Meet Carly Cruickshank

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Carly Cruickshank. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Carly below.

Carly, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

Imposter syndrome is such an interesting thing. And I think at times, no matter who you are, you are going to feel it. I don’t feel it in my design career now, because I truly believe that I am doing what I am meant to do. I trust that I am where I am supposed to be.
During grad school, I was in a very intense program at the Academy of Art in San Fransisco and there were days that pushed all of us. If I had not had a solid group of friends in the thick of it with me, who knows how this story would go. Having a support system to encourage you in the hard times and celebrate your wins is such a huge factor to success. If there was ever a time for imposter syndrome, it was likely during grad school. I overthought my designs and questioned a lot during that time. But even through all of it, I knew deep down that design was right for me.
My best friend told me that imposter syndrome means you are on the cusp of greatness. Something great is right there if you can just break through and stick it out.
Mindset is everything. Trusting yourself and trusting your timing is the first step to getting over imposter syndrome and then if you do feel it, know that greatness is coming!

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

After high school (which honestly was another lifetime!), I went to business school then attended fashion school. After that I worked for BCBGMAXAZRIA for a year before realizing that high fashion was not the right fit for me. I moved home and got a job as a receptionist at a packaging company. One day, we needed some art edited and sending it back and forth to the client would have taken too long, so I said that I could do it. I started to work on the box and realized that my true calling was in graphic design. I worked for a while with that company (Peek Packaging) and then went to grad school where I earned a Master’s in Graphic Design. I moved home, got married, and started work at Chuao Chocolatier, where I stayed for a long time. As a creative, working with one brand is nice for a lot of reasons but can also feel like your creativity isn’t being used to it’s full advantage. I love Chuao, I still work with them, they’re incredible. But I was feeling like it was time to move on. I accepted a position with another company and was offered some really nice perks. However, two weeks into starting there, the company sold and the perks were mostly taken away. I was bounced around between managers and the flexibility I needed at the time, was no longer part of the culture. I am grateful to have taken the position because without it, I may not have gotten the push I needed to start my own company. I stayed for only 5 months and left to start White Space Design. I made some good connections in those 5 months and over the years that I spent in corporate, which have been instrumental in gaining clients now.

My main focus is on consumer product goods, mainly in the food industry, still working with Chuao Chocolatier, which has been a huge blessing. I love designing packaging and photography, and fortunately those two things work nicely together. Once the packaging is done, I can help companies with their other graphic design needs. My preference is to work on a retainer model where I can dive deep into the brand and create all sorts of graphics in support of their products. It’s the best of both worlds, companies can feel like they have a graphic designer in-house without the cost of an employee and I get the flexibility while maintaining stability.

In continuing my entrepreneurial journey, last year, I started a podcast with my best friend, Kelly Avalon. It is called You Handled That Perfectly, letting mompreneurs know that some days are really hard and trying our best may not feel like enough, but it is, it’s all you can do. We are here to encourage, support, and most importantly, help moms feel seen and less alone in their motherhood journey. Somedays we only have 5% to give and if we give that 5%, we actually gave 100%. Most days, we just need someone to tell us, you did your best, and that’s what matters, we think you handled that perfectly. We are getting ready to finish up season 1 and we’ll jump into season 2 after the new year. The podcast can be found anywhere you listen to podcasts and we’d love to support your journey so join us on Instagram @youhandledthatperfectly.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Three qualities or skills that are most impactful are connection, learning, and dedication. One of the best pieces of advice I can give is to never burn bridges. It isn’t worth it at the time and people are so connected, best to handle things with grace. If you’re just starting your journey, make as many connections as you can. I am not saying to attend networking events for the sole purpose of collecting a bunch of business cards and maybe reach out to them afterward. You will be far more successful if you go to networking events and meet a few people but make a strong connection with them. And ask to connect again while you’re still together. Build relationships with people in and out of your industry. People in your industry can be a great resource or someone to refer work to if you are unavailable or your style doesn’t fit. Collaboration over competition will get you much farther than gatekeeping.
The second is learning. Especially in a creative career, always be learning. Keeping up with technology is so important. Things are changing daily and if you don’t keep up, it will be detrimental to your career. Accepting and learning about things like AI will ensure that you don’t lose to it but rather allow it to propel you forward.
Last, dedication, especially in hard times. Trust that what you are doing is right and be dedicated to creating the life of your dreams! Then take that and make the steps necessary to achieve it.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

For my design business, my favorite people to partner with are printers! Because I am an expert in packaging and print design, I love helping brands with their product packaging to make sure the printing process runs smoothly. I love when printers call me and say they have someone who needs help with their art! In turn, when I get clients who need printing, it’s always nice to have people I trust that I can refer them to.

For the podcast, we support millennial mompreneurs and help them to feel seen, supported, and less alone so that they can enjoy this phase of life surrounded by a community who gets it. If you’re a mom trying to juggle work, life, kids, and a home, you’re our people! In case no one told you today, you handled that perfectly. If you’re a brand who helps moms, let’s chat! We would love to collaborate with you to see how we can all support female entrepreneurs.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://whitespacedesign.co
• Instagram: @whitespacedesignagency
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/whitespacedesignagency
• Linkedin: @carlydc
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@YouHandledThatPerfectly
• Other: http://www.instagram.com/youhandledthatperfectly
  https://www.facebook.com/groups/youhandledthatperfectly

Image Credits

Marcy Browe Photography
WorkPlay Branding