Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Clay Gupton.
Mary, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Hi! I am originally from Amarillo, Texas and attended The University of Texas, where I attained a degree in Corporate Communications. I found Fort Worth to be the perfect mix both culturally (and geographically) of Amarillo and Austin, and I jumped into the Oil and Gas business when it was booming in 2007 upon my graduation. Most of my career since then has been in Oil and Gas with a brief stint in non-profit.
As it goes with most non-profits, you get your hands on everything regardless of what you’re hired to do, and this is where my love for graphic design began as I self-taught my way through Adobe programs. I have been a writer my whole life, but I was too nervous to ever claim that as an actual profession. Through God’s grace and some amazing opportunities to help friends with their small businesses, I’ve been able to grow my side gig of graphic design, marketing and content writing into a full-time show!
My business has evolved over the past three years from being largely social media and blog focused to creating logos and websites for small businesses. I have also started a devotional blog within my business platform to scratch my writing itch and hopefully encourage readers!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road in some ways, but in other ways, it’s been unbelievably smooth. The hardest parts came when I knew I needed to let my Oil and Gas job go, but I was so comfortable! Sacrificing this income was a huge leap of faith, and the Lord has blessed it so much. He continues to amaze me in the doors He opens and skills I learn. I’m not joking when I say I will have just learned a particular bit of code to edit a website, and the very next client asks if I’m able to do that exact thing. This has happened more times than I can count.
I had so many hang-ups in the early days about not being classically trained. Now I say hogwash! If you’ve got some grit and a little bit of talent, you can learn anything in this amazing technological age.
Please tell us about Claiborne Creative.
I am a small business supporting small businesses! I like to think of my services as that sweet spot between DIY (tedious, frustrating, doesn’t always look good) and the big guys (expensive and slow). I specialize in logo design, branding/rebranding and web design. One unique service I offer within my web design packaging is fine-tuning your content. So often, you see beautifully created websites… with sub-par content. Nothing negates your credibility quicker than poor grammar and ill-worded sentences!
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Landing an interior designer as a client whom I really, really respect and admire. Her name is Molly Van Amburgh and her taste is exquisite. When she sought me out to help her with rebranding and website design, I knew I was ready to officially launch! I had run the traps and had the street-cred – it was time to spread my wings and go for it.
Contact Info:
- Website: claiborne-creative.com
- Phone: 8172394223
- Email: maryclay@claiborne-creative.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claiborne.creative/
Image Credit:
Hannah Haston is credited for all photography https://hannahhaston.com/
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