And we're back! This week I'm featuring Liberty Riggs, of Jack & Liberty. I'd seen her around the Being Boss group and was super intrigued by the name of her company, and I'm so glad she's sharing her story today!

As a child, I wanted to be a _____ when I grew up. A whole bunch of things! As a kid, I wanted to be an English teacher, a rock star, an artist and a research psychologist. I guess I've always planned on being very busy.

How close (or far) is your current career from that dream? Well, I am an artist, just not in the way I thought I would be, and there's quite a bit of psychology involved in design - so I would say I'm pretty close. Unfortunately, I can't carry a tune, so 'rock star' was out pretty early on - but I do end up working with a lot of musicians.

What is your official job title? Currently I'm a 'Partner and Designer' at Jack & Liberty, in my 'free' time I'm also an independent design consultant.

Ok, now what does that really mean? Hah, well, Jack & Liberty is a business I run with my partner, Jack Sorokin, who is a photographer. Together we offer brand design and strategy for artists, musicians, and other creative endeavors. That means that I own half the business, am responsible for half the tasks involved with running that business, as well as 100% of the design work. Also being a consultant on the side means that when a project comes along that doesn't fit with the mission of my business, I can still consider taking it on independently.

What is a typical day like? Oh, man. I'm not even sure I have a 'typical' day right now, but it's something I'm working towards. Most days I sit down to work around 8AM, and I like to keep my WiFi turned off for at least an hour or two - that way I can just focus on whatever tasks I must get done that day without distraction. After that, I send out all of my client deliverable for that day and catch up on email a little bit. My afternoons are divided between client calls and meetings, office visits to my consulting clients, and the occasional midday workout.

How did you end up in this career? My first job out of college was in the Industrial Design department at Kohler Kitchen and Bath - that's where I really fell in love with design. I worked with their Artists Editions team, developing decorative patterns and color-ways for new products.

But I became an entrepreneur because I'm honestly a terrible employee. I like working to accomplish goals, not to meet hour requirements. I've always worked hard and been extremely driven, but I get easily burnt out if I can't connect with an organization's larger mission. So, I decided to try setting my own rules and working towards my own mission, and I love it.

What kind of education or training did you complete for this career? I was lucky enough to grow up in a city with a great arts magnet highschool (shout out to Booker T. Washington in Dallas, TX!) - so I got started on my arts training fairly young. After I graduated from Booker T. I went to the Maryland Institute College of Art and got my BFA in Art History and Printmaking. So I had a pretty extensive artistic background, but all of my technical design abilities were learned on the job.

What advice would you give to someone who wants a similar career? My best advice for designers just starting out is to get into an environment where you will be asked to work fairly quickly, and try a lot of new things. Early on in my career I worked at a small advertising agency and had to figure out everything from web ads to direct mail. It was challenging, but it was the best and quickest way to figure what I did and did not like.

Do you have any other career dreams? What do you want to be when you grow up? Right now I'm trying to build my dream business - and it has been a wild ride. I jokingly tell people that my next business will be some kind of interior decorating / event styling - but I wouldn't be surprised if I actually do that when I grow up.

Any last thoughts or encouragement for others trying to decide what they want to do “when they grow up”? You can do it! And with so many amazing online communities sprouting up lately centered around finding your purpose and co-creating your life, it's easier than ever to get support if you decide you need to make a big life change.

There's some great advice there, thank you Liberty! (PS - I love her name so much, don't you? Or maybe I'm just a little name crazy right now.) If you'd like to learn about Jack & Liberty, visit their site. If you'd like to see the awesome things Liberty shares on Instagram, follow her!