When I had the idea to start a business I knew nothing about, I remember thinking, “I hope I can make this work!” Now, 32 years later, I look over my long career and business with astonishment. I have been a graphic designer and business owner for more than half of my life.
The early years were tough yet rewarding. Not only was I teaching myself design skills with every new project, but I was learning to run a business. There were successes, and of course, there were failures, and the latter proved the best education any growing businessperson could hope to find.
For the bulk of my career, I focused on small businesses, designing logos, websites, and many other brand elements. In 2016, I was starting to feel a bit weary and thought there was nothing left in design that would excite me and entice me to keep designing for another 15 or so years. But I was wrong.
I was presented with the opportunity to design something I had never designed before— a book cover. I was skeptical at first, worried that I didn’t have the “design chops” for such an endeavor. Again, I was wrong.
Seven years and over 300 book covers later, I am loving my design business again. Along the way, I added interior formatting/design, eBook formatting, and author websites to my services. It is a joy, and an honor to work with authors, helping them bring visual life to their words. I would have never predicted this career turn for myself, and I think that makes it even more rewarding.
In 2020, I wanted to write that book I always told myself I would write. I worked with an amazing writing coach and editor, and Perpetual Conflict: A Journey of Art and Redemption was born. My writing journey taught me that writing is not an easy task, and when you write a memoir such as mine, it brings with it a significant emotional element.
Perpetual Conflict is centered around the first three months of my “teaching myself how to paint” experience. Each chapter focuses on a specific painting, the artistic and emotional issues that arose as I painted, and explores aspects of my life and how they relate, or sometimes explain, to those issues. It’s a raw and honest glimpse into my psyche that will hopefully inspire others and help them to see they are not alone.
I didn’t set out to write a book for catharsis, clarity, or change, but leaned in when I saw it was the path the writing wanted me to take. I am grateful for the experience and clarity the writing process gave me, and can honestly say I am a different person because of it.
You can check out Victoria's book cover designs at WolfDesignAndMarketing