Today we’d like to introduce you to Anthea Ancalade.
Anthea, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born in England, raised in Ghana and moved out here when I was 20 years old to live with family and pursue my passion for art. In college, I began as an art major, then switched to architecture and then made a final switch to Graphic Design. During this time, I decided to learn HTML and I fell in love with it. I went on and learned a few web more web design programs and languages and quickly found myself immersed in graphic design on the web. It turned out to be the perfect combo.
I worked my way through college as a web designer for AT&T and freelance designer. I continued to work for AT&T/YP until I recently went on to work full time for my design studios.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has not been a smooth road by any means as I think every business owner would say. There are times when business is booming and there are times when there is nothing. My love for what I do keeps me going.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the ASBA Creative Studio & Designs by Anthea story. Tell us more about the business.
I currently run 2 businesses. ASBA Creative Studio which specializes in websites and brand identity design for restaurants, cafes, bakeries and caterers. I chose this specialization in the food hospitality industry because it is very sad to see so many businesses in this industry that have really bad representations of their business online even though visuals and functionality are very important in the industry.
Designs by Anthea (designsbyanthea.com) which also specializes in websites and brand identities but in this case for any small business.
I believe honesty, attention to detail, clean design style and affordability set both my businesses apart from the rest.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I have not been fortunate enough to benefit from good luck nor unfortunate enough to suffer from bad luck. The one thing that I will say which is close to good luck is getting laid off from my job of 11 years. It got me to commit to going full time with my design businesses. This decision has really made me grow personally and professionally in ways, I could have never achieved with my previous job. I have had the opportunity to work with some really amazing clients, had the ability to bid on some large projects and above all been able to spend a decent amount of time with family. Being able to schedule my time based on projects and family has been able to help me juggle the load that comes with having 2 small children.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://asbacreativestudio.com
- Phone: 323-552-9624
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/asbacreativestudio
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/asbacreativestudio
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/asbacreatives
- Yelp: https://biz.yelp.com/biz_info/2bGZAn4Mdwhka4fXK3aXMg
- Other: http://designsbyanthea.com
Image Credit:
Edrea Lara Photography
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