Hustler of The Week: Liz Battaglia

The journey to graphic and web design was a complete accident. Or maybe it was luck. This girl went to school for music.  I began my college career with a double major in voice and music education. I loved the limelight that came with being a classically trained vocalist, but soon found I began to hate singing as my “job” when it used to be my “passion.”  So, I ditched the music major and explored creative writing, public speaking, and advertising. Through copy writing courses, my interest in advertising grew. I asked a friend to lend me a copy of Photoshop, so I could better illustrate my copy writing ideas. I began teaching myself in my spare time, using online tutorials, books, and good ol’ trial and error.  My friends were out at frat parties; I was teaching myself lighting effects in my dorm room (I am part nerd, after all).  I never utilized any design skills other than “playing around” until my first full- time position, and it was definitely “trial by fire.” Hitting the ground running, I was determined to learn what was needed to make stand out visuals and copy for my employer.  Soon after I started, strangers began asking who did my company’s design and ad work, and asking if I was available for side jobs.  I started LB Design Group in 2004, and the rest is history. I absolutely love what I do, and really look forward to helping people make their businesses better by creating solid and consistent branding.

I have always had my hands in many cookie jars, so yes, there has always been some overlap between all of my endeavors.  Luckily, most of these have been able to help each other, or add to one another.  For example, my skills as a designer have enabled me to make killer graphics for my digital magazine, www.SoJoHappening.com.  I am able to offer my LB Design clients the ability to advertise on SoJo, and vice versa. Through both I am able to offer pro-bono services to many different charities – whether designing a flyer for a fundraiser, or posting info about a toy drive during the holidays, I find this aspect of my career very fulfilling. Something simple for me can often mean the world to a person or organization who needs the help.  One hand always ends up washing the other. I am lucky in that way.

Many people tell me that I work all the time, but I’m passionate about what I do, so I never look at it the way people in corporate America do. Do you live to work or work to live?

Liz:

So much of what I do in life is work-related, but unlike those “corporate” jobs you speak of, my work overlaps (in a good way) into social/personal life all the time. Many of my past coworkers are like family to me. Many of my clients are now good friends.  The meshing of the two doesn’t phase me at all. Even as a 9-to-5 employee, I never considered myself to have a “daily grind.”  I have not ever felt like it was not fun to get up and do what I do. In any position I have held outside of my own business, coworkers have looked at me as the chick with the “fun job,” and that does not bother me one bit, because it’s true!  My mom was an art teacher, and she was the one who truly instilled in me the goal to “do what you love.”  She was an art educator for over 35 years, and her talent was an inspiration.  She begged me not to go into the arts, but here I am, and loving it!

Right now, LB Design Group consist of me, myself and I.  Quite a rowdy group, if you ask me.  In ten years, I would like to have a swanky office and a couple of designers who can take creative direction and produce, while I focus on growing the business.  For SoJoHappening.com, I hope my site, and the Happenings Media network of websites continue to grow at a quick pace, and we become well known as THE source for everything HAPPENING in our local markets.

Liz:

My most productive work environment for graphic design is an office outside of my home – - on a weekend.  The less people around, the better. The more solitary I am, the more work I can bang out at a time.  When people are around, the social butterfly in me wants to fly around, have fun, and procrastinate.  I have a couple of late nights per week where I get into “the zone” and produce 70% of my workload at once.  SoJo is a different story – I am constantly updating SoJoHappening.com via phone or PC, facebook, twitter and the like.

Describe your craziest day of juggling your professional and personal life.