Between Creation and Reality

It wasn’t quite as simple as “making a living through drawing” (haha),
but I kept drawing every single day—until it became something my hands simply knew how to do.

And yet, not everything was beautiful or easy.

Like any creative field, there was always the pressure of results.
If your designs didn’t sell, there was no reason for you to be there.

Sales teams wanted designs that would sell.
Designers wanted their ideas to be trusted.

If the company performed well, it was thanks to sales.
If it didn’t, it was often the designer’s responsibility—
or sometimes the other way around.

I slowly began to understand that becoming a designer was only the beginning.

Continuing to be one meant facing both struggle and fulfillment, again and again.

( Not from my early days, but a memorable design nonetheless )

At the time, styles like UGG shearling boots and Minnetonka moccasins and fringe boots were hugely popular.
Designs inspired by these trends sold quickly, almost effortlessly.

Looking back, it feels like a different time.