I am interested in social media technology because it seems to be a constant part of our every day lives and, it seems to even have entered the scope of direct to consumer sales in recent years in a way that it never has before. Social media used to be a way to communicate among family and friends, however now as I enter into the world of virtual assistance as a graphic designer, I am realizing just how essential of a role social media will have on my ability to create sales and advertise my services. For example, most successful businesses have an Instagram account to help boost their sales and gain followers who share their posts and help to get their name out there. I want to learn about how all of this came to be and what it means for Instagram to be owned by Facebook. When you create a business account on either social media platform, you will be asked several times if you want to add one or the other, or connect the two accounts. I have found that Instagram is more profitable and I am curious to also learn why that is. Anything I can learn about social media will be interesting from a business stand point because it seems to play a huge role when it comes to having a successful business that thrives or one that lags and ultimately fails because it was unable to keep up with the ever changing consumer demands.

Here’s a sweet little infographic on the intersting history of video games for you to check out! When I designed this, I had strict criteria to follow and could not have all of the information I would’ve liked but I hope you enjoy and hopefully learn something new like I did! Feel free to drop a comment saying what you liked or didn’t like about the design!

Keep on designing!

Ash

Hello and welcome reader! My name is Ashley Porter and here is just a little window into “all of the everything” about yours truly.

Born in 1990, I am a fan of all things 90’s kids. We are talking everything from Sailor Moon to Rocket League to Zelda Ocarina of Time and every single Final Fantasy. I’m married to a loving and suportive husband and I am a mother of three furry turds whome I love (more than my family’s desire for me to have actual human babies) and, I am working full time – (not doing what I love YET) – as well as working towards my BFA in Communication Design.

Entering into my 30’s, I have found that I am finally at a place where I know what I want, and that is to be a freelance designer and illustrator. I spent my 20’s learning about myself, dealing with big life changes and challenges and navigated down many different carreer paths. One thing is for certain however, no matter what I did, I always found a way to do something artistic or creative. I would always come full-circle back to my passion, art. Even when I was in the Army National Guard I would often be found doodling tattoo requests from battle buddies, designing the platoon flag, coin or t-shirt or simply sketching away while we hurried up to wait.

As a teacher’s assistant working with special needs kids, I would spend my time coming up with art projects and painting the classroom windows so the kids could enjoy vibrant colors and holiday cheer. When I worked for a short time at the California Conservation Corps training new Corps Members, I most enjoyed creating visual displays and posters, as well as the occasional whiteboard doodle of a pokemon character giving worldly advice…you know, as they do. Any administrative work I took on, still, I would wind up creating flyers, newsletters and more because those I worked with would discover my creative ability. Even in my free time I could be found painting windows around town for the holidays, getting down with some crafting or discovering new aspects of art I enjoy.

Currently, I work for an educational software company where I am basically customer service and technical support to anyone who calls our company with questions regarding our system. It’s not creative, not even close. It does, however, pay the bills and allow me to roll out of bed and work from home with a nice group of people until it’s time to take the leap into my chosen career. I could not ask for a better job right now as I work towards my dream, and with any luck, maybe I’ll redesign their logo for them someday or something. 😉

Recently, I have begun to promote my art and design services on social media and I have to say; the slow-going, fewer than 10 likes per post, could totally get me down if I didn’t know that it’s just part of the process. Right now I am moving forward toward my dream career and learning marketing strategies as I go. As I continue on my educational path I want to bring you along with me. In this blog, I will share what I learn, new insights I gain, mistakes I make along the way and, sweet success that we both can learn and grow from. Everyone starts somewhere and in this blog I’m going to dive into all the hurdles and exciting discoveries I make on my way to becoming a designer and doing what I love for a living!

Thank you for joining me on this journey! See you in the next post!

Ash