Meet Kristin

This is the latest in our series of Staff Bios. Our team is composed of some very talented and interesting people and we hope you'll enjoy getting to know them through this series. Previously featured employees include Bobbie and Jim, so check 'em out!

Kristin Garner came to Creative fresh out of high school over seven years ago. At the time, she worked as a typesetter, making forms and setting up stationary and projects like that. It didn't take us long to figure out that she was capable of a lot more. As it turns out, Kristin's been “getting creative” her whole life!

Her graphics career at Creative began with a challenge. With no formal art training or graphic design experience, we asked Kristin to mock up a business card design. She brought in not one but three different designs and to say we were impressed with the results is an understatement. We knew right away that Kristin had a future as a graphic artist.

Now our pre-press tech and graphic artist, Kristin is the mastermind of all our graphic design projects. Although still without formal training, Kristin learns what she needs to know by keeping up with the industry and putting her skills into practice on a daily basis. “I continue to learn something new every day,” she says. “The industry is constantly changing and we have to keep up.”

As with most Creative Printing employees, there's no such thing as a “typical day” for Kristin. She's at the mercy of project deadlines, too.

“Sometimes everyone wants everything yesterday, so we're always on our toes,” she says.

It may be stressful from time to time, but Kristin wouldn't trade it for anything. “Graphics is my favorite,” she says. “My love is getting Creative!”

She still keeps in touch with her old typesetting skills, though, and helps out in typesetting whenever they are backed up with jobs.

Kristin may be busy at work but she might be even busier at home, as the mother of a 10-month-old son. She misses the photography she used to do, both as a hobby and professionally, but is quite content with life. Now, she admits, her son is her photography subject more often than not.

Her son got an early introduction to Creative Printing as well. Kristin returned to work just two weeks after giving birth, and brought her son with her.

"It was hard but it was worth it," she says. "Being a full-time parent and a full-time employee is definitely the hardest thing I have ever had to do. You have to put your child first and I'm very thankful to have a boss who understands that."

Kristin's advice for parents juggling their kids and their job? "Take each day one day at a time," she says. Sounds like good advice for us all, if you ask us!