Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah ONeal.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Actually, I began my career with a love of art and interior design, I sort of fell into graphic design. While in my last couple semesters at school, trying to finish up my art major, I added some graphic design courses. Would you believe I hated it! I was beyond frustrated with trying to learn the software and I would often lose hours of tedious work because autosave wasn’t a thing then in Adobe (I just dated myself) and so many tears were shed over my laptop. It was when I was on staff at a church that I was approached to fill some gaps for our extremely talented and insanely busy designer – so while he was doing album covers and blockbuster film websites – little, frazzled, me was painfully trying to imitate and coordinate to the larger items he was doing for our ministries. Can I tell you that it was the BEST training I could have ever asked for – for a job I didn’t ever want to do in the first place!
Eventually, friends began asking me to design for them, which led to referrals and recommendations to larger businesses and even a small publishing company. It wasn’t long before I began my own boutique studio and took whatever came my way! Here I am 15 years later.
Over the years, I’ve had a chance to design for all kinds of businesses. I’ve worked in print media, identity branding, website design, publishing and even collaborated for clothing lines. Motherhood has certainly played a role in the ebb and flow of my workload in recent years and it became more apparent that I needed to streamline my ‘yeses’ and focus on prioritizing the expertise I had in the publishing arena. As Amazon’s KDP platform has given self-publishers an even greater avenue for their message, more and more authors have found me! While my babies were young, book cover design, interior layout design and ePub conversions became my bread and butter – I did still work on plenty of branding projects, but it’s only now that my children have nearly all entered school that I’m able to see the ‘forest beyond the trees’ and allow myself the freedom to CREATE again and not be afraid to dive into more challenging projects. This last season has been one of growth and expectation with new projects, new direction and overcoming the dreaded *Imposter’s Syndrome that takes so many creatives captive!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
This is a loaded question! I will be honest, that my career was nearly handed to me on a silver platter – I was instantly busy – but with that came a trajectory that I didn’t know how to steer or steward well.
When you first start in an industry like this, often just to gain experience, you say “yes.”
“Yes, I’d love to do this for you!”
“Yes, I know how to do that!”
“Yes, I definitely can deliver it by this date.”
“Yes, I can make that work….”
All the while, silently thinking – “there’s no way I can do that, I’m not good enough,” or “where’s a tutorial– I don’t even know what tutorial I need,” or “I’m not gonna sleep because this deadline is impossible…” or “I think it’s the ugliest thing in the world – I don’t want to attach my name to this project!”
Learning how to communicate with people is vital in this industry. You’re not only taking their hopes and dreams for their precious book or their brand new business venture and bringing it to life – at times, you have to vision cast what will come and take into account future growth. You have to take their idea (whether it’s great or not) and create something beautiful and exceed expectations! Over and over and over again. All the while, you’re holding their hand, consulting, discussing, saying no to what they think they want, and opening up their eyes to what they need and what will truly legitimize them in their industry.
No pressure.
At the same time, so much of working in this industry is learning how to value YOURSELF and what you bring to the table. I mentioned Imposter’s Syndrome – for many years, I battled with my identity as a designer because I didn’t feel good enough – I didn’t feel like I belonged – or because of motherhood slowing me down, that I missed my opportunity to sit at the table. Other designers were doing things I felt like I could do too – but they beat me to it, and so then I felt like a copycat! Pinterest and Etsy would haunt me – I couldn’t even go on the apps without having anxiety about how much I was falling behind in this industry that was racing forward. So I began to say yes again to whatever came. I began to undervalue my time and cut down my rates. And I began to resent this creative gift I had and the jobs that came my way.
I was so unhappy.
And then I realized one day – we all have a unique voice – I don’t know if you know this but the word unique means prototype – the one and only, without rival. So, there is in fact room at the table for me. And for you. The creativity deeply sown inside me from the time I was born hasn’t gone away, or diminished and it doesn’t compete. Motherhood didn’t rob me of anything – for everything, there is a season. And in taking my seat at the table I’ve realized – that when I value myself and the talent God has given to me, then I value my time. And when I value my time, I say the best yeses. And when I say the best yeses, I’m not only honoring my family, I’m able to enjoy the gift I’ve been given. And I have stepped into new and challenging projects of this new season knowing I belong and I’m confident of the gifts and talents I’ve been entrusted to carry and use in this world.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Branding+Identity has always been a part of my body of work – On a monthly basis, I design and consult for a winery in California, a counseling center, a few restaurants, and a church. I’ve designed branding collateral for private schools and local businesses.
Through the years, I’ve worked primarily in the publishing industry with seasoned authors/speakers as well as many first-time authors. I’ve also worked with a few smaller publishing houses and book brokers. I’ve been involved in all aspects of publishing from book design to marketing. I love being a part of the entire project so there is a cohesive quality to the body of the project – from book jackets to the interior design of the pages, even to some of the art of their website and social media accounts. As self-publishing has really taken off in the last ten years, social media collateral has become a necessary component in authors’ book packages: so I’ll create a set of pieces they can use on their platforms to promote, quote their book highlight events, etc. And I feel that because I can see an author from start to finish – and give them an entirely cohesive and beautiful package, it sets me apart from going to another designer who may only do the book jacket or a quick stop and get a run-of-the-mill interior laid out. For the author: this is their message to the world – my job is to legitimize and make relevant their words to their audience! It’s an honor and privilege to play such a vital role.
Facebook showcases my broader body of work. If you skip on over to Instagram, I feature my home line: Eve@Home. As a child, I would often stare at a painting of a silvery bearded man sitting at the head of his table praying over his meal. It was hanging on the wall over my grandparent’s table. So many of the art pieces hanging on the walls of their home are etched in my memory – it’s like that for many of us – while we may not always remember words, we remember pictures. There’s a verse in Deuteronomy 6 that says to put God’s Word on your doorposts and talk about it when you are going and coming…and I knew God wanted me to create beautiful pictures to instill his truth in our children’s hearts so that even if they didn’t remember the exact words, they had the mental picture to draw upon. It was when my husband was battling cancer a few years ago, the word FEAST was heavy on my heart – it was evident in the way I was ingesting God’s Word and feasting on His peace as it was all I had as we stared down a road full of unknowns. And that’s where my vision for my home line began. I released my first series, titled FEAST only a few weeks before the nation shut down and peace was robbed from so many households as the pandemic hit. The release of the Feast series was exactly the reminder so many needed and I’m in awe of God’s timing.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
The demand for graphic designers is exponentially growing. We are a visual people – we see the beauty in creation and are awed over excellence. I only see the bar being lifted and the talent continuing to meet it.
I would advise young designers to find their sweet spot and run! Don’t let anyone tell you that you’re not good enough, can’t keep up, or that you’ve missed out. There’s constant growth and evolution in the design world and there’s room at the table for YOU!
Contact Info:
- Email: evecustomartwork07@gmail.com
- Website: evecustomartwork.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eve_custom_artwork/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/evecustomartwork
Image Credits:
Family Photo: Kendall Dean Photography
