Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Anne Heckman.
Hi Mary Anne, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
When I was in fourth grade, I painted a picture of a rabbit and at that time, I knew I wanted to be an artist. I went to University of Texas and received my BFA in 1979, I concentrated in Graphic Design and Advertising. I worked for three ad agencies/design studios before being laid off in 1983. I looked for a full time job but nobody was hiring at that time. Without a client to my name, I decided I would start by own business, MAH Design in late 1983. My company helps clients succeed by offering an award-winning team of creative professionals. From traditional media like brochures and billboards, to newer platforms such as social media and email marketing. My business helps clients navigate the fast-changing landscape of Houston marketing with campaigns that get attention – and results.
I offer cost-effective solutions from an award-winning team of creative professionals. My list of clients both locally and nationally, include builders and land developers, retail, restaurants and healthcare. Products I have delivered to my clients, including corporate identity programs, logos, advertising, brochures, annual reports, collateral materials, point-of-purchase displays, posters, billboards, signage, websites and additional marketing materials. My graphic design business also includes photography for clients. My travel photography is featured in several local stores in the Houston area. I am in the process of gathering photos to use on online sites for stock photos.
When my graphic design work slowed down in 2017, I then started thinking what can I do to give back to the community. My love of my golden retrievers led me to volunteering for dog therapy for Faithful Paws and Paws for Therapy. I started in Faithful Paws after going to lunch with a friend and she told me about the organization and that she signed up to volunteer. I decided that would be rewarding and a fun thing to do since my graphic design work had slowed down. This was in 2017 and the dog therapy helped me recover from what a terrible year 2017 was. My mother was in the hospital/skilled nursing hospital from January until she passed away in May. My sister and I had to deal with getting everything ready for donations and an estate sale that the company that did it was AWFUL. Both of my previous goldens died in Jan of 2017 and I had Finn for two days before I put the first one, Buffett, to sleep. Hurricane Harvey flooded the house I inherited from my mother, that I had just had work finished two days before the hurricane came. I had a coming soon for sale sign in the yard. It was a terrible year and I really think dog therapy saved me. I wrote Connie Richards, who started Faithful Paws a letter telling her how much she and Faithful Paws means to me and how they saved me from a terrible time in my life. My story about volunteering has been featured in PetTalk, Coles Crossing Paper Boy and PinPointe Magazine Cypress.
My two dogs are Finn (4 1/2) and Sharky ( 3). I took classes with Finn for many months before he began volunteering. Finn was very energetic, especially at 8 months, when Finn started his training at Faithful Paws. He already had basic obedience when he started the classes. The founder and teacher of Faithful Paws, Connie Richards, worked with me and Finn and kept telling me to be patient, he is still a puppy. Ten months later, I took Finn to be tested for the AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) certification, and he passed! Sharky went to class two times and passed immediately. We started visiting facilities in June 2018 and both love it. I was told that Finn and Sharky needed jobs, now they have one, and excel at it!
I have seen firsthand how much happiness dogs bring to patients while they are in the hospital. My mother was in the hospital for many months and a visit from the dogs was the highlight of her day. Seeing the unconditional love dogs bring to patients is why I got involved with both organizations.
One visit that really stood out to me was when I walked into the large lobby at Methodist Willowbrook and a girl saw we and came running over to me. She said, “Thank you so much for being here, you have no idea what this means to me. My dad was just taken off a respirator from a heart attack.” Her whole family then came over to love on the dogs. This is very rewarding to be able to help someone but I had to turn away to hide my tears but so happy the dogs made a difference in someone’s final days.
Another memory that really stood out to me was when a lady had been non-responsive for several days and our team walked in with the dogs. She sat up and starting loving on the dogs. Her daughters were crying because they were so happy we came in because she actually woke up and was awake. We were told she was being discharged that day and the daughters were taking her home to die. This gave them some time to be able to talk to their mom before she passed away.
Faithful Paws was founded in 1997 as a ministry of Bellaire United Methodist Church. The certified pet therapy teams visit facilities including hospitals, nursing homes, rehab centers, schools, universities, and community groups. Training is provided and classes include basic obedience to obtain an AKC Canine Good Citizen certification. We also practice socialization with people, other pets, and other circumstances which pets may face on a visit to a facility. The purpose of the organization is to provide a team of organized volunteers, involving the trained animals specifically designed to administer unconditional love and therapy to adults and children in nursing homes or hospitals, and to share the love of our pets with the people they visit.
Paws for Therapy was founded in 2019 by a group of pet volunteers that also are in Faithful Paws. Their mission statement is to provide affection, comfort, and love through therapy animals to people in various settings within the Houston metro area.
Each facility has at least one team leader who coordinates the requirements for that facility. Requirements vary from facility to facility, ranging from TB tests, flu shots, covid vaccine and background checks to special attire, additional training, or further orientation. All members adhere to HIPAA confidentiality laws. Visits are arranged on a set schedule with a team leader at pre-designated facilities. Finn, Sharky and I visit Sampson Elementary and Spillane Middle School every week, and Methodist Willowbrook, St. Luke’s Vintage, Spring Cypress Assisted Living and Memory Care, in addition to other facilities in the northwest area.
I have also been able to give back with my graphic design and photography to both Dog Therapy Groups. For Faithful Paws I have designed calendars that were provided to the different facilities I visit in the NW area. I have also put together a video and posters to advertise how our therapy team misses our visits at Methodist Willowbrook Hospital, that were suspended because of COVID. We have started our visits back recently and the dogs and I love being able to make someone happy. I designed the logo for Paws for Therapy and have helped out on other design projects for that organization.
Faithful Paws and Paws for Therapy are wonderful organizations and Finn, Sharky and I love being a part of them and bringing some joy and happiness to others.
Another way my photography has given back to the community was during COVID, in my community, I started the Front Porch Photo Project, where a group of photographers helped me and we went to the front doors of families and took photos of them depicting what they were doing at home while in quarantine. After the photos were taken, they were given to the residents at no charge. Over 200 families signed up for photos. Upon completion of the project, I put together a book of all the photos, that residents could purchase if they wanted to. My project was featured on Fox Channel 26, Houston Chronicle and KSBJ radio. I was happy to help my community show a sense of community when we were all in quarantine.
Since 1998, I have volunteered my graphic design, photography and my time to the HOA of Coles Crossing. I worked as part of the marketing team for Coles Crossing until the developer left in 2005. I am on many different HOA committees in the neighborhood.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There were several rough times throughout my business. In 2007-2008 when business was slow, I weathered the slow times and business came back even stronger in 2009. When the onset of digital advertising started, I had to adapt and learn how to design electronic advertising and websites. I worked with website developers that would take my design and take it to completion. I learned that the traditional graphic design is totally different from electronic graphic design. It was really hard to adapt because I am a perfectionist and in the website world you can not get exact as you can in traditional graphic design (i.e. spacing, type faces, colors etc.).
I got my first digital camera in the early 2000’s and love the flexibility it gives you. You can take unlimited images and are able to color correct and enhance images that traditional film photography does not have that capability. I am glad I learned how to compose and develop photos in college because I can understand what goes into composing images to get the perfect image. You could take multiple images and there was an extra cost in developing the photos of all the images. Now you have the flexibility to look at the digital images before deciding on the final print or image you want to use.
In the previous section, I explained what I did in 2017 when my graphic design and advertising business started slowing down. I concentrated more on photography and also on giving back to the community with my dog therapy.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Graphic Design, Advertising and Photography – MAH Design LLC. 1983 to present.
I specialize in corporate identity programs, logos, advertising, brochures, annual reports, collateral materials, point-of-purchase displays, posters, billboards, signage, websites, photography and additional marketing materials. I am most proud of being about the own my own business from 1983 to present day and starting my business without a client to my name. I knew that I was very disciplined and could work from my home without any problem in not being productive. What sets me apart from others is that my clients got my undivided attention to their projects. They would talk to me about what they wanted and I am the person who does the design and production of their jobs. In a large agency, the client usually had to deal with an account executive. The account executive then had to communicate to the creative team what the client wanted. Because I am the only person my clients talk to, I could provide individual attention from start to finish of a project. With my photography ability, I am able to offer that to my clients and do not have to hire photographers.
What’s next?
I am planning on continuing my design and photography with MAH Design but also want to offer my services in my volunteering career of pet therapy. I talked earlier about what I have been able to offer for the therapy organizations I belong to. I love being able to give back and see how the dogs bring love, joy and happiness to others.
Once COVID is settled down, I want to be able to travel more and be able to use my travel photography for stock photography that people can purchase my images. I am happy that I can turn my hobby of traveling into using my travel photos in my business. I have also been able to take photos for my dog therapy visits to use in advertising and design work for both dog therapy groups that I am a part of.
Contact Info:
- Email: ma@mahdesigninc.com
- Website: mahdesigninc.com
- Instagram: @mary-anne-heckman
- Facebook: @mahdesigninc @maryanneheckman
- Other: https://mahdesignphotoportfolio.shutterfly.com
Image Credits:
Robyn Arouty
Thuvan Nguyen
Chelsea Davis
Richard Carson
Brandy Dykes
