Hi! I’m Karen, a visual storyteller. I’d love to help you capture those special moments in your life that tell the story of who you are, where you’ve been and where you’re going.
I’m probably supposed to say I’m an expert in something, but that feels so wrong. I’m always learning – so I never feel as though I know enough to call myself an expert! I like to say I’m a jack of all trades, master of none. I’ve done everything for my clients – from designing and developing their websites to search engine optimization and creating marketing plans for them.
My journey started back in 2000 when I worked for a consulting firm and we needed a website, so I cheekily told the owner I could do it! I mean, how hard could it be, right? Today, I look back and laugh at my naivete. But I digress…people don’t know what they don’t know and it’s our job as designer and developer to tell them what they need, not just what they want to hear. I’ve spent countless hours online over the last 13 years learning my craft (I like to say I’m self-taught with a lot of help from experts in their fields) by listening to podcasts, watching training videos, and taking online courses. Given the fast pace at which the internet moves, I have realized I can’t be an expert in everything, so I have focused mainly on design and development in the last few years, giving the other stuff over to true experts in their fields.
I actually love designing and developing – just not some the stuff that goes with it…management, etc. I love photo manipulation, and so even book covers and marketing materials are fun to me. Something you may not know – I dabble in photography and videography…and would love to start doing book trailers and promo videos – if someone else can storyboard it, I can create it.
Her Specialties
I design landing pages, websites, facebook covers, and any graphic elements that need to be created for promotions or marketing pieces.
I’ve been using Photoshop since 2000 (I started with a pirated copy of Adobe Photoshop 5.5!), and have had my own business helping authors, speakers, bloggers, entrepreneurs and small businesses since 2007. I am 100% self-taught and it’s astounding how many changes there have been since I began. Google has been a major player and now pretty much owns the SEO market and tells us what we can and can’t do…which is truly amazing when you think about it.
We all have different and unique gifts, and like the body of Christ, when we work together and use our special talents and gifts, it not only glorifies God, but also gives our clients the very best we have to offer through our work.
Her Recent Projects
Recent projects for MRM clients include website designs for Kerry Flowers, Myra Yarbrough, Rachel Good, and Shaunti Feldhahn, along with a book sales page for Carey Scott.
Her Education & Training
I am Adobe Certified in Photoshop and a graduate of the SEO training course by Moz, Graphic Design Bootcamp and Complete Digital Marketing Course by Udemy, Logotype Masterclass with Jessica Hische, and many more similar courses. I have taken hours of free online courses, paid courses, and watched countless YouTube videos and listened to hundreds of hours of podcasts by experts in the design and development fields.
Some of my mentors include:
- Abby Covert
- Dan Cederholm
- Veerle Pieters
- Ethan Marcotte
- Jeffrey Zeldman
- David Airey
- …too many to list!
Some things you may not know about me:
- When I was young, I was a thrill-seeker – I have skydived, bungee-jumped, and ridden some of the nation’s scariest rollercoasters.
- I was a buyer for Nordstrom in my 20’s – it helped shape my customer-service driven mentality and has been one of the most beneficial jobs I have ever had.
- I grew up in Alaska and in my teens, I gutted fish on a “slimeline” in the summer, earning upwards of $20/hr in the 1980’s!
I make a mean pot of chicken and dumplings!
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