Today we’d like to introduce you to Donna Deck.
Hi Donna, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I established Donna Deck Creative in February of 2021 out of my passion for print design and a need for a creative outlet after a challenging year in the midst of a pandemic.
The lockdown of March 2020 was unexpected and uncertain. I had ushered in 2020 with the notion that “This will be MY year!” I decided in late 2019 that, after close to 20 years of being a stay-at-home mom, it was time for me to prioritize ME. I began to create a plan to reinvent myself. I did not know exactly what this would look like. I knew it had to be centered around my love for graphic design and, specifically, designing invitations.
My confidence level was mediocre – while I had kept my skills up all those years by creating custom invitations for myself and my friends and family, I was unsure about how I would compete with all of the other talent out there. Especially the young talent! In December 2020, I was hired as a part-time graphic designer for advertising at a locally-owned community newspaper in my area. I felt this would help hone in on some skills and boost my confidence. Plus it was the ideal situation for my family – twice a week, every other week during production. It was perfect!
Come March of 2020, my part-time position was no longer. The shutdown of our area meant that the newspaper would send most of its staff to work from their homes and operate on a skeleton staff of about five people in the office to continue to publish the paper. It actually worked out – at this time my family really needed me full-time once again. For months, I refocused my energy into helping my family navigate this uncharted territory of a global pandemic. My husband was working at home. My four children (ranging from college to 1st grade) were schooling at home. We were all doing life together AT HOME. It was a situation we expected to last all but a few weeks. We had no idea it would go on for months and months.
Fast forward to December 2020. Heading into 2021 was dismal. I certainly did not have the optimism and enthusiasm of the year prior. A health issue was still raging through our nation and politics were heavy and tense, I was feeling the lowest I had felt in quite some time because there was no light at the end of the tunnel at that point. New Year’s Eve was depressing, New Year’s Day was the same. But here we were – 2021. What was this year going to look like?
After much meditation and prayer, I decided I could not remain in this funk. I decided I needed some inspiration. I turned to a book called “Big Magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert. I did not expect much out of reading this, but it sparked something in my soul that made me believe in my creativity and my purpose.
One of my personal pandemic projects was to organize our storage space in the basement. During this task, I came across a woven box that I recall saving years and years ago. I opened the box and it was filled with greeting cards and pretty stationery. The cards and letters were filled with kind thoughts – happy birthday, thank you, job well done. I read them all – some from people that are still in my life including my mother and my childhood best friends. Others were from friends that I see occasionally on Facebook with a post about their travels or their kids. I decided that my niche was greeting cards because of the special place those handwritten notes had in my heart.
Donna Deck Creative was born.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The silver lining of this pandemic is how the STL community has come together to support small local businesses. The success of Donna Deck Creative is a result of this. Deciding to sell in person at local vendors and farmers’ markets was the best choice. Talking to people face-to-face gave me confidence in the dream I was fulfilling. People’s kind words fed my soul. And meeting others who, like me, felt a connection to people through handwritten notes and cards restored my faith in humanity. The journey has been a smooth one because of the community I have become a part of with other local small business owners and with the beautiful people who have sent their positive vibes my way.
The only challenge in all of this has been work-life balance. Since March 2021, I have been juggling family, entrepreneurship, AND… wait for it… a full-time gig as the graphic designer for the previously mentioned community newspaper! It’s a rather ironic, serendipitous story. After fully committing to pursue the greeting card dream, I signed up for my first season of markets. I kid you not, almost as quickly as I clicked the “submit” button an email came through from the publisher of the newspaper I had been working for the year before.
The current graphic designer resigned and I was first on the list of candidates to fill the spot. I was in awe – shocked that after 20 years of staying at home with my children doing the most important job I’ve ever had to do that I was being offered this opportunity. I couldn’t pass it up! So that which is my greatest challenge right now feels like my greatest reward.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I create what I like to call “no-fuss greeting cards for all occasions.” Every card that I design is blank on the inside to offer space for personal handwritten messages and drawings. While many designs are of the happy birthday, thank you, or seasonal nature, most of my cards are for anytime greetings.
I do this because sometimes the unexpected, thinking of you, just saying hello note is exactly what lifts spirits and makes days. I have been told that people appreciate the clever, silly puns that are many of my card designs. That’s a little peek into who I am and the things that make me LOL, which helps me connect with my shoppers!
Who else deserves credit in your story?
My biggest supporter, by far, is my husband Kevin. He has encouraged me to turn my dream into a reality. He has constantly reminded me of the value of my time and creative process. He has been honest about what works and what doesn’t. And he has been my right-hand man at each and every market. He gets up early, drives us to the locations, helps unload the car, puts up my tent and banner.
And when he finishes, he gives me the space to set up and walks around offering assistance to other vendors who may need it – putting up their tents and hanging their banners. When the markets begin, he handles the quick math because he knows my brain doesn’t work that way. He shoots the breeze with everyone that shops the booth.
He walks around and supports other vendors, coming back with beautiful crafts and delicious food. And when it is all over, he takes down my banner and tent, helps pack the car back up, and asks, “When is the next one?”
Contact Info:
- Email: dd.creative.stl@gmail.com
- Instagram: @DonnaDeckCreativeSTL
- Facebook: @DonnaDeckCreativeSTL
Image Credits
Holland Saltsman, The Novel Neighbor, and Laura Dooley
