I started my freshman year at CMU as an instrumental music major with a choral minor. I was fairly certain I wanted to be a band director just like my Dad. I practiced and performed and studied and made some great friends. I spent more time in Powers Music Hall than my home.
Lightbulb Moment #1
As I stood in front of my fellow musicians in conducting class, I realized this was not for me. That was the moment I knew I didn’t want to teach music and direct a band or choir. So, now what?
The Search
After a tour with The Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps as a member of the color guard, I started searching for the right job and career. I lived in Washington, DC and worked in a bank near the Pentagon and was a bartender in a nightclub. I lived in Mt. Pleasant and worked in a community bank. I was pretty bored with banking and hated going to work.
Lightbulb Moment #2
When the new School of Music opened at CMU, I was hired as a marketing assistant. One of my tasks was to maintain the school’s website. And there it was! I knew this was my purpose. I took classes in HTML, CSS and Photoshop. I took classes in marketing.
Unfortunately, my husband at the time had a nomad mentality and liked to move around which required me to change jobs in new cities. I found a great job in Grand Rapids designing books and magazines and managing e-commerce websites. Then my ex wanted to move to Petoskey where there were no jobs for me in design or marketing. I had to take whatever job I could find to survive. It was a lonely place at first.
The Breakthrough
While working as a secretary (boy, I hated that job), I met a woman who dreamed of owning a web design company and The Geeks were born! We ran a successful web design company together for 12 years.
After my partner and I sold that business, I started Abuzz Creative with Eric. I am now in my favorite place in my career doing what I love.
From music education to web design, it’s been a crazy and creative journey!