How I Became a Freelance Graphic Designer—Pt. One
Part One: How my creative parents, annoying teachers, and love for Adam Levine sparked my interest in graphic design that eventually led to my career as a freelance graphic designer.
Let me be very clear, freelancing is an incredible gig, but it is not for everyone. I will be making a whole blog post about the pros and cons outlining some of the reasons. But for now just remember, the grass is always greener on the other side, and we will leave it at that. This post is intended to give you some background on the choices, extreme motivation, and sheer luck that landed me where I am today: a Los Angeles based freelance graphic designer.
It is not an easy journey, but let’s start at the beginning shall we? I am the daughter of two highly motivated, creativity-out-the-ass, came-from-nothing parents that I believe gave me some unique genes.
I have cool/weird parents—let’s call them ~unique~
My Mom | Felecia Pokallus, circa 1996
My Dad | Francisco Gonzalez, circa 1990
My mom is the perfect image of a confident, creative, entrepreneurial bombshell (that literally looks good in every hair color… like what!?) with absolutely no knowledge of a ceiling that could ever curb her successes. She grew up poorer-than poor, but decided she didn’t want to stay in that situation for the rest of her life. She became a hair designer, but not a regular one—her style and reputation we’re totally cutting edge, especially for small-town Mississippi. She owned a killer salon called Razzle Dazzle complete with neon everywhere, art deco murals, and a vibe that made you feel like you were in an LA nightclub. This is where I spent my time after school as a child & where I got my first highlights on my 5th birthday lol. Felecia is a powerhouse who later went on to begin a successful painting career, which substantiated my later claim to be an art major greatly. She sees beauty in connecting with people and captures that beauty in an artistic deliverable, whether it’s the perfect haircut or a fitting painting.
My Step-dad | Kevin Pokallus, circa 1980
My Step-mom (blue) | Rosemary Roosa, 2013 (featured in the show, Astronaut Wives Club)
My dad is a foreign, creative genius, filmmaker, and happens to also be tall, dark, handsome and outgoing as hell (what can I say... good genes); also completely unaware that failure is an option, which lends him his insane ability to take risks and try things no one else will. He came to America from Venezuela at the age of 19, with no money, a terrible ACT score, but with more passion and motivation than I had in all 12 years of primary school combined. After finishing film school, Francisico began a successful production company called Gonzaflex. He brought me on set beginning when I was a child and taught me all the tricks to frame the perfect shot and put me in front of the camera always. He thinks differently than the rest of the world, and chooses to see the good, which I’m thankful to know he passed on to me.
Additionally, I had the great pleasure of having two incredible entrepreneurial step parents, Kevin Pokallus, a business owner and musician, and Rosemary Roosa, a philanthropist, author and daughter of an astronaut. These amazing individuals are analytical thinkers—still so creative, just in more business savvy and technical problem solving ways. They perfectly evened out the creativity-overload I was endowed with from my birth parents.
All this is to say that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. It is pure luck that I have the parents I do, and it made my journey to my current career that much easier. I don’t take it for granted, I am beyond thankful for my upbringing even though as a child I totally thought I had weird parents—and guess what, I DO! And I LOVE that about them.
Creatively Gifted = my 6 year old scribbles were slightly better than the other children’s
My first graphic designed masterpiece, 2001 - age 6
I grew up around creativity and *big surprise* turns out I was creatively gifted from a young age. I was put into private art lessons (which my mom bartered for via haircut exchange to the art teacher, we love a barter & ily Mrs. Bellande) and all through childhood I grew my artistic abilities and tried literally everything. Drawing, painting, pottery, scrapbooking, baking, jewelry making, sewing, makeup—you name it. In highschool, I began to refine my art skills, and when I say “refine” I use that lightly. I had A LOT to learn, but I began to make a serious effort to better understand the principles of art.
At the exact same time, I was doing very well in school on the academic front and was being pushed by teachers to pursue a technical career as a doctor or engineer; a job, “where you had to be smart and you could make a lot of money,” lol because Art was definitely not that by everyone’s standards. Can’t say that was really motivating for me, but competition was. I loved being the best (not sure where that comes from, but it’s a blessing and a curse). I also loved pleasing my superiors, so I thought I would pursue a technical career because why not prove that I was smart? “Art is something “non-smart” people do,” or so I was told.
Break from the story: It’s so funny to think back on now, because who even cares what I do with my life, yet everyone thought they had some responsibility to tell me what I should do. So glad I chose not to listen.
Adam Levine is to thank for my career as a graphic designer
The hideous design that is to thank for my career | Gulfport Music Festival 2012 T-shirt Design Contest Winner, by Bella Gonzalez.
Even having made the conscious decision to not pursue art, art kept pursuing me. I used Photoshop for the first “real” time when I was 16 years old. The local radio was putting on a t-shirt design competition for an upcoming local music festival, where Maroon V (my fave band at the time) would be headlining. The winner would receive 2 VIP tickets. I had NO idea how to “design” anything, but I decided I would learn; I had to to learn, Adam Levine was involved!
The cringe level on this whole story is level 2000, but I’m just being real with y’all.
My career as a graphic designer can truly be dedicated to the 2012 Gulfport Music Festival, because guess what? I did learn how to design (very very poorly I will say) but design nonetheless, and I won that damn competition! Thanks to my teacher, Youtube, my crush, Adam Levine, and the art background I grew up with. Occasionally when I open Photoshop CC a glimmering vision of me standing front row in the VIP section with my mock-tail, smiling bigger than ever while Adam sang, She Will Be Loved, to me, appears in my mind. And I cringe, but deep down I smile, because we all have to start somewhere.
xoxo,
bella gonzalez
End of Part 1.
To be continued next week.
