Today’s tidbit: “I’ve come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that’s as unique as a fingerprint – and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you.” — Oprah Winfrey

With so much going on, lately my blog posts have been a little longer focusing on the changes that have been happening as well as summer adventures. Today’s post will be shorter, focusing on a freelance design job I finished mid August.

A little background: My senior year at GMU I was a TA for a package design class. The semester before I took the same class and I have to say it was a love hate relationship. It challenged me more than any class I think, with countless all nighters and sometimes brutal critiques. All the research, sketches, mock ups and proofs paid off though and I am still proud of those projects. I was fortunate to get the opportunity to TA and enjoyed helping students and providing feedback during critiques. Since then I have kept in touch with both the professor as well as a handful of students, one of which reached out to me with this freelance job. She had a friend who needed a poster design and with no time with new twin babies to do it herself, she contacted me to see if I would be interested. This project not only had to do with horses but also had a bigger goal: ovarian cancer.

Sneak peek image:

Be sure to click below to read more and check out more pictures. Enjoy!

How it started: Since leaving TGD, I have been working on freelance jobs and really want to use my design and photography with the idea of a bigger goal or message in mind. With GMU, I worked on a 4-piece design project with Student Services on a summer reading program for incoming freshman. The focus was Start Something That Matters, by Blake Mycoskie who created TOMS. In a few weeks I will be doing a full blog post on this job.

The goal: I heard about this design project, a poster for Hoofbeats to Hope, not long after the GMU project. As I mentioned it has to do with riding and horse shows, which already interested me, but it was more than that. As Hoofbeats to Hope states, “Our goal is not only to raise the awareness of ovarian cancer but also to empower women to listen to their own bodies and ask their doctors to address the symptoms. We wish to raise money to aid in awareness measures, promote research to find a reliable diagnostic test and push forward with a cure of the many causes of the disease.”

From Hoofbeats to Hope: I asked Kathy, who I have been working with at Hoofbeats to Hope, if she would mind giving me some highlights about the show and the reason they started to raise money for ovarian cancer. Below was her response, which I think is perfect!

“I would like to thank you for all you’ve done for us in designing the poster and putting us in your blog. I really appreciate it. My sister was diagnosed with ovarian cancer when she was 57. She was diagnosed very early with the disease so we thought she had a high probability of beating it. Unfortunately, that was not to be. She was re-diagnosed about a year later and retreated and was only stable for about 6 months, then retreated shortly after that with another, more aggressive drug. Long story short, she finally was accepted into a drug trial at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, MD to take part in a drug trial. Unfortunately, that drug only kept her stable for about 18 months and she succumbed to ovarian cancer in March 2012. She died at age 64.

We started putting on the horse show and silent auction as a way to raise awareness in the equestrian community, predominantly female in this area, about the early signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer and to raise funds for the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance. That non-profit organization’s mission is to advocate for the interests of women with ovarian caner, including lobbying for funds for continued research for an accurate early diagnostic tests and improved treatment protocols. They also send survivors into medical schools and nursing programs to educate the students about ovarian cancer. I could go on and on about the disease and a woman’s need to know about it.”

My take on it: I was sorry to hear about Kathy’s sister but I love she not only WANTED to do something about it but ACTUALLY is, by spreading the word and raising money. It’s really wonderful! I thoroughly enjoyed working on this poster for Hoofbeats to Hope. I fully support the cause and the powerful message. It does make you think about what is important and what you want to do.

It’s coming up! The poster was printed and hung up all over different venues and bulletin boards last week. I hope the show is a huge success on September 21st.

Have a wonderful weekend! It should be absolutely gorgeous in the DC area. I will be in Roanoke, VA for my sisters bridal shower!!