I had this website up the last few months and have failed to update it until quite recently. Life happens. I also work full time as a UX Designer for a company, and between being a mom, juggling projects, teaching a college course this spring semester called “Design Thinking”, and pursuing my creative passions, it took me a little while to come back to this space. My son’s in college now so some of my free time is teaching and helping him review some of his graphic design work.
But I’m here now, and I’m excited to finally begin.
I created this blog because I wanted a place to share the journey behind the art—the real talk, the life pivots, and the creative lessons I’ve learned over the last 15+ years working in design, illustration, and storytelling.
Some of you may know me through The Gypsy Goddess, my brand where I sell Photoshop brushes, surface pattern design assets, and design tutorials. Others might know me from teaching at the Academy of Art or from working with companies like Hasbro Studios, Salesforce, or in recent years, in UX design.
But this blog? It’s something different.
This is the space for the in-between moments—the freelance highs and lows, the burnout, the breakthroughs, the fears, the unexpected career twists, and everything in between.
I started my creative journey as a graphic and web designer in San Diego (2006–2009), then pivoted into animation and visual development during grad school at the Academy of Art University in 2009. I worked on some exciting illustration gigs for major brands and studios, but I also struggled hard during the years I freelanced in LA in 2013 – 2016.
Those years taught me how fragile and unstable creative industries can be—and how important it is to design not just your work, but your life. That philosophy is what eventually led me to digital products, building The Gypsy Goddess, teaching, working in tech, and now building a space to reflect on it all.
So what can you expect here?
- Stories from my journey as a creative
- Lessons learned through freelancing, teaching, and working in design
- Thoughts on navigating burnout, career transitions, and creative freedom
- Personal reflections on motherhood, balance, and rebuilding
- Recent Creative Projects and my journey going back to comic cons
- And upcoming unannounced projects that I’m excited to share!
I don’t promise to have it all figured out. But I do promise to be honest, share what’s worked (and what hasn’t), and hopefully spark something in you along the way.
Whether you’re a designer, illustrator, freelancer, multi-hyphenate creative, or just someone figuring out what’s next—I’m so glad you’re here.
Here’s to the beginning.
~Diane Pascual
