Rising Stars: Meet Shelby Miller of Lawrence

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelby Miller.

Hi Shelby, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
It’s been a wild ride, haha. I went to school at KU to study graphic design and started doing freelance design as a student. That was about 10 years ago! Graphic design led me to a non-profit organization called Open World Cause, where I worked on their design needs for flyers and social media. It’s an organization that works with schools worldwide, so this led me to travel with them to Nepal a couple of times to visit a school there. I was working as a graphic designer for small businesses around KC, but these trips to Nepal made me want to learn more about education. Fast forward, I had a teaching degree and spent the next handful of years teaching while freelancing at a small business. Now, I teach graphic design in Lawrence to grades 9-12 and have recently taken on a substantial amount of freelance outside of school. In the past year, I just wanted to make stuff for the sake of making it. The process of art making and designing is therapeutic to me, so I started making things for fun. That led to me starting a little business called Color Me Shelby, which is connected to my new Etsy account. With this business, I’m setting up booths at local markets and craft fairs on the weekends starting this spring, and I’m marketing my design skills to people for wedding invitations.

Please talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road is never smooth; let’s be honest (haha). But the best part about my small business is that the more I share my story and talk with friends, family, and people I meet locally, the more connected I become. I’m seriously floored that whenever I share what I’m doing, I connect to a new person to talk to, a new resource, or a business. It makes me happy to see that other people want to help! Typically, those of us in the small business sphere wish to see each other succeed. I’ve learned a lot about design; I’ve learned new skills like digital drawing and website design. I’ve also learned much about less glamorous things like taxes and networking. I’m a lifelong learner, so whether fun or boring, I love learning new things. That will only make me more successful.

Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My business card says I’m a Graphic Designer, but with that comes a slew of other titles: web designer, social media manager, brand designer, illustrator, etc. I love that graphic design is so versatile. My friends and family know me as a creator or an artist. I have always made stuff. From being a young child, I’ve always had a table for arts and crafts specifically. To this day, I have dedicated my time to making things. I’m post proud of my paintings. Painting is one thing I do for myself and is one of the only things in the world I can do to turn my brain off completely. I’m also proud of my designs and websites. What sets me apart from others is that I’m very flexible and informal when working with a client. I am someone that clients go to when they need random designs done, and I have worked for a single company as their sole designer. I like freelance life because it allows me to try different styles and work with others. This has also allowed me to start my Etsy shop (new!) and now begin signing up for markets.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
What a good question. Risk-taking is inevitable. Whether you jump and take a risk or a risky situation is forced upon you, there will be a point where hard decisions have to be made. I am calculated and a planner, so I prefer to minimize risk at all costs. But the older I get, the more I realize that calculated risk is worth it. For example, I had to invest in my own business for Color Me Shelby to take off this spring. It takes money and time to pay off. But you never know for sure. I took a risk going back to being a teacher. I worried that I would lose touch with creating or designing since that wasn’t my day job. Even just emailing someone to ask about an opportunity can feel risky to introverts like me, but it’s worth it. You seriously never know who you’ll meet and what connection you’ll make, and either way, you’ll have a great story to tell in the end.

Pricing:

• $50 wedding invitation pre-designed
• $85 custom wedding invitation
• $45/hour for graphic design services
• 90% of my etsy is under $30!
• $500 for a base website design

Contact Info:

• Website: shelbygraphicdesign.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/colormeshelby
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shelbymi11er/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelbygraphicdesign/
• Other: https://shelbygraphicdesign.etsy.com