Jess Parvin fully embraces all the flexibility and fun that carving a freelance career has to offer. After a successful experience as a museum curator at the Smithsonian, Jess now builds on her love of art and design by continuously educating herself and developing the latest skills to keep her on the cutting edge of graphic design, website development, branding and social media marketing.
Jess loves music and she loves to travel making a freelance lifestyle a perfect fit for her talents and her passions. Jess is exciting to be part of THE JILLS OF ALL TRADES™ because she recognizes the importance of self-promotion and is eager to put a spotlight on her talent to continue to grow her business and build her connections.
Here's Jess tells her story of jumping into the freelance lifestyle and the joys she experiences in forging forward in this new workstyle:
"When I graduated with a degree fine arts & art history from the College of Charleston (in lovely Charleston, SC), I thought I wanted to be a museum curator. So after college I moved to Washington, DC and interned for a year at one of the Smithsonian museums. I loved being surrounded by world-class art but realized that the slow-pace of museum life was not for me! Soon after moving to Wisconsin I went back to school for graphic design and web design. After 3 years working full-time as a designer, photographer and web maintenance guru at a high-end clothing retailer, I decided to strike out on my own as a freelancer. Since then I have taught myself Wordpress, SEO, digital marketing (Facebook advertising and Google Adwords) and more. I love being self-employed mainly because it gives me flexibility to pursue other interests- especially travel. My partner, Josh, is a musician and I have been fortunate to travel extensively with him as he performs around the world (including 6 trips to Europe). Because of him I am actively involved in the independent music world and have worked with dozens of artists on their branding, websites, album art, posters, etc. I also love working with small businesses who are trying to make their footprint on the web. Past clients include musicians, visual artists, non profits, acupuncturists, massage therapists, restaurants, construction companies, online retailers. . . every project is unique!"
