Good Bear Is 18 Months Old
Originally published on LinkedIn on October 5, 2020.
A little over 18 months ago (19-20 months? Time isn't real.), I left the corporate world after a dozen years in advertising and design to start my own business. I have varied professional experience, having worked at agencies, on in-house teams, and at start-ups. I've designed for huge international brands and local nonprofit organizations. I knew I had a pretty good network to lean on to get work, and I knew I had that special something IN me to make it happen.
Good Bear Creative is a multidisciplinary creative studio specializing in graphic design, illustration, creative strategy, and content creation for brands and partners. In the first year of business, Good Bear Creative saw a lot of success. I worked on brand positioning and strategy projects. I created designs that brought new brands to life. I made logos, designed marketing materials, created social media content, wrote radio scripts, created storyboards for videos, wrote brand stories, designed packaging, created illustrations for brands, and more. I hired freelancers and creative partners. I helped start-ups establish themselves through strategy and design and shared in their success. I traveled with clients, drank (so much) coffee with clients, and celebrated with clients.
Right after Good Bear turned one, Covid hit. The business went from "I think I need to hire people to help me full time" to "uh oh" real quick. I took that time to panic a little. Sometimes, I panicked a lot. I spent a ton of quality time with my kids. Like, so much quality time.
Amidst the abyss of virtual learning, isolation, and the existential dread we all felt (and continue to feel) in 2020, I shifted a lot of my energy towards illustration and art. I don’t remember a single day in my entire life I haven’t drawn something, and I have a Bachelors of Fine Art. Art is simply who I am in my soul, but I’ve mostly dismissed my doodles and artwork as insignificant or imperfect. Or worse, I’ve written off visual arts in general as a hobby. However, 2020 brought Big Whatever Energy™, so I posted a lot of my work on Instagram. Before the depths of the pandemic, I would have never shared these things, worrying they were off-brand and second-guessing myself as a visual artist.
I don’t want to act like 2020 is a blessing. It’s Really Bad. There’s nothing #blessed about the tragedy the world has seen this year. Is there a lesson? A silver lining? In my experience, I have found that the Really Bad Things In Life might be the universe putting everything in perspective to say “why not?”
By prayers, magic, and a tiny bit of small business relief, Good Bear survived and is thriving again. In addition to client work doing branding, strategy, creative, and consulting, I opened an online shop selling goods I've designed, and I've started to license my illustrations.
What I've learned since starting a business and living through a pandemic while parenting 24/7:
Be flexible as heck. The only thing constant is change.
Set those expectations pretty low. Lower. Lower. Okay, perfect.
Get comfortable being uncomfortable. I've heard the discomfort is growth.
Make something creative every day, even if it's "just for fun."
Be shameless about sharing work. What do you have to lose?
Don't compare your journey to anyone else's, especially during 2020.
Jump in and figure it out. You are never perfectly prepared, and there will never be a perfect time or perfect conditions. Honestly, throw the idea of perfection out the window.
I'm so proud of what I've built. I'm beyond grateful for the client work that helped me launch in 2019 and the work that kept me afloat during 2020. I couldn't have built Good Bear without the wonderful friends and family who helped me believe I could do it before I even started, and continue to cheer me on today. I'm so lucky I've survived so far. I'm constantly learning and resetting goals to do better and be better.
Despite the chaos of the past 18+ months, my mission has remained constant: Do good work and work with good people.
To discuss creative needs for your business, email me at sarahuse@goodbearcreative.com.
Like/follow my work on Instagram: @goodbearcreative
Good Bear is also on Facebook, if that's more your jam.
To purchase designed goods, visit www.shopgoodbear.com. (More products coming soon, probably!)
