Life and Work with Courtney Bass

Courtney, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
When I was younger, about nine or ten, I loved to create flyers and business cards with mashed-together clip art and different fonts in Microsoft Word. I started with a prompt, such as an imaginary phone call from Jill’s Pet Sitting Service, where they needed prints for an imaginary event. Naturally, Jill would have color preferences and certain images she wanted to see in her designs. I would then challenge myself to create a unique and on-brand flyer or graphic for the client. I didn’t use this terminology at the time, of course. I thought it was fun to just be creative and make new things according to what “my customers” needed. I didn’t know then that I could actually make a living doing that as a graphic designer.

A few years ago, I was on the path to furthering my career in HR, when I took a computer graphics class in one of my final semesters at the University of Houston- Downtown. I really enjoyed working in Adobe Illustrator and just began to learn more about the software and what I could produce with it. In that process, a friend of mine needed a logo for her new business and asked me if I could create one for her since I had mentioned I semi-knew how to graphic design. I did, and then more people needed logos, and then people needed business cards, and flyers, and cover art, and shirt designs, and social media posts. As I continued to grow my skills in graphic design, my passion for the art and it as business/career continued to grow as well.

I hesitantly began to position myself as a graphic designer and contracted numerous clients. I received so much positive feedback when I shared my designs that my little “side-hustle” started to manifest as something I wanted to do full-time. In my second year of freelancing, I increased my design revenue by over 400%. I was doing something I loved, and I was impressed with how well I was doing it! In September of 2018, I received the career opportunity I had been hoping for, and I began working at a start-up non-profit as the Graphic Designer. I was no longer a sales associate/graphic designer, or an eyewear consultant/graphic designer, I was now just a graphic designer. It was the best feeling.

Currently, I am working full-time at that aforementioned nonprofit, and growing my own creative agency, VLC Designs, in all the remaining time. I love that I am growing with duality, and gaining experience in my industry from two different angles. With my creative agency, I have worked with a variety of different businesses and have pride in that the majority of those businesses have been owned by women. I wouldn’t be on this rapid path to success without the support of my sisters, who have contracted me loyally, and referred me to everyone that would listen. I look forward to launching my new website this month and continuing to expand my brand and reach while helping others elevate their brands.

Has it been a smooth road?
It hasn’t been a smooth road, but it has been a worthy one. As a freelancer who also works full-time for an organization, there can always seem to be a shortage of time. Managing my time effectively and making sure that I continue to practice good self-care habits has been my greatest struggle. I would tell anyone that self-care should always be your number one priority, and when you are at your best, your deliverables and business relationships will be at their best also. #TeamNoSleep is not the move. Another thing that I am continuously working on, is knowing my worth and being confident in that. That means setting a reasonable price point and sticking to it, no matter if one or two people say that its “too much”.