exit343design has moved!

It is bittersweet to make this announcement- my studio has moved! After nearly 15 years of commuting to Hatfield, Pennsylvania from every place I've ever lived (post-college), I have finally made the leap to renting a space that is <10 minutes from my current home. Throughout those years, the commute always wore on me and any car I was driving; I am thrilled to be so close to home!

Why does this announcement garner a blog post? It's both for me to mark this occasion, but also serves as an important reminder of how far I've come and how I didn't get here alone.

When I graduated from Penn State in 2010 with my BFA degree, I fully expected to go into teaching; I still have a folder on my computer filled with cover letters to be an adjunct art professor at places across the country. Seeing as there was a financial crisis underway and I was the youngest person in my Master's program, that plan did not pan out. I moved home to Exit 343 and continued working at Old Navy (this is where my tshirt folding skills were honed), wondering how I would continue printing.

Enter: my family. My uncle had recently purchased a small home in Hatfield and he had a big, open basement that he was willing to let me use. My dad certainly didn't want all my art stuff in his house. My mom, coupon queen that she is, helped me get set up in my uncle's basement with a mostly DIY set-up that I used all the way up until last month.

Didn't have the money for a proper washout sink? We found a horse trough at Tractor Supply, hung shower curtains around it, and connected it to a garden hose. How the heck would I make screens? My PSU studio experience came in handy here- a combo of thick foam from Joann Fabric, heavy glass with no UV coating, and black lights hanging from the beams of the staircase served as my exposure unit. I used old fixtures from Old Navy, old storage from my mom's office, a dining table from Craigslist, a busted flat file from an old professor . . . you get the idea. The basement was a motley crew of second-hand and DIY items- but it worked! I was able to continue printing in my spare time and work on my side hustle- exit343design.

Throughout the years, I used the space to make all kinds of things- the stuff you know me for now (art prints! cards! tshirts!) - but I also used to print fabric, plushies, make jewelry, books, paintings, gift tags, wine gift bags, and more. I traveled to events around the country to vend, growing the business. I left Old Navy and started working at a collegiate apparel company, first in their print shop, then in their office. In 2016, I went full-time on my own.

I met my now-husband, who helped me paint the walls a fresh white and stuff plush in those early days. Later, when my Uncle Lou unexpectedly passed away, we worked together to buy out the mortgage to keep the house and my studio afloat. He helped me with his electric and plumbing expertise, installing new lighting, upgraded electric, created a shipping station for me, and more. My friend Karina came on to work for me for a time and endured the basement with me, sweating it out in the summer and tying Christmas ornament strings until her fingers were numb from the cold in the winter. She helped me streamline stuff, was patient with me while I attempted to be a boss, and both joined me at, and has worked events for me, throughout the years.

The basement flooded so many times I've lost count, both from the ground and the ceiling. One time, I hit a pipe and home heating oil spewed everywhere. When my uncle passed away, we re-homed his mouser of a cat Buddy (he's still in the family, don't worry!); the mice learned of his absence, moved right in, and destroyed a ton of work on paper and more. I ultimately learned to put literally EVERYTHING in plastic bins, making the move to West Chester just a little bit easier. 

Ultimately, this post is a big fat thank you:

• To Uncle Lou, you opened your home and put up with me fully taking over your basement. I remember being so stressed when you started to charge me a meager rent, I'm sorry for being a brat about that lol. I likely would not have my dream career today without you, I miss you so much and wish you could see me now.
• To my dad- I don't know if you ever really understood what I do, but I appreciated how you'd come and clean out my dehumidifier on a regular maintenance schedule, drop off mail randomly, and seriously saved our butts on the day we closed on the house. The last time I saw you in person was at that house and I miss you every day.
• To my mom- it's a full circle moment that you came to help me move out when you did so much to help me move in! Just as I wouldn't be here without the space to use, I wouldn't be here without your help and support from jump. I could go on and on (see above for all the hodge podge of stuff we put together to make a studio, as an example), but I'll keep it simple: THANK YOU and I love you.
• To Karina- thank you for putting up with me as your friend, as your boss for a time, and for putting up with working in a dingy basement. The mice corpses thank you too ;)
• To my husband- remember when I used to ship orders out of our 800 sq. ft. apartment?? If anyone has had a front-row seat to the ride of exit343design, you have. Thank you for not just being the cutest plush stuffer and my on-call handyman/electrician/plumber/IT, but also one of my favorite people to talk business with. Thank you for everything, I love you.
• And finally, to all my customers and friends! While the above people have pitched in to help me behind-the-scenes over the years, exit343design would be nothing without your interest and support in my artwork. Thank YOU for your business and get excited with me for what this new space means for the future!!