Her Story
About Heather
I've been working as an artist and designer since 1986, when I was in college. I earned my Master's in Printmaking from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, which was really very interesting and wonderful, but I felt pretty quickly after graduating that it wasn't going to be easy to make a living with that degree unless I was a teacher. Since I didn't have an interest in becoming a teacher, I sort of moved with what I learned through the printmaking process about graphic design, which at the time was really just burgeoning in the digital space. I used what I understood about printmaking, because there's quite a bit of overlap, to kind of push my way into that field. This turned into lots of early branding before they called it branding, and then I sort of made my way as a freelancer to do branding for multiple businesses throughout my career. My most notable professional achievement was probably branding and all graphics and every aspect of the Willie Street Co-op here in Madison. I created and developed their entire brand and worked for them for about 12 and a half years, from 2000 to 2012. It included absolutely everything - logos, signage, the vehicles, vehicle markings, absolutely everything. I also did all of their interior work and basically brought the brand to the interior when they opened the initial store, and then as they began to open new stores, I did it for their other stores alongside an architect. I was responsible for the way that the store looked and how that brand carried through the store, as well as any other locations where the co-op was going to appear, like street fairs or the food and wine show we have here and different events. My other skills include architectural drawing and illustration, which I learned during my college years. I'm an artist that makes my way in the world however I can, which has mostly been branding up until very recently. Currently, I'm trying to start a business where I do architectural imaging for people, because I've noticed that there aren't a lot of hand-drawn architectural images anymore, and I'd like to put my materials to use in that area.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Heather
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to tenacity. My mother was a great example for me - she didn't have a higher education, just a college education, but when she and my father got divorced, my dad was fine and my mother was struggling. She worked very hard and because she was a good student, she was able to be hired at her school as a researcher, and then she was able to parlay that into becoming a professor without a master's. That was really lucky, but also because of her skill and ability and her tenacity. So I got that from her - I watched her struggle and I have a hard work ethic. I just was like, if I'm smart enough, I can figure this out. Usually in my jobs, I've been able to either get them or build them by just showing people what I can do, and also learning to basically write my own job description and say 'This is what I can do, this is what I see you need' and present that. So far, I've never been turned away. Everybody's always said okay. Now, whether or not they pay me what I think I deserve is another thing, but I've been able to at least get that experience.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say that if you're trained as an artist, you should also try to find business education, because the lack of that made it difficult for me. I was at this really nice, very highly thought of private art college - my mother was a professor there, so luckily I didn't have to pay for more than my lab fees and my materials. But one of the things that was lacking was how do I make money out of this if I'm not gonna be a teacher. So I would say it's extremely important to get business training, even if you become a graphic designer or illustrator, which might have a little bit more opportunity when it comes to employment. I really think it's important to get business training, maybe even two courses, because it's likely you have to start your own business in order to really bring in any money and not just be sort of a cog in a wheel that's stressed out all the time. You need to know what you're worth and what you should be paid as well.
Keep Exploring
More Influential Women · Wisconsin
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.