From Stamp Sets to Digital Designs: Amy’s Graphic Design Journey

For our next student spotlight, I am happy to introduce you to Amy Gray! Amy joined BYOL recently as part of her decision to expand her graphic design skills. 

I find Amy’s career path fascinating and am so impressed by the growth mindset she embodies. Read on to learn about her journey from law and business to education to card making and now graphic design! As you’ll learn from reading about her journey to BYOL, at each stage of her career she has learned new skills and paid attention to the areas she is most passionate about which eventually led her here to BYOL. 

Thank you for sharing your story with us, Amy! 

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

I'm Amy and I'm originally from the beautiful Peak District in the UK. I'm currently settled in Cheshire which is not too far from Manchester: it's a perfect balance of country and city life!

I live with my husband, Chris, and our rescue kitty, Jem. I like to think of Jem as my feline study buddy as I'm currently a remote graphic design student trying my hand at a career change later in life. Midlife crisis? Maybe LOL! But it's never too late to try, right? During my study time, I often find that Jem is more interested in lying across my keyboard to get my attention rather than helping me study! 

Alongside studying, I'm able to practice my skills by volunteering at my local animal sanctuary where I create social media posts for them (it's a total bonus that I get to go to the sanctuary every week to socialize with the animals and take their pictures!). I also help the school I'm studying with by creating social media imagery for them. 

In my spare time, when I'm not studying and practicing my design skills, you'll find me either doodling with pencil and paper or on my iPad Pro; enjoying a gaming session on my PS5 or hitting the gym (one day, I'll be able to do those pull ups!). 

Tell us about your career path.

How long do you have? My career path has been pretty varied! 

Waaaaaaaay back I studied Law & Business, but found myself working in a secondary school (high school) supporting and teaching students aged 11-18. Outside of work, I was getting my creative kicks from my hobby of papercraft and cardmaking which led to running a pretty successful blog and the opportunity to work with some fantastic craft companies. It was while in that industry that I wanted to try and design my own stamp sets; while I could doodle designs on paper, I didn't have a clue as to how to convert them to digital format for manufacture. So ,with my very limited technical skills, I taught myself to do it and was lucky enough to have some stamp sets designed and sold through those companies. I'd say that doing that and running my own blog was a key starting point in piquing my interest in design on a computer. 

After 10 years of teaching, an opportunity arose to be the editor of a cardmaking and papercraft magazine. The only editing experience I had was marking students' work, but I threw my hat into the ring and couldn't believe it when I got the job! I enjoyed editing a variety of papercraft and sewing magazines for a few years and learned so much. It was very much like being thrown into the deep end and learning to swim! I was particularly interested in magazine layouts and design and would find myself sitting next to the art editors working on InDesign, asking them all the questions about design and the software. One particular art editor was extremely kind and taught me some InDesign basics to the point I could edit our layouts on screen rather than on paper. I think this was when I started to get the design bug! 

A couple years later, I was asked to be involved in developing new craft products for the papercraft, art and sewing market by being a product development manager. I decided to go for it as it was a great chance to learn something new. I found that my favorite part of this role was working with the graphic designers that would design the products and packaging; I would sit with them as they worked on Adobe Illustrator and InDesign, and they'd take my ideas and suggestions as we worked together creating a final product. They'd tolerate all my questions and, again, a few of them were nice enough to show me the basics of the software. 

Next, cue the 2020 pandemic. Lockdown made working conditions tough, but we managed to continue and somehow I think it made us stronger. However, in the back of my mind, the pandemic had made me question what I would like to do next. I wasn't getting any younger (I was approaching my 40s) and looking back I could see that design had always been there in the background as something I enjoyed, so, I decided to take a big leap of faith and study graphic design. I'm now studying full time and loving it! 

How did you develop a passion for design?

It may sound cliche, but I've always been a creative person which I believe naturally leads to an interest in design. I was the little kid that was more than happy to sit for hours with paper and crayons; I was the student that used to spend her lunchtimes in the art room getting creative with techniques such as lino printing; and today I'm the adult that loves to take in design and appreciate it and also try my hand at it, too. I'd say my passion for the more graphic side of design developed through my career path and being fortunate enough to work alongside great creative people. My passion for it only grows as I connect with other like-minded people through BYOL and my amazing graphic design course tutor who is my biggest cheerleader. 

How did you find yourself at BYOL?

When I enrolled on my graphic design course, I found that although I knew a few basics of Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop, there was still much to learn! I popped onto YouTube and found the Bring Your Own Laptop channel which was a lifesaver. I followed the beginner videos for the software and loved the teaching style. From that point it was a no-brainer to join BYOL - the idea of learning all of these skills while also having a supportive and welcoming community to do it with really appealed to me.

What is your favorite BYOL class? 

I'm focusing on Adobe Illustrator as that's the software I use most with Photoshop and InDesign coming a close second. I'm really enjoying the revamped Illustrator Advanced course and find myself amazed at what I'm able to create thanks to the lessons and homework course projects. Let's just say it's my favorite course so far...(I'm looking at you, Photoshop!). 

What advice would you give to someone looking to grow their graphic design skills? 

1. Throw yourself into practicing and experiment with different styles and applications; graphic design is such a wide industry with so many roles and niches - there's something for everyone's strengths. 

1. Enjoy the learning process, stay curious, and don't be afraid to share your work and ask for constructive feedback as it's how you grow as a designer. Don't believe that everything has to be perfect: choose progress over perfection. Don't be afraid to make mistakes - we all make them and there's a power in learning from them. 

1. Give feedback to others. Learning to study and constructively critique the work of others is as valuable as receiving feedback in terms of development. 

1. Be inspired by others, but not intimated. Imposter syndrome is a horrid beast that can paralyze us all at some point - but the way to fight it is to ignore that voice in your head and carry on with your creative journey. 

1. Join BYOL: you can do all of the above in a fantastic safe place and no question is too silly to ask! 

What is next for you? What are some future goals you have? 

Who knows what's around the corner? In terms of BYOL, my goal is to complete the 

Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop courses as those are the programs I use the most; the other courses are a total bonus that I'm sure I'll study in time. 

Although I'm currently taking on odd freelance graphic design jobs here and there, I'd like to get some regular graphic design work where I'm able to work alongside other designers to learn from them and I'd like to finally get my portfolio and website created. 

Oh, and how could I forget? Another goal is to continue building up my strength to be able to do at least 3 pull-ups in the gym!

Anything else you would like to share that we should have asked you? 

I'd just like to extend a big thank you to everyone at BYOL for being such a great educational design community. I remember enrolling a while back and feeling like the new kid, a little nervous to upload anything, but thanks to the kindness of others I soon felt brave enough to share my work. I'd like to extend a special shout-out to both Pedro and Manu as I remember them being especially welcoming and supportive and they continue to be  - thanks, both! 

And, of course, a huge thanks to everyone at BYOL for creating these awesome courses in the first place and adopting a fabulous, easy-to-learn, informal teaching style that welcomes everyone. Dan, you have taught me and others so much and brought so much joy to my creative journey as I grow as a designer, thank you! :) 

Thank you for being part of the BYOL Community, Amy! We are so happy you’re here!