On this episode Ariel is joined by Nina Barnett, a marketing and design professional, UX/UI designer, single mom and entrepreneur extraordinaire, to tell the story of her multiple pivots in life, from personal challenges to moving jobs to moving states and cities without a job to go to and what she’s learned from them along the way.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
After a decade of working as a book designer in New York City for various publishers, I just knew I wanted to live on the West Coast and for the next adventure in my life. So, I did it, I moved to Seattle, got a laptop and was ready to freelance but eventually got a full time job as Seattle isn’t a publishing town. I eventually got made redundant in my third trimester. No one would take me on, so I really decided to go freelance in a different industry.
The next pivot, which I wasn’t expecting, or would wish on anyone, was the divorce pivot. That wasn’t a fun pivot, but at that point I had a 3 year old who was in preschool, so I had the days free to freelance, but once he was in elementary school I had to figure out childcare and how to get contract work/full-time work. But I realised I didn’t have a lot of the skills that the market needed. So, I pivoted again to general graphic design, rather than publishing. It wasn’t the time to go back to school and learn new skills, I just needed to get work with the skills that I had.
I had to really rely on myself. As much as it was scary, it was empowering at the same time. Coming from New York, I always felt I had a sense of resourcefulness and grit. You don’t have to come from there to have those qualities, you just have to be ready in advance and thinking ahead. I always had to rebrand myself, create a new website and marketing materials for myself for whatever U was trying to go after.
My Mom’s house was massively damaged by Hurricane Sandy and, thanks to a contract ending early, I was able to help her clean up 40 years worth of stuff she’d never thrown away, which was emotional, and get the house in order so she could eventually move. My Mom said, ‘you could do this for other people’ and this led to the mid-life crisis pivot, which was me getting burned out and sick of graphic design and starting over like my Mom was starting over. So, I created the company Home Serenity Now, which was organising and interior designing for people for a couple of years, despite not having the skills to do it. But it wasn’t enough money, or solid enough, so I went back to graphic design part time for Time as well as interior design, for a while, and it reignited my love for graphic design again.
During the pandemic I went back to school, because I knew I didn’t have the skillset for digital graphic design… I didn’t even understand the job descriptions! It came at the perfect time, my son was a teenager now. I did a two-year course in six months because there was nothing else to do because of the pandemic! I became a sponge because I wanted it so badly and I wanted stability for me and my child. I learned that I’m really capable of doing things that are difficult. Believe that if I can do it, you can do it.
BEST MOMENTS
“I’ve always listened to the feeling I’m getting”
“For a very long time I was always changing things in my life, and I had to be ready for the next thing that came my way.”
“You have to be ready when an opportunity comes your way, and you have to make those opportunities.”
“I found such joy helping people redesign their bedroom, recreate their office, get rid of things they don’t need and really capture the essence of who they are in a three-dimensional, physical way.”
ABOUT THE GUEST
Nina Barnett, UX and Visual Designer
Nina Barnett is a lifelong learner, and a visual storyteller with grit—she’s adaptable, ambitious, and diligent. Her keen eye for detail, extensive background in art direction, and multi-disciplinary problem-solving skills allows her to create impactful design solutions. Nina enjoys collaborating on web & mobile apps, social graphics & marketing collateral, logos, and book design—and she does it all with a smile.
To Reach Nina:
UX Design work: www.ninabarnettdesign.com
Graphic Design and Book Design work: www.ninabarnett.myportfolio.com
ABOUT THE HOST
Ariel is a Licensed Massage Therapist, Registered Clinical Hypnotherapist, Reiki Master, Empath and Psychic who has been involved in holistic healing since 1988. She is also an educator, speaker, author and mentor for empaths, spiritual seekers and medical professionals. To reach Ariel, go to www.arielhubbard.com, where you will be able to contact her directly. Please let her know you heard her on the podcast and the assistance you need or question you have.
Website: www.arielhubbard.com
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