Today we’d like to introduce you to Heidi Rolf.
Hi Heidi, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I am one of the fortunate few who grew up to do exactly what I wanted to (sort of). I wanted to illustrate children’s books when I was in elementary school, and I’ve done that. But the scope of my work has shifted with the times. I went to school for Visual Communication Design at Kent State University and got my BFA with a concentration in Illustration and a minor in studio art. During the course of my studies, I took a photography class, and after years of watching my dad take photos, I started to do the same. Right out of college, I decided to freelance, which was possible with regular work from American Greetings who often worked with freelance contractors. It allowed me to explore other areas, and I found I was doing a lot of portraiture photography and some weddings. Eventually, I wanted something more consistent, so I began a job as a Brand Manager for Indie Foundry, the sister business of The Cleveland Flea. I liked creating brands for new small businesses, but I also longed to grow with a brand. So, I left that company and returned to freelancing. My two regular clients were Preterm and The Spotted Owl. We decided to build a second Spotted Owl in Akron, and then the pandemic hit. While many folks found their work stopped in its tracks, we found that digital marketing (the world in which I now reside) was needed more than ever. By the spring of 2021, I went full-time for Owlbar and as of this year, I have been promoted to Creative Director for the company The Spotted Owl now falls under, Buildings and Food—a new, progressive hospitality group by Will Hollingsworth.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In some ways it’s been an easy path and in others difficult. I am very lucky to have resources to fall back on if I need to. But I didn’t choose a very traditional way of working/lifestyle, and it’s been tricky to make ends meet at times. Freelancing isn’t stable—even if you have retainer clients, they could always cancel contracts for one reason or another. The line of work itself is hard. I started in print design and shifted into a marketing world which is a one that is constantly changing and very fast-paced. I have had to learn new things on the fly, and I’m nearly always out of my comfort zone, which isn’t a bad thing, but it can be exhausting too. I’m a firm believer that choosing a career that pays the bills and isn’t necessarily a passion is a valid and arguably smarter way to choose a profession. Let a job just be a job that funds what you’d love to be doing. However, I’m not good at doing that. I have to be doing work that I actually enjoy and work that lets me live pretty freely. You make sacrifices to live that way. The hardest bits for me have been dealing with my own taxes. Everyone else would be getting tax returns, and I’d be paying enormous tax bills because no employer was removing them for me throughout the year. Once I turned 26, I had to figure out health insurance which is a living nightmare in this country. The time between contracts ending and new ones beginning are financially stressful. It can be difficult to create work/life balance when you work from home all the time. I choose to work with newer/smaller businesses, and that’s higher risk, but for me, all of the above is also higher reward. I work with people I love, doing things I love for places I believe in. I can also go swim in a quarry in the middle of the day, and nobody cares.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m the Creative Director for want of a better title because, at the moment, I handle a lot more than directing creativity. I currently do all the photography and most of the graphic design for Prosperity Social Club, The Spotted Owl, and Good Company. I also plan 90-day strategies, create quarterly reports, manage our social media manager, and work to create systems that will sustain growth. Lately, I’ve been doing some video and figuring out how to work with the press. We’re still a pretty small company, so the executive team is all wearing a lot of hats. But it’s cool to get to learn every aspect of the creative/marketing department because when we do grow, I’ll know how to hire people to take on the work we’re no longer able to manage with a small team. I think people mostly know me for my portraiture photography though. Outside of my full-time job, I still do some boudoir photography, and for a while, that’s what people mainly came to me for. There’s been such a range to what I do over the years that I don’t feel like I have one particular niche, or alternatively, I feel like my niche has changed. I used to be great at illustration, but without keeping up with it that skill has kind of taken a backseat to different creative priorities.
I’m proud that in spite of being a person who really prefers the comfort zone, I continue to learn new things and put myself in positions where I don’t have any other choice. I think subconsciously, I know that without forcing myself into challenging situations, I’d never challenge myself, and eventually, I would get bored.
As for what sets me apart from others—probably my versatility and just my overall attitude. I think I have a pretty practical way of looking at things, and I’m very formulaic in a way that isn’t always synonymous with creativity. It helps me tackle both sides of what I do which is making things look pretty but also making sure they’re serving a practical purpose for the businesses I work with. I love making things that are just art for art’s sake, but in my field, I need to be able to do both.
What do you think about happiness?
I think happiness is not a destination you land at, but instead pockets of joy you find throughout your life. I am in general a person who finds happiness easy to access, and feel really lucky that I’ve had the resources to feel that way. Lots of little things make me happy. Swimming in a body of water surrounded by trees, squeezing my nieces and nephews, going for a walk when it’s gloomy, EATING, being with my friends, family, and boyfriend/his awesome daughter, going over the top with a themed movie night or party, taking care of people, cuddling my kitty, taking photos that I don’t have to take, seeing new places, making new friends, etc., etc. I’m one of those annoying people who just loves being alive in general. There’s a lot of bad in the world, but there’s also so much here to just appreciate. I feel glad I get to experience life at all.
Contact Info:
- Website: heidimrolf.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/heidimrolf
Image Credits
Portrait of Heidi by McKenzie Beynon
All other images by Heidi M. Rolf
