We were lucky to catch up with Kirstin Protsman recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kirstin, really appreciate you joining us to talk about a really relevant, albeit unfortunate topic – layoffs and getting fired. Can you talk to us about your experience and how you overcame being let go?
I felt shocked as I walked out of my new boss’ office. Well… former boss. I had just been fired and wasn’t expecting it. As a new but quick designer, I was good at my job and couldn’t understand in that moment why I was the one they chose to fire.
Quickly, I left the office without making eye contact with anybody. I knew as soon as I did I would burst into tears. I was still feeling shocked, it was difficult to process what had just happened before. I felt embarrassed, I had never been fired before! I’m good at my job! This isn’t fair!
I had been a graphic designer in the composing department for 3 years. There had been so many late nights, good pizza, and fun memories. I was close with my coworkers despite the age gap. I found a place where I felt accepted and seen by others. We connected over the stress and frustration of the job.
Honestly, I was miserable at this job. I was sorely underpaid and overworked. Everything felt out of my control, I was doing the same thing every day and coming home more pissed off each night.
The stress wasn’t worth it but I was so young, only 21 years old, I didn’t know any different. I didn’t realize that it could be better.
The stress had been seeping into my personal life – making me very negative, impossible to get along with, and angry all the time. It was beginning to negatively affect my relationship with my boyfriend (now husband) at the time and I just didn’t know what to do. How could I feel less miserable?
As I walked into our apartment, my boyfriend immediately knew something was up by the look on my face. I burst into tears as I told him I had just been fired. I couldn’t stop crying and knew there was a lot to be done that night. I still had to go back to the office to collect all of my personal belongings.
I wanted to get it done as soon as possible so I could just shut my mind off. I asked my boyfriend to come with me to collect my things. I knew I couldn’t do it alone. Frankly, I didn’t want to go back alone. It was tough, and after an hour we had everything collected in boxes and loaded into my car.
After we got home, I didn’t know what to do with myself. What was I going to do tomorrow? What am I going to do about a job? I have to pay the bills somehow and the severance I was offered wasn’t going to cover much for long.
In that moment, my boyfriend encouraged me to take a breath. He suggested, “Let’s go out, get some food and forget about the day.” And we did just that. As stressed as I was about spending money when I should be more frugal since I was just fired, it was nice to go out and forget. Even if it was just for a few hours.
Quickly the conversation turned towards me being fired and what in the hell I was going to do. My boyfriend quietly mentioned that he was glad I was fired and hoped I wasn’t upset with him for feeling that way. I felt a little thrown off at first, but still wanted to hear his reasoning.
He told me he thought it was great that I was fired. He could see how it affected me, my mood, and our relationship. He thought it was a great opportunity for me to figure out what really made me happy. Clearly that job wasn’t it as it had hurt both of us in many different ways.
Once again I felt shocked but quickly understood what he was saying and realized that he was right. That job was awful for me and it took getting fired for me to see it.
In that moment, I didn’t know what I was going to do but I knew it wasn’t hopeless. And that feeling alone was enough.
I had already been freelancing and dreaming of what my business could be. I had clients – I was designing ads, invitations, magazine layouts, book designs and even a few logos. There was hope.
Recently, I started bartending a couple times a week. I had another skill I could utilize to supplement our income while I figure out what exactly I’m going to do.
Fast forward 6 or so years and here I am about to take my business full time. It’s been a hell of a journey full of failures, cringe-worthy awkward moments and plenty of lessons learned (yes, the hard way).
Knowing where I am right now, all of the tough times have been worth it. Every tough situation a lesson can be a lesson learned if you’re willing to take a filter-free look at yourself and reflect on what happened and how you can learn from it and grow as a human.
When you can do that for yourself, you can make anything happen. It just takes a little bit of time and a lot of effort.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’m Kirstin, a graphic designer who focuses on brand identity design and strategy. I believe brands can connect with audiences on a deeper level which can help them convert into loyal and engaged customers, especially when you approach brand strategy with an open mind. My goal is to give my clients clarity and direction in their brand and how they share it with others to help them find their unique brand to level up their business and on brand af.
Being straight-forward, curiosity, and reliability are a few of the things I value in my business and life. These are the core values I run off of.
This year I am excited to be taking my business full time! I have a lot planned for services and launches and am currently accepting new clients for my Identity Innovator package where I give clients clarity and confidence in their brand strategy and identity with project start dates as early as February 2024.
To get in touch, learn more, or book a package, check out my website or get in my DMs on Instagram.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Three qualities that have been impactful on my journey are… 1. The ability to self reflect and be honest with myself whether it’s about my shortcomings or my strengths.
2. Having the opportunity and freedom to always be dreaming and creating
3. The urge to keep learning and growing as a human
My advice for those early in their entrepreneurial journey is don’t be too hard on yourself when you fail. It happens and will happen again. I believe the best thing to do is reflect on what went wrong and how you could avoid that next time and what went right. Be truthful with yourself, it’s the only way to truly learn and grow.
The best way to develop and improve is to keep trying regardless of how many times you’ve struggled or failed.
Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
My ideal client is an entrepreneur who is a go-getter. Someone ready to take action, make the positive change they’ve been striving for and is ready to take their business (and brand) to a new level. They know it will require some work and are excited to have a collaborator help with their brand strategy and identity while cheering them on along the way.
Typically, they’ve been in business for a few years and are looking for some sort of change whether it’s raising their prices, rebranding because they feel misaligned from their current audience or brand, or are interested in creating a more on brand experience for their clientele.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://rae.design/
- Instagram: @raedsgn
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirstinprotsman/
- Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/raedsgn/
