Keep On
It is currently July 9, 9:59pm EST. I am listing to a the Spotify ‘This is Alfa Mist’ mix and about to launch my updated website for Darin Michelle Studio. One of my favorite songs by Alfa Mist, titled ‘Keep On’ comes on and I realized how fitting of a title it is for my first journal entry on this new website.
It is currently July 9, 9:59pm EST. I am listing to a the Spotify ‘This is Alfa Mist’ mix and about to launch my updated website for Darin Michelle Studio. One of my favorite songs by Alfa Mist, titled ‘Keep On’ comes on and I realized how fitting of a title it is for my first journal entry on this new website.
Many moons ago I purchased the domain darinmichelle.com to launch my first website for my freelance design career. After years of design and growth under the name Darin Michelle, I was convinced that if I truly wanted to grow, I needed to expand and secure a more official business name to design and work under.
19FIFTYTHREE is born
Originally, a moniker for a small streetwear brand I wanted to start, 19FIFTYTHREE quickly turned into the business umbrella I desired to fit all of my design pursuits under. As 19FIFTYTHREE grew, I grew my roster of designers, animators, and project managers to work alongside. Leading creative direction and working in collaboration with other creatives was exhilarating. The height of 19FIFTYTHREEs’ design business was between 2019 and 2022. I made the most money I ever made, had an impressive list of clients, and was generally happy with my work, but incredibly stressed.
As time went by, I realized that convincing myself that I needed a particular type of growth was just that - convincing.
con·vinc·ing
adjective
capable of causing someone to believe that something is true or real.
After all of this growth and steadiness, I was still missing one thing: balance.
Despair can bring about the greatest change
During a reflective period over my career, I suddenly lost my father.
Grief made me reevaluate what was most dear and important to me. I found myself thinking about the big and small details of my life; realizing that I was my happiest in my life and design career when I was in a steady stride as a solo freelance designer. If you are a designer reading this, you know that that steady stride is not always easy to come by. I had it! I was in stride! Growth opportunities came, and like most growing business people, I took them. They led me to incredible collaborations, work, and friendships, but I was still lacking balance.
Slowly but surely, the demand of work became too much and at the height of our busyness, I lost my project manager (for the best reason ever - motherhood). As I started working more and more by myself again, I was reminded of how much I loved this cherished time where I wasn’t just overseeing so many projects - I was fully immersed and creating from a much more balanced and honest space. The client work changed and though scary, the shift felt good and necessary.
Get back to basics
Over a three year period, I had grown from a collaborative designer and creative director to a full design and marketing agency. I craved the days of just focusing on creative direction and design and not worrying about being a fully stocked design and marketing machine. I missed one-on-one consults and having the ability to slow down and perfect a project without having to run it by a group of people. I missed the balance of working with clients who sought me out purely for my design sense and style.
Instead of living in a state of constantly craving, I have decided to make the change and get myself back to basics.
Darin Michelle Studio will focus on one-on-one Creative Direction, Design, and Consulting for creative projects, events, and organizations.
Darin Michelle Studio is not a team. It is me. Welcome.