We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shannel Wheeler a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Shannel, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.
My optimism comes from three primary things:
1) Being a creative: I have expertise in graphic design and branding, but I’m really just a creative person. I like to make all kinds of things and have been like that since childhood. I think about the paintings, drawings, sculptures, weird recipes, crocheted scarves, and other random creations I made as a child. Then, as I think about all the opportunities I’ve had to create meaningful work for others over the course of my career, I remember my power to create. I have the ability to create new thoughts, experiences, products, and creations. As a creator, I have the ability to create whatever I want—and that always keeps me optimistic.
2) Knowing who I am: Although I am a creator, I am the child of the ultimate Creator—God. Knowing “whose” I am lets me know I don’t have to carry the entire burden. It gives me hope that things will work out, no matter what.
3) History: Looking back on all the times I have overcome adversity, I can review the track record of my life and have faith that the next scenario will be no different. Not only will I get through it, but sometimes it will be even better than I expected!
These three things are what keep me hopeful and what I encourage others to reflect on as well.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a graphic designer, creative/brand strategist, instructor, 2X author, and the founder of Awesome Design Academy. My passion and purpose in design stem from my love for art as a child and have grown into a myriad of experiences in corporate America, startups, nonprofits, and my own business/freelance ventures over the last 20 years. I have had the opportunity to work with great people and help bring their ideas to life through implementing brand and design to help actualize their vision. Over that period of time, I learned how to design with empathy, discover my own talents, improve my process and speak up—even when no one else in the room looked like me.
In September of 2020, I followed my heart and took the leap to become a full-time creative entrepreneur. My primary focus is two-fold: 1) remain a practitioner of design and create transformative brand solutions for growth-stage companies 2) teach design to provide exposure and creative opportunities for others.
As the founder of Awesome Design Academy, my mission is to help learners empower themselves with more creative and financial opportunities. I teach graphic design through fun and relatable learning tools that I create—online and in-person classes, books, design flashcards, online content, etc.—that make concepts simple and digestible. Because of the immense opportunities that design has brought to my life, I look to give back and transfer that wealth of knowledge to my community.
My goal is to help people learn that graphic design is a viable career with the option to work for others or for yourself. I’m all about practical solutions and critical thinking to help solve real-world problems. I love seeing the “aha” moment on learners’ faces when they grasp a design concept or overcome a creative challenge. I offer a variety of complimentary and affordable classes, including free monthly masterclasses to those who desire an entry point into learning graphic design.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Curiosity/Learning: Learning is a lifelong skill. The willingness to learn can open so many conversations, relationships, doors and opportunities. It’s not just learning, but applying what you learned and taking the lessons from your actions. Learning and doing is a repeatable cycle that builds competency, character, experience, resillience and confidence. Ever meet those people who think they know it all? They’ve stopped growing.
2. Creativity: People have told me, “You can’t do it that way”…but I’ve learned that there’s more than one way to get to the same destination. I’ve learned that by forging some of my own paths and sometimes being unconventional in how I arrive at certain goals. Consider it a privedge to work with many resources but also an advantage to work with little. Both scenarios challenge your creative muscle and your ability to create something from just a mere idea. Don’t let anyone or anything kill your imagination and child-like creative spirit. To build your creativity: keep creating, travel, read books, be observant, and be open to new experiences so that you can pull from all these sources when it’s time to create.
3. Faith: Seeing is believing, but believing—even when you cannot see the outcome—is powerful. I know for certain I would not be where I am today without my faith in God and faith in myself. Even when I don’t know all the answers, I have faith that things will work out. I have faith in myself to figure it out or to find help. Work on truly knowing yourself and loving yourself, so that you can have faith in you. Even better, I believe it’s a game changer to have something to believe in outside of yourself—especially when times get tough.
Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
My ideal design/brand client is someone who values the power of design, wants to truly grow and create impact through their product or service, and strives to influence a greater perception for themselves that will attract their ideal audience. This type of client trusts my expertise and allows me to create at a high level because we both believe in their potential for greatness.
The ideal learner for Awesome Design Academy is someone who is curious, creative, and willing to put what they’ve learned into practice. This is a person who wants to become a designer or simply enhance their design skills to reach their professional, community, and/or personal goals. They may be overwhelmed with information and are looking for clarity so that they can be confident moving forward.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://shannelwheeler.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awesomedesignacademy/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannel-wheeler/
- Other: https://medium.com/@shannelwheeler
