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KP
How I Became A Web & Brand Designer
From Grad Student to Bold Business Owner
Hey, I’m Katherine! I’m a Web & Brand Designer for photographers, florists, interior designers, DJ’s, creatives, female entrepreneurs, and any other service-based small businesses! I believe in creating an ~experience~ for your clients/customers aka creating your own retro-rockstar UNIVERSE through web design & branding.
But how did I get here…?
Ch. 1: The Hamster Wheel
I started where we all did. College. | But little did I know that was a mistake.
I went to undergrad like all bright-eyed young females do in hopes to get the “college experience”, move away from home, find myself, and finally experience FREEDOM. I never truly had a gravitational pull towards any particular major or area of study, so I chose Psychology because I was good (enough) at it and I was drawn to personal growth. Double majored in Communications (duh) and those four years went by like a BREEZE.
So what’s the next step after undergrad for a psych major who’s identity is now to become a counselor? Grad school. You HAVE to go to grad school because you can’t get a “real” job without a Master’s degree. Because why should you be able to get a decent paying job after investing all of that time and money aka DEBT…?
So I applied, got accepted & started down my path towards success! | Or at least what I thought success was…
Looking back on it now, starting a Master’s program truly felt like a hamster wheel decision. I was so used to being in school, studying, writing papers, not having control over anything, and I didn’t know there was actually other ways to live. I was also raised with this mindset influenced on me, and I was never surrounded by any entrepreneurial spirits. So in a young 20 somethings mind, there wasn’t a decision to be made at all! This is just what you do… right? Although, I would have the occasional dream to do something creative as my career. But those moments lasted seconds as I told myself it had to stay a dream.
Think again, Katherine!
Fast forward two years, and I’m over halfway through the master’s program now! Woo!! Almost done with school for good! But lookout dreamer… As I’m about to start the training process to actually start seeing clients as a therapist, there it was. The unexplainable feeling in my stomach that this was not for me and it never was for me.
Ch. 2: The Mindset Shift
jokes on you!
You would think that my decision to drop out of grad school was a lengthy, indecisive process. | But it really wasn’t.
Exactly 1 year ago, I started this business as a Virtual Assistant offering services like social media management, administrative tasks & graphic design because truth be told I NEEDED a side gig for extra cash (ex-grad student life). So, I was already building my business without really knowing it was a business, or that I was becoming an entrepreneur. At that time, it only felt like a side job! But the more time I invested into it, and the more experiences I gained through working with clients and working on different projects like websites and logos, the answer was very clear to me.
I remember the exact moment it happened. I was in my first class of my practicum training course where I would be counseling actual clients in the University’s counseling center. My professor gave us allll the juicy (boring) info in the syllabus and how the course was going to go. We then walked a tour of the counseling center where we would be every day for the next four months working tirelessly on the well-being of others. Once that night was over and I walked to my car at 9pm, it was decided for me that I was never going back.
I truly could not picture myself going to work everyday in that environment doing something that I am passionate about yes, but that didn’t feel like ME. Sitting in that cold university chair, I felt like I was wasting time. Why would I put my efforts and money into this when I’m already building something for myself that I have FULL CONTROL over, fulfills me, and allows me to be creative? You know that answer. Exactly. Since that day, I have honestly never looked back.
Ch. 3 The Pivot
Unapologetically, I invested in myself. | And it felt like a full transformative awakening.
Not long after I decided to call it quits with counseling, I dove head first into web design & branding. I had stumbled upon the opportunity to design some websites and logos during my virtual assistant days, but never considered it to be an area of expertise for me (until I found @iambeccaluna ).
Her courses have truly changed my career & my life. Seriously… it felt like my third eye was opening. I have never felt more at home and fulfilled with what I’m doing for work. As I said before, I was never truly drawn to an area of study or a specific major, but the entrepreneurial life fills that space for me. It allows my entire life to be a blank slate that I can create, envision, and write for myself (just like a custom website).
If I could go back and tell my younger self why I felt so disconnected from school and my career it would be because I was on the wrong path! But I guess you don’t know until you know…
“I was never truly drawn to an area of study or a specific major, but the entrepreneurial life fills that space for me.”
Katherine Papatheodore
So now, you’re all caught up. | It’s crazy to think how much my life has changed in just one year, and to think of how much I was limiting myself by just going along on a path that was laid out for me. Although change is scary and definitely uncomfortable at times, there is an incredible amount of strength and self improvement that is waiting on the other side.
I am obsessed (and I mean obsessed) with what I do now, which I have never felt before. Being able to work with other business owners/female entrepreneurs and be a part of helping their small businesses grow and evolve has to be my favorite part of it all (well, besides creating retro-edgy mood boards of course). Moving forward now, I’m ready to allow my business and I to evolve – no matter how crazy the changes may sound.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MY SERVICES!
XOXO, KPVIRTUALLY
CATEGORY
5/15/2024
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