Why Now? -- The REDTAIL Journey
REDTAILcreative has a history far longer than it’s official existence. We could start way, way back at the beginning, where a small girl found a large red feather while hiking with her father. The moment was special because, not only had this feather once been connected to a rare and powerful raptor, but it happened to also be the exact hue of red that the girl’s hair was. Yes, the girl is me, and no, I don’t remember what happened to the feather, though I can tell you that it sat in my room for more than a decade.
The first draft
Flash forward a bit and the girl is out of high-school, ready for the next adventure. I had been pursuing very primitive graphic design for some time, having clocked countless hours tinkering with imaging software. Time spent working with a local photographer also helped shape me for future endeavours. My goal was to start a small business out of my parents’ basement and slowly build from there. The business name that came to me — Red Tail Images.
The name was registered and I had landed some decent design jobs, however, life turned in unexpected ways and I found myself needing a traditional job to pay the bills. This lead to my career experience with TD Bank. Though it was a far-cry from the artistically fulfilling future I had imagined for myself, my time at the bank taught me invaluable lessons about money management, running a business, working hard and how to provide great service. I served in many positions including financial services, investment solutions and service management. Through it all, I would take on small design and writing jobs to keep my toes dipped in the industry.
remembering the dream
An unexpected double-maternity-leave-inducing-surprise in the form of our second child put me in an interesting position. For the first time in nearly a decade, I had the chance to take a real stab at being a freelancer. Times were tumultuous and I’d be lying if I said the whole experience wasn’t mildly terrifying, but at the end of my first year, truly pursuing my original goals found me with steady, decent pay, more than 400 published posts and an editing gig.
From that point on, our business has grown to accommodate both written and visual content needs, embracing design along with text. My husband and I work together — me managing all accounts and forming ideas left, right and centre, and him, letting me bounce those ideas at him constantly while also polishing up designs with his vast graphic design knowledge and keen eye for mathematical details.
We now manage multiple social media accounts while also streaming constant content to companies all over North America. But in our off time? You’ll find us at the ski-hill, in the woods, or on the beach.
