Today we’d like to introduce you to Mardi Miskit

Hi Mardi, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?

I’ve shifted gears many times in my “career” over the years, but creativity has always been at the core of everything I do. Along the way, I’ve discovered a love for photography, cooking, reiki, and most recently, web design. I think of my mom every time I shift directions. She was a clothing designer, a chef, a painter, and a jewelry designer among quite a few other successful professions and she encouraged me every time I discovered a love for something new that I decided to pursue—for this, I am forever grateful.

I always held a full-time job in some area of marketing while I explored these paths. I worked in social media in the wine and liquor industry while I went to culinary school in the evenings and on weekends, and I worked in marketing at a meal kit delivery service while I studied reiki and started a small catering business. My creative endeavors were always side hustles. I dabbled in solely freelancing, but the fear of financial instability would often lead the way and inevitably I would always slip back into full-time gigs. But I never stopped creating on the side. While at my last full-time job, I was designing websites outside of work hours and began building a portfolio of work I was proud of—work that I loved doing.

It was around this time that I also deep dove into navigating my mom’s care as her very slow decline through Alzheimer’s began to progress. I was suddenly juggling back to back work meetings and work that felt unimportant in between phone calls and zooms with doctors and elder care lawyers and home health services and assisted livings—resources that I am privileged to have access to. I was in another state, frequently hopping on flights, and this alone became a full-time job. My anxiety started negatively affecting everything in my life and I began to feel like my own brain was on fire. I hit my breaking point and quit my last marketing job once and for all. As my mom moved to an assisted living, I took some time to pause and recalibrate and spend more time with her. Once she was settled, I started designing websites again, and I found my stress would dissipate when I would begin creating.

Soon the fear of when my next client would come started to creep in. Just as I was starting to look for full-time gigs again, the universe gave me a nudge. I was invited into the Squarespace Marketplace for designers. Suddenly, work (work I enjoyed) began streaming in. I found a flow that allowed me to make enough money and find breathing room throughout my days. I slowed down. I was able to make my own schedule. I began cooking again (my form of meditation), and was able to navigate my mom’s care with a bit more grace. The ever-changing journey through her decline still isn’t easy, but doing work that is creative continues to fuel me.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

I’d say that every time I returned to a full-time job out of fear, my road would become bumpy again. But pursuing things I love outside of work has always helped me find balance. I’ve learned along that way that always having a creative outlet is vital for me. Even when I was physically exhausted from working a full-time job and catering on weekends, getting little sleep during the week while prepping food in the evenings, I still felt mentally and emotionally energized because I was doing something that I truly love.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?

I love designing websites for fellow-creatives. Learning about what fuels them is always inspiring and makes me even more excited to build them something that will take them to the next level in their business or pursuits.

My aesthetic leans very modern and clean and by not swaying from this in my designs, I thankfully attract clients who appreciate a similar style.

Clients often come to me with some rough ideas of what they want their website to say or how they want it to feel. It’s my job to take these ideas and shape them into something that not only reflects them or their business, but draws in visitors that align with them. It’s a part of the process that I love and and that goes beyond just creating a beautiful website.

At the moment, when I can find the time, I’m starting to work on a cookbook. Years ago, my mom and I were going to write one together. We each wrote intros and started selecting recipes, but we never made it beyond that. I now have all of her old recipe binders, including her binder from culinary school, and I’ve wanted to work on this for years so I’m finally doing it. My hope is that it will be shared with the world and provide some kind of solace for others going through the journey of this awful disease. But mostly, I hope it will honor the incredibly talented woman who has given me so much—who has encouraged me along the way and who will always inspire me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mardimiskit.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/mardikins and instagram.com/brooklynforkandspoon

Image Credits

Personal Photo: Corey Towers