Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Anderson.
Hi Amy, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
While working on my undergraduate degree in the Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University, I fell in love with my magazine class—from concept, planning, writing, photographing, editing, drawing, design and execution of the publication I was hooked. I had no idea that what I had been doing for fun on my Apple Macintosh Classic was actually called graphic design! I knew at then I would have to work in a job that combined so many of the creative endeavors I loved. My first entry-level graphic design job had me physically cutting, waxing and pasting pages together to prepare them for publication, staying up until we were ready to go to press each week; that turned into a promotion to department and publication manager, then I moved on to my next job as the art director and a designer for a company that produced crossword puzzle books and had commercial design and printing clients. After holding that position for a decade, I decided to go out on my own in 2007 after several clients repeatedly encouraged me to do so. I started small, working from home at first, and within the year had my first design studio in downtown Sandusky. I have every kind of client you can imagine from the sole do-it-all business owner to large corporations, small and large nonprofits, startups and everything in between. In a single day I can design pieces for health care and hospitality, which provides a variety of work that I absolutely love. I have owned 2 art galleries and had my design studio in several locations in downtown Sandusky. Fast forward to November 2025, 18 plus years later, when I have just moved my design studio (along side my husband’s clothing store) to downtown Lorain, Ohio, where I have definitely found my creative home! I am also now an all-vinyl DJ: DJ Amy Asterisk. Have 2 turntables, will travel, because I am, after all, an analog girl living and working in a digital world!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have, of course, been many struggles. Finding and securing good studio/office and gallery space has been one of the biggest struggles since day one, and a big distraction from actually doing my job. Honestly, this has been and probably still is something I wish I had the knowledge and resources to do something about. As a sole proprietor in the type of business I am in, I had almost no connections to anyone who could help me find a place for my first studio office. It took me so much time and so much legwork to actually find just two available commercial spaces that I could tour. There are absolutely no directories, websites, organizations, people, entities, or anywhere else you can go to find information about commercial spaces to rent. And, sadly, this has not changed at all in the 18+ years I have been in business. I know, because I have had to move so many times due to landlord issues, building sales, and even a tornado. It is bad enough that there are not many commercial spaces for lease at reasonable prices for those are just starting their businesses, but even worse that there is absolutely no way to find out about or get unbiased, comparable information about lease properties, locations, availability, amenities, rough estimates of utility costs and other information that would be incredibly helpful to small business owners. The other struggle was trying to run an arts-based business in a city that clearly does not place any importance on the arts. When the city government itself is against your efforts and you are literally the only single thing in the entire city in the arts at the moment in time, that is a very discouraging feeling. The bumpy road with the art galleries was very trying over the last decade or so, but moving to a new creative community is already doing wonders to breathe new life into my business in so many ways. Creative people need community; I have always known that and have always done my best to help other creative people by sharing my office space, hosted interns and job shadows, collaborated on projects, and offered my advice and insight to those starting out, but truly found it always brings me so much as well to see creativity from the perspectives of others.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a graphic designer, providing design for everything from logos to websites. I offer services in identity and branding consultation and design; print design of all kinds; website and digital design; social media strategy and design; and creative consulting. My creative wizardry, or creative consulting, is some of my favorite work. When I can sit down with someone—sometimes it’s for two hours, sometimes it’s for five hours—and we can brainstorm and work through all the things they have been wishing they could figure out for a while. Take the time to sit and work with a creative professional. Sometimes that’s all it takes! From that point, there is often design work to be done, yes, but it is really the creative spark that happens when a client comes in with a huge wish list of the things they have always wanted to accomplish and ideas they’ve seen done elsewhere. This wizardry and brainstorming are what spark the “aha” moments that are my favorite with my clients. I just want to sit and listen. Tell me all about you and your business. How did you get here? Why are you doing this? What does this business mean to you? Asking the right questions always gets to the heart of the business and how it should be presented visually, but no one can know that without really diving in deep. The thing that often sets me apart from other designers is my ability to write and edit content. My journalism background is a wonderful, and unique, addition to my web and print design skills, and one not often seen in other designers. I am happy to help clients tell their story in the most compelling and interesting light in a brochure, website, or other medium. The best design is a perfect marriage between imagery and content. And my newest creative venture… DJ Amy Asterisk: all vinyl DJ, spinning specially curated music sets including Bossa Nova, Jazz, Chill, Exotica, Soul & Neo Soul, Funk, all Jack White, Christmas, and more!
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I am brand new to Lorain, and I love it so much! Every person I have met has been incredibly welcoming, friendly, and genuine. I love the creative vibe here and there are so many artistic and talented people—it’s unbelievable! Everyone is unique, doing their own thing and proud of it, and I just adore that. I love how things are happening here, one thing and one spot at a time. Honestly, I literally just got here! That means the thing I like least right now is that I don’t know a lot about Lorain yet, but I am working on it. I am working on learning as much as I can and meeting as many people as I can.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://aha4creative.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/amyeanderson24
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/ahacreative
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahacreative/
- Other: https://djamyasterisk.com
