#WinningWednesday: Life Begins After 40

Sprawled among color pencils and a scrap of paper, the little girl is fully immersed in her creation – a garden scene with beautiful flowers, magnolias, daisies, and sunflowers and what not on the right; and next to these blooms, an intricately designed filigree of an iron gate leads to some unknown destination. And on the left side of the drawing, amidst thick luxuriant grass is a single wooden bench, on it sits a huge bug in a ballerina dress eating ice cream!

That’s little Kathryn McHugh Van Horn – one who’s not afraid to take on inspiration from her surrounding, refine it, expand upon it and claim it for her own. She’s artistic, enthusiastic and filled with imagination. Her creative mind is a gift that’s comforted her and carried her through to adulthood.

Design, colors, and concepts were no strangers to this talented lady. But they have only matured and polished when she got enrolled in college for a degree during her early 40s. The reason for her late entry into the graphic design industry was ordinary, but outcome extraordinary.  Back in 2009, like any other victim of economic recession, she was crushed by unemployment. Yet, her fierce soul and passion for things beautiful propelled her into the design field where she’s bloomed and become one of the top designers at ZillionDesigns.

Her edicts? In her own words, “When you choose design as a profession, you have to be a good thinker, and you also have to think outside the box. In design, there really is never a right or wrong answer to anything. You simply have to determine what is right for each client and each situation. You have to have a good eye for color, and know how to set a mood. You set the mood using typography, the right wording, the right imagery, and the right structure. Concept is key and you have to be able to come up with a solid one in order to develop anything at all.” How many would agree with this? Top designers would, I should say.

This inherent belief and determination to win over adversaries have led Kathryn to ZillionDesigns, where she signed up and learned how to win contests head on. Once she’s got a taste for design contests, she’s hooked. If not at her desk working on a concept, she can be found on Facebook giving her two cents to other designers having difficulty with the platform.

Over the years, her clients and peers have become a huge family of cheerers and followers. She’s learned and grown tremendously. A comparison of her earlier and current design concept submissions would testify to this fact. The secret formula to her success is simple to follow and contains the following ingredients:

• • Learn when the occasion arises
• • Take user’s experience into account when giving solutions to clients
• • Initiate and communicate with contest holders, even just to say “hello”
• • Ask for guidance
• • Respond promptly to requests
• • And when stumped for ideas, stop

Wise and practical, Kathryn realizes, like any other profession, graphic design also has its own set of challenges. Contest holders have bad days; some will not have a clue as to what they want; some will lack communication skills or are unwilling to communicate; and some won’t bother to give feedback. In such cases, either stay away from them or do a wonderful job that will “wow” them into responding. And that’s how she’s won over many clients and this one in particular who lives on a farm in Bridgewater, Maine:

After winning a contest for his logo years ago, he’s become a regular, sending work her way every season when his produce has to reach the market – from product labels to other print materials. She’s never done them before in her life but she’s learning. He’s not the only one who’s got hooked to Kathryn’s flair for creative designs. Here are some more:

Life’s good for Kathryn – as a freelance graphic designer, she doesn’t have to punch the clock, no boss screaming at her, or where the next interview will land her. She’s in control of her boat. She will work way into the wee hours if need be to complete a complex illustration like this one:

Or she can simply let go, weed the garden, take a walk, listen to music or sit on a swing in her backyard and let inspiration find her. To her, the best ideas come when she’s not thinking about it or when she’s experimenting with it.

“True creativity requires a willingness to play with the raw materials, whether those materials are words, paint, pixels, fabric, etc. Just don’t force it!”