The Power of Personal Projects: Why I Still Design Without a Client in Mind

Every now and then, I meet a potential client who lights something up in me. It starts with a spark—a shared vision, an idea I can feel taking shape even before pencil touches paper. Sometimes that connection leads to a beautiful collaboration. And sometimes, it doesn't.

Recently, I had a consultation that left me incredibly inspired. The couple had such a lovely story, and the setting they described stirred something in me. As we spoke, I could already see the possibilities—shapes, textures, colors, and moments that could be brought to life through intentional design.

Although they ultimately chose to go in a different direction, I found that I couldn’t let go of the vision that had begun forming during our conversation. That spark didn’t disappear just because the project wasn’t booked. So I did what I always do when the art calls louder than the outcome: I created anyway.

Why I Still Design Without a Client in Mind

People sometimes ask why I spend time on personal projects. The answer is simple—because this is who I am. Creating is not something I do solely for income or approval. It’s something I was meant to do.

I’ve been drawing since before I could form full sentences. (My mom still has an intricate swirl pattern I made when I was 18 months old!) I’ve spent my entire life perfecting this gift—not just the technical skill, but the emotional depth and intuition behind it. It’s not about making something pretty. It’s about making something meaningful.

When a client hires me, they’re not just hiring a graphic designer. They’re choosing an artist who brings decades of lived experience, creative instinct, and storytelling to every single suite. They're receiving more than paper—they’re receiving memory, emotion, heritage, and beauty that endures.

More Than a Price Tag

Sometimes in conversation, the energy shifts. What starts as shared excitement can slowly give way to comparison or budget constraints. It’s a natural part of the process—but for artists, it can also be a moment of quiet reckoning. Over the years, I’ve learned that not every project is meant to move forward, and that’s okay. Those moments have taught me something incredibly important: create anyway.

Even when the outcome changes. Even when the booking doesn’t happen. Even when the value of art is measured in numbers rather than meaning—create anyway.

Because what I offer is more than paper and printing. It’s a lifetime of experience, intuition, and care. It’s the ability to take a fleeting idea and bring it to life with color, texture, and soul. I don’t create to compete. I create to connect.

And for the right couples—the ones who cherish the emotional weight of what we’re making together—that connection is everything.

Creating, Always

That conversation, while unexpected in its ending, still gave me something. It gave me inspiration. It gave me clarity. And it reminded me that even when a client walks away, I am still called to create.

So I did.

The suite that emerged from that spark will be one I share soon—and I hope it speaks to the right couple out there. Someone who feels the pull of beauty, of personal touches, of heirloom design. Someone who values not just the final product, but the soul that goes into it.

Because in the end, I don’t create for the masses. I create for the heart. And the right clients always find their way here.