Today we’d like to introduce you to Cece Page.
Hi Cece, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Since I was a kiddo, I have doodled and drawn on everything. My mom noticed I could draw flowers and other recognizable shapes with sidewalk chalk when most kids were scribbling and she began really encouraging me to create in any medium possible. This blossomed into a lifelong pursuit of art and creativity. I attended UGA’s art school and got a BFA in Graphic Design. For the next five years after college, I worked in a few different agencies as a graphic designer, spending my days in Adobe software and creating paid ads, websites, apps, etc. for different clients. When the pandemic began, I started to realize how much I missed putting a pen to paper or paintbrush to canvas. I got back into creating fine art and realized I wanted a life where I could pursue art and graphic design simultaneously. Fast forward to 2021; my wonderful husband, Sawyer, gave me the final push I needed to quit my agency job and pursue becoming a full-time artist and freelance designer. I now have my own LLC and have an incredible mix of art and design gigs rolling in and feel blessed to do what I love every day!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Hmm, yes and no. Yes because I’ve always had family and friends that have supported me and believed in me being “an artist” which is something so often associated with being a fluke or failure. I’ve never been made to feel silly or unworthy for pursuing this career path, and not everyone has that kind of support system so I’m really lucky.
No, because I found art school and agency life to be very exhausting and repetitive. Constant critiques and harsh feedback can wear on you over time and can also lead you to doubt yourself and your work. Especially after you spend hours on a painting or an animation in After Effects. However, I’ve built a pretty thick skin along the way and I’ve come to accept that what I make isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and that’s okay. There are bigger problems in the world.
Today, the bumps in the road include learning a lot of tax information since I have my own business, being my own account manager and client coordinator and handling all the invoicing and finances that come with being self-employed. But I’m learning and growing each day and it’s slowly becoming part of my process.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I like to consider myself a jack of all trades. I actually named my business The Cece Shop because one of my clients commented that I’m like “a one-stop-shop for whatever I need created” and that stuck with me. It was really one of the biggest compliments I’ve ever gotten.
I have a background in fine art and do a lot of commission paintings and drawings of homes, landscapes, pets, and portraits. And then on the flip side, I have my graphic design and agency background which allows me to do a lot of graphic design work like wedding invitation suites, t-shirts, event graphics, logo designs + rebrands, and marketing materials.
My favorite projects are when I can blend both things together. For example, creating a hand-drawn illustration and then taking that into the computer and integrating it into a t-shirt design or graphic I’m building in Photoshop is just the best.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
Oh boy, probably any of the trips to my grandparent’s house when we were little. They live about 30 minutes outside of Tallahassee, Florida. They have a tiny little house on 12 acres of land that feels like it’s the middle of nowhere and my siblings and I would just run wild there with our cousins. We would pick blueberries and oranges and bake with my grandma. Board games. Lots of crafts. Riding on the tractor with our papa. My grandma is also the one who taught me how to sew, crochet, cross-stitch, quilt and I think was definitely the first person to ignite the creative spark in me. She had a whole cabinet of crayons, markers and paints for us to use every time we were there and was always encouraging me to create something and have fun while doing it.
Pricing:
- $75/hour for design work
Contact Info:
- Email: ceceb.design@gmail.com
- Website: the-cece-shop.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/cecebeeee/
