DCTH

Highlight of the Week: Number 8: Andrea La Valleur-Purvis

Every week we at DCTH are picking a #DCTH user at random to highlight. This is a easy way to give back to the community for being so supportive in DCTH and a way to bring more people together and learn who is behind the avatar.

Andrea La Valleur-Purvis

Give everybody a brief summary of what you do:

I’m a European freelance graphic designer, now living in Seattle. A few years ago I stepped out into the world of freelancing, which has allowed me to take my MBP to see the world…working where Wi-Fi is a constant. Ok, this sounds fabulous, but most days I do the hustle from 6 am to the late evening hours. I divide my time between designing for work, for the future* and to help make the world a better place, one pixel at time. Freelancing allows me to take the time to teach kids in our community (while eating pancakes..no, i’m not kidding), reach out to those who need encouragement and mentoring junior designers. Now regarding the little *. In May I launched a new project, that is currently under development. Read more here artsypapers.com . Busy people get things done, right?  : )

What brought you to DCTH?

I found Chad’s comment on bittbox.com, followed the path of the yellow brick road and landed on his twitter page. Here was this guy announcing that he would answer design questions during a specific time via twitter, totally curious and wondering what on earth he was thinking…I joined in one Thursday afternoon….

What brought you to twitter?

Earlier this year, I noticed the design community taking twitter to a whole new level of global community, 24 hours a day. I quickly found tweeple with common interests, goals, offering advice and a grand love of pancakes. We connected via DCTH and other platforms and now I chat with designers every week, from all around the world.

How vital is connecting with others in this field?

As a freelancer, I find it especially vital to connect with other designers, dev teams, artists and writers. We inspire each other, not just creatively but also in our day to day lives. Working from home can often seclude you from the office environment. For example, @svgrob and I have created a mini-office, chatting daily, offering critique and feedback on current projects, brain storming on the best solutions and give ourselves the freedom to let off a quick rant or encourage each other.

Why Design?

I’ve been creating ever since I was a kid. My parents are both creative thinkers, so it came naturally to me. I’ve had the opportunity to study art on many platforms, including photography, printmaking and sculpture. Design was a natural extension of my ability to create, allowing me to design for print, web and physical environments.

What are some lessons you learned the hard way?

Don’t sweat the small stuff. If you make a mistake, be honest, make it right, show that you have integrity and are willing to keep your word. When working with small businesses, remember they are experts in their field, not in design. Educate them on the design process, appropriate styles etc. Show them that you are not just “a tool” but also a creative problem solver and an expert in your field. Believe in yourself.

Freelance or Full-time?

Freelance all the way. I have worked as an in-house designer for several years, always freelancing on the side. Now I work from home, sometimes onsite for a client when necessary. It takes discipline to stay on task and motivated to push forward, this is why connecting with other creatives is vital.

Where can you be found in the social media realm? (twitter, facebook, blog… shameless self promo ☺ )

Find out more about my work and my story at divinefusiondesign.com I am literally wrapping up a site re-design this week… here is a sneak peak.

Chat with me on twitter

Flickr: flickr.com/photos/divinefusion

Behance behance.net/divinefusion

Coroflot coroflot.com

Krop krop.com/divinefusion/

Any recent projects you want to show-off?

Just wrapped up an expansion campaign called Elevation ‘09.

See the Site Live (coded by @svgrob)

Check out my portfolio for the full view of campaign pieces.   Current projects include, an exciting project for a (board) game company, developing the game brand and packaging, launching early this fall.

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