This week I sat down with Taylor Peet, Graphic Designer extraordinaire for one of Australia's leading female fitness faces Ashy Bines. We discussed all things from law of attraction, finding work as a graphic designer and how a lack of freedom within her past work seriously effected her creativity & love for designing. See how she actively took steps to 'design' her dream career and life!
Could you tell me a little summary of who you are, what you do and what you’re truly passionate about?
Oh hey!!! I am Taylor and I’m a Graphic & Web Designer for a fitness/health company called Ashy Bines! I am the only designer in the company and I make all creative content such as social media graphics, design all websites, design apps, basic marketing graphics, print design and have recently taken on some photography too, plus post production! Literally everything to do with creativity, I do!
I also run my own little side hustle @taylorevedesign, which is basically my freelance graphic/web design business that I’ve had for 7+ years (this year I have recently gathered designers to work for me because of my workload and the large amount of interest and recognition I have had with my career! My designers are #goals and they inspire me every single day!)
The reason I work in the fitness industry is because that is my number one passion in life. It’s the heart of everything I do and ever since I can remember I have always wanted to combine these two together and turn it into a career. I previously have worked as a Personal Trainer so I understand the health and fitness journey that most females experience, plus how important this aspect of life is, so to have the ability to create with the purpose of improving/changing lives really fills my cup up and I feel so incredibly grateful that my career is so aligned with my passion!
Why did you start Taylor Eve Fit (previously @taylormadebod)?
I started out as @taylormadebod, as a way to keep myself accountable to the program I was doing at the time, as well as a platform to advertise my personal training business “TAYLORMADEBODY”. I never intended to grow a following, but more so just simply wanted a spot to document my mindset, actions and recipes with the purpose of helping those around me who were on a similar journey to me.
What was the hardest thing about leaving uni and looking for work as a graphic designer? Do you have any tips to aspiring GD’s?
I feel my situation is uncommon so it’s hard to say! Before I even left uni I had previously been designing for an online retail fashion store and had been for 4(ish) years as a self taught designer (the team saw potential in me, and I was moulded into the business and became their first full time designer), so my situation is quite rare because I literally left uni and walked straight into a web design position for this particular well known fashion retailer that I had been working for previously!
However, I did have doubts! I think that’s because this online retailer simply wasn’t my ‘dream job’ – it was for womens fashion targeted at 30-40 year olds, and I was a lot younger than that and my passion was in the health and wellbeing world! I doubted myself so much because I wasn’t brave enough to put myself out there and take risks on my own. I knew that I couldn’t settle for the town I was working in (a small country town – don’t get me wrong it was such a beautiful place to live, but I knew my dream job wasn’t there!). So I believe the hardest thing (for me) was being scared to take a risk on my own. I quite literally shot for the stars and landed myself a position at the Lorna Jane Head Office as their Digital Designer in Brisbane, meaning I would have to leave my Personal Training career, my full time Web Design job, my partner at the time who I had been dating since year 9 (at that point we had been together for 10 years), and my best friends and family. I shot so high for the stars that it meant I had to move 14 hours away from my previous life where I ‘had it all’ and take this risk on my own. I moved to Brisbane, alone! I didn’t know a single person, and my pay went right down because I had lost my PT clients and a web design wage vs Graphic Design wage is very different, but I was willing to sacrifice that for happiness in my career, because I believe spending 9 hours a day working has to be something you LOVE, because it quite literally is a majority of your life. Soon after I realised my dream job was with Ashy, which I applied for and succeeded!
My situation is uncommon because the difference between my life after uni vs a regular GD student is that I had experience in an international business and succeeded beforehand, so I can totally understand that my tips might not help a typical aspiring GD! I have however been mentoring a girl who IS in that exact situation, and my number one tip is to put yourself out there with work experience. To succeed in finding a Graphic Design job, experience is the most significant aspect. The girl I am mentoring is the perfect example of what TO do in a situation of trying to find work, because she is getting an awesome portfolio with advice from myself, and showing future workers that she has the ability to handle designs for well-known companies. While she may not be making any money for her work, she will in the future by having this on her portfolio, and I believe that portfolios and experience are incredibly valuable.
How would you describe yourself as a leader?
This is crazy to me, because I would have never considered myself to be a leader until now. While I have always had traits as a leader, I feel it so much more today because I am the only designer for Ashy Bines. I make creative decisions, and I feel fortunate enough that the team trust in me more than I have ever been trusted in my whole design career.
I am extremely confident in what I do, and what has to be done. I understand the business values, and I am extremely aligned with the business in terms of passion. I am a leader because my experience is like no other, and I literally have no option but to only rely on myself for design decisions.
What is something you love AND dislike about your work in terms of staff empowerment and culture?
Having the ability to get into your own creative space is something that is so important for all creatives, so for me having the flexibility to work in my own creative environment is something that I see being a huge advantage for the work that I produce, and I love that about my current job as I work from home!
I also love the recognition that I receive from the amazing people I work with, as their feedback and support is something that keeps my creativity flowing which continues to inspire me daily.
Something that I experienced in a past job, was not having the freedom to be as creative as I would like to. I was given specific design briefs where even the layout was handed to me and I had to just pop the images in and the text. While the business was awesome, well known, and certainly a stepping stone, I couldn’t be creative and felt that anyone could do the job no matter what level they were at in their career. I soon left the job as I didn’t feel empowered and I simply felt I had no voice.
What has been your proudest moment in your career? Achieving exactly what it is that I dreamed of. When I was at uni, one of our projects was to create a portfolio targeted at the company we wanted to work for, and when I look back on all the research it all links to the career I have now. The law of attraction 100% worked it’s magic!
What are some daily rituals/thoughts you perform to promote happiness and wellness within your life?
I am all about that morning routine, because to win the day you must win the morning! I meditate, listen to a motivating podcast on my walk, then do a massive ‘brain dump’ when I get home to start the day, and it truly sets me up for good vibes and good intentions. This part of my day is so damn important to me, because my life could easily get ‘messy’ and unorganised if I don’t set that intention.
Where can we find you? #socials