Right out of college I started working at an ad agency as an Art Director. It was at the beginning of when computers took over typesetting by hand. Which made my whole career about staying on top of technology as it grows.
I created many new brands, campaigns, websites, etc. during my time there. But being a single mom the agency life really wore me down and didn’t give me much control over what clients or projects I could work on.
My least favorite project was working on a photo shoot for a local radio station’s billboard. Some male executive at the station thought it was a good idea to show a close up of 15 women’s chests in bikinis with the headline, “Celebrating 30 Big Ones!” for their 30th Anniversary. I remember being horrified telling all those women at the shoot their faces wouldn’t be in the shot. And watching them deflate. It was so degrading to women and I passively went along with it in fear of losing my job! After that moment I vowed to never create something I would not want my daughter to see. Shortly after I left the agency and started freelancing to have more control of my work.
Freelancing was one of the best decisions I ever made! It allowed me to work from home and spend more time with my daughter during her teenage years. Plus, I had full control over who I worked with and on what projects I took on. I’ve been lucky to work on many national and global brands over the last 14 years working for myself.
Take a look at a few samples
I’m currently working as a freelancer full-time. View more of my work on my website www.bella-designs.biz
