being creative. I have been in the industry a long time so when I first began, computers were hardly a thing. I figured out that if I went into Printing/Design, I could potentially make a living as a typesetter and designer. I got a one-year diploma in typesetting which taught me typesetting as well as printing procedures, off-set camera, stripping, and design.

My first design job at a printing shop was as a typesetter and I learned a lot. I mostly learned that I didn’t want to work in printing shops but wanted to work with printing companies. Having this background in printing has been so helpful in my career as a designer. I went on to get my associate degree in graphic design and then my Bachelor of Arts in Applied Design and Visual Arts from the University of Houston Clear Lake. Having a bachelor’s degree opened a lot of doors for me in many professional and personal jobs. I worked in several industries in Houston as a designer such as finance, legal, education, and finally healthcare.

Furthermore, creating ways of earning extra income by doing freelance and side projects has been extremely helpful professionally and personally.

PHYLLIS, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

In addition to working full-time as a professional designer, I have always done freelance design and some web design, Other creative projects that have earned me extra money are painting, creating cards, making jewelry, and refinishing furniture, Lastly, I own two tiny houses that I rent out. Being able to fully decorate these houses in the best way has helped me to receive more bookings.

To help with the marketing and advertising of my work, I have created an online website with my design work at https://gillentinedesign.com/. (my name recently changed from Gillentine to Hartfiel. I need to update my website to reflect this change.)
Also, I have Facebook pages for my design work as well as my tiny houses. Most of my freelance work is generated by word of mouth.
https://www.facebook.com/gdesign817 and
https://www.facebook.com/TinyHouseCottagesCanyonLake

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Like many other designers, I tried to become a web designer when the trend first began. I took some training classes and learned a lot about the ins and outs of creating a website from scratch. Designing a website has its own special language similar to being a typesetter. I learned to code and created several sites throughout the years with the tools that were available at the time. It was all a long and tedious process. However, it was not my passion. And making money being a freelance web designer was futile. The time it took to create the website from scratch could never be covered by the dollar amount people were willing to pay. Even when new templates came out to make it easier for designers, it was still a time-consuming process. Also, their frustration in not being able to update it themselves was always a lengthy conversation. Through this experience, I discovered that I am not a web designer. However, creating digital design was the best path. So I focused my creative abilities on more direct and focused endeavors.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, being able to work as a creative person is extremely rewarding. I get to enjoy my job which is something so many people do not have. I always feel a huge sense of satisfaction when I can create something that my client loves. Some days creativity is bursting out of my brain and some days I feel a dead end. However, getting out of my head and getting inspiration from the world around me is a great way to get back on track. Being able to express my creative mind is such a privilege that I am very thankful for every day.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://gillentinedesign.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gdesign817