Meet Christel Guaico

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Christel Guaico. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Christel, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

I stopped and asked myself: What do I love to do, what are my God-given talents, and is it even possible? It’s when I actually took the time to pause, pray, and look into myself that I found my answers: I love to create, God gave me the ability to create, and although it may not seem financially stable, I have no idea where to start, and others might thinks its a bad idea…I’m going to try.

Finding my purpose was a long journey. I think I truly started the search for my purpose starting junior year of H.S. This is because it felt like this was the expectation- to know what you are going to do for the rest of your life, to know your purpose in this world. I felt this heavily those years. It actually took 5-6 years after graduating for me to discover what I was truly meant to do. This delay was mainly because I was so focused on what my peers and elders thought I should be and do.

I wish most, if any, told me I was meant to create from early on in my life, but that wasn’t the case. Instead I heard that I needed to go to school and get a job that would give me financial stability to buy a house, provide for my kids, and eventually retire. I unfortunately, for the longest time, just sought the approval of those who expected that of me. I just wanted to make them proud.

I had the hardest time trying to accomplish this goal. I decided based on this and some interests I had at the time, that my dream and purpose in life was to be a Forensic Pathologist. If you knew me at the time, science was not my subject, it wasn’t something that came easy to me, it was just something I thought was “cool” or “interesting”, financially fulfilling, and would make everyone proud. In fact, when I look back it seems like my creativity was just following me around hoping I would recognize it and it’s worth one day. And I did, it just took me a long while to step out of others’ expectations and opinions about what my purpose should be.

I was studying forensic science for 2-3 years. It was difficult, I constantly felt like I didn’t belong. I thought it was because I just didn’t have the same intelligence as my peers did, I didn’t have the drive for it like they did, and the excitement like they did. I found myself stuck in a sadness I couldn’t shake.

It wasn’t until I started dating my now husband around this time (after 2-3 years of studying forensics) that I really started to look at what I want, what the future actually holds for me, what I want to do, and what I love. Because for the first time in forever, I had something that I could see a future with that I loved and longed for, and that was with him.

I decided to stop listening to what the world had to say about who I am and what I am supposed to do and I started listening to what made my heart beat ten times faster, what made my stomach flutter, and what talents God has given me that I should tune into and invest in. I stopped studying Forensic Science.

At this point now, I had already been working at a boutique; this was a good little source of income for me at the time. What I thought would be a simple retail job actually turned out to be a place to exercise my creative muscles. In that job I was asked to put together designs for the website, help design the email campaigns, and draw up some chalkboard displays. I took more time than I probably should have on these projects because I was enjoying it — my creativity was flowing. I found joy in doing all of these creative tasks, but still at the time never thought much of it. Little did I know, it was all planting a seed.

I ended up going on a mission trip one summer during this season of my life. We partnered with the Salvation Army to help those in need of food, prayer, or a listening ear. I came back home in search of a place where I can do what I did there. Before I started this search, a job along those lines found me, and I took it. The mission trip was an amazing experience, but it did take me down this unexpected path at this job that at first was far from working my creative muscles. That being said, I just knew this is where God needed me to be at the moment. At this point, I quit my job at the boutique and took on the job as an operations director of a local church plant. This job entailed a lot, mostly planning events and doing behind the scenes work. In this, I got to use a bit of my creativity. It wasn’t until 2020 that my role there expanded into more of a creative role. They were in need of graphics for live streams, email campaigns, and social media. So, I volunteered because the thought of that excited me. From then on that was most of the work I did and I never felt more passionate working on something other than this. I was able to look back and see how each creative moment, each experience, and everything I learned all lead up to this.

This is when it finally clicked. I want to create. I want to be a graphic designer.

So I took a leap of faith in a passion that again, I believe was there all along as I look back. I am currently running Christel Guaico Design, my freelance graphic design business. In this I found that logo design is my biggest passion. The fact that I get to get to help my clients take their first step into following their purpose and dream makes it ten times better. I really enjoy helping people take that first step or check off this huge step in starting a business. I find joy in helping them bring their vision to life in a logo that represents everything they sought out for their business to be.

All in all, my love and passion to create was always there in the little things, and I just never paid attention to it enough until I did. And once I did, I knew exactly what my purpose was.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I’m a freelance graphic designer. I own my own freelancing business called Christel Guaico Design. I’m also a stay at home mom to a 9 month old. I love to express myself through design and I love to help others do the same. My favorite graphics to create are the ones that give off a fun vibe with bright colors that are simple but funky. I also love the challenge of creating a graphic that sparks a specific emotion. I’ve taken on many different graphic design projects, but especially love logo design. I love working alongside my clients to create the logo of their dreams. I know what it’s like to want to get that first step in, starting is the biggest struggle.

Having the logo helps you move forward confidently and professionally; it’s the first thing people see and it represents your vision and mission of your business. The thought of that can be overwhelming for some, so I always love to partner with them and make it happen because I know just how scary or intimidating it can be to just start. All that being said, being a part of that process is just very exciting to me.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Being open-minded, being able to adapt to change, and giving myself grace are qualities that have been the most impactful in my journey. If I wasn’t open minded there are skills, experiences, and opportunities that I would have missed out on. Every new skill I tried out or every creative experience I took part of, I learned something and had growth come out of it.

There are opportunities that are going to come up where you might think to yourself “I’m not qualified” or “I’m not ready”, but you won’t grow and learn from any mistakes or experiences if you don’t try. Being open to try and being open to fail creates an array of endless possibilities and opportunities. Once you put this into practice you’ll find it easier to take the risks you need for continuous growth in your passion.

Being adaptive is a quality I believe every creative has to have in their pocket. Deadlines change, clients change their mind, and you yourself may realize you want to go in a completely different direction. Even skillfully, new strategies or processes might come about that can be super impactful towards your kind of work. I constantly discover new and even better ways to go about a project or particular detail within a design. It’s important to adapt and learn different techniques as you go so you end up working more efficiently in the long run. Like they say, “work smarter not harder”, especially when it will just bring ease to your process. So keep learning and looking for what’s new out there; there are tons of resources everywhere.

Out of the three, I would say the following has been the most impactful on my journey: giving myself grace. It is so easy to feel like you are in over your head, you don’t know where to start, your creativity is blocked, or when you mess up it’s over. Give yourself grace, no-one knows everything, we are all still learning, and it’s okay to take a break when needed. It’s important to know when to take a step back, breathe, and give yourself grace or start over again with a fresh and rested mind. Keep in mind that it’s okay to make mistakes and your self worth does not come from your work.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?

Being a stay-at-home mom these last 9 months has made it a challenge to be productive, to get into a creative flow, or keep a creative head space when working on a project. That being said, I’ve been able to get projects done because I’ve asked for help. It’s not easy asking for help, I personally develop some mom guilt — feeling like I’m not a good enough mom when I can’t figure it all out on my own– but that perspective is not going to get me anywhere. When it comes to changing my perspective I make it intentional to try and only focus on thoughts of hope; thoughts that give life. If a thought has no hope, it has no business taking up space in your mind. That being said, that’s easier said than done, but being intentional about what thoughts you choose to pay attention to is a great start.

Having a baby has also challenged what goals and dreams I have for the growth of Christel Guaico Design, like building my clientele or possibly owning a print shop one day. But recently, it never feels like there’s enough time or space in my life for that to happen. And I genuinely want to be with my son through every milestone, obstacle, and memory of his first years of life, but how do I do both? It’s been hard to find the balance.

It’s been a fight within myself to not completely lose the woman I was and the passion I had for graphic design before my son was born. But I have taken steps towards figuring it out and getting back to taking on more creative projects. One thing I’ve done is keep an open conversation with my husband. I would tell him “Hey, I don’t want this part of me to go away. How can we make this work? How can I take this on again?” Keeping it at the forefront has helped make time for my work in such an unpredictable schedule with our son.

The advice I would have to give to those going through this particular challenge I’ve faced is that you’re not alone; ask for help. Keep a conversation open with someone for wisdom, partnership, help, and accountability. Even if you don’t have family around, there are communities out there (churches, schools, online forums, local events, past connections) where you can ask for advice, or ask how they overcame the same challenge you’re facing yourselves. Just the fact that you are reading an article from Bold Journey is a step in the right direction towards seeking help and overcoming your obstacles.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://christelguaicodesign.com
• Instagram: @christelguaicodesign
• Facebook: Christel Guaico Design
• Other: Email.: christel@christelguaicodesign.com