Hi my name is Colleen S. Krutewicz. I am married to a charming geek named Don. We live in the city of St. Louis, Missouri with our four-year-old orange tabby Mylo and three-year-old grey tabby Athena. For work, I am the sole designer at a prestigious pharmacy college located in St. Louis’ trendy urban Central West End. For fun I love to travel, play with my cats, watch movies, and drive my car along with a plethora of other things.

But who is designerish really? Looking back on my life at the ripe age of 32 I’ve noticed a common emotion that has carried me through all the stuff that has happened to me through out my life. It has always been my self-confidant and independent level of esteem that has kept me going. I think it all started back in 1979 when I was a toddler; I was at a ‘70s version of an open-air mall with my Mom when I wandered off while she wasn’t looking. I don’t know how long I went missing, I’m sure it felt like an eternity to my mother, but she found me when I came toddling back up to her as if nothing were wrong holding a teddy bear and a vinyl record. I had apparently felt the need to just go off on my own, as I often do, plus do a little shopping. Thus my capacity to manage my own affairs, make my own judgments, and provide for myself kicked off at the age of 3-years-old. Not to mention my propensity for shopping.

Since then, I’ve had more ups and downs than a rollercoaster, and with each down I’ve always pushed through to the next up. It wasn’t until 20 years later that I put a name to those emotions that get me through and that name is Designerish.

It was while attending the Art & Design school at Maryville University, and I was feeling pretty unconfident about my design work that one of my graphic design professors’ careless and inconsiderate remarks during final critiques of my junior year that pushed me over the edge and into the most abysmal low ever. That funk stuck with me throughout the summer and right into the 1st semester of my senior year, which was when I cranked out my worst work ever. I think what finally turned it around for me were the words of my figure drawing professor, Jim Rose, during midterms.

However, first a few words about Jim. In my opinion, Jim stood head and shoulders above all the other professors in the art & design program. He was that one professor who students either loved or hated. You know the type of professor I’m talking about, every college and university has one. He was the professor who said things to students that either made them cry or got them fired up. As you might guess I fell into the later group. Jim was actually the first professor in the first class I ever took at Maryville. It was in that class, Drawing II, one day that one of the other students was giving him some attitude that he threw her out of class—keep in mind he’d already taught her in Drawing I the previous semester—and I thought to myself, whoa this guy means serious business. I also thought that chick was cool as hell and I wanted to get to know her, which I did and now Kate and I are good friends. She, like myself, is another successful Maryville victim. But I digress; I was talking about Jim and how he turned my attitude around.

Whether or not he knew at the time that I was experiencing a pretty low low he managed to turn it around for me when it came time for the mid-term critiques. I had already had a few critiques with a couple of professors in my Major classes, which had been so-so. Jim on the other hand came into the critique room sat down, pushed back from the table, and leaned back in his chair and said, “I don’t need to see your work, I know you don’t care. I can see it in your work. So you know what, don’t bother putting in any effort the rest of the semester, it doesn’t really matter anyway.” And he got up and left. Whoa! Holy crap, that got me thinking and I certainly didn’t run off crying like a ninny. I knew exactly what Jim was up to, he was trying to use reverse psychology on me (btw, when I was picking a major it had been between graphic design and psychology). I was all over his ploy to kick me in gear and I thought, you know what let’s go kick some ass! I was back in the game.

The rest of my senior year flew by and I did kick ass and my efforts paid off. I was one of three out of twelve graphic design majors to land a full-time job before graduation. So Designerish has come to be about living my life in a confident, no nonsense, and independent style.

By the way, I’ve been on a constant up since marrying my adorable husband four years ago.