Daily Inspiration: Meet Abigail Ducote

Today we’d like to introduce you to Abigail Ducote.

Hi Abigail, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in the backwoods of Acworth. My mom’s a landscape painter and regularly held art classes for all the neighborhood kids. My dad’s a handyman/blacksmith (and master problem-solver) who works for himself. In the middle of that Venn diagram, you’ll find me: lover of both traditional art and the more analytical work of graphic design.

I was one of those kids who always had a clear direction in their minds. I’ve been pretty focused for as long as I can remember on being an artist, creating things both for myself and for other people. When I discovered computers, I fell in love specifically with the digital arts and graphic design. My parents both work for themselves, so that always felt like a viable career path to me. I created my personal brand/logo in middle school, printed my first business cards in high school, and then excitedly bought my first domain/site hosting with my first steady paycheck when I entered the workforce as a senior. The only thing I wanted to do most days, was to be alone in my room drawing or playing with my website…and after a decade of that, I’m not sure much has changed!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Working towards a life you love is inherently a challenging thing, but I know from talking with friends in the same industry, that I’ve had it VERY easy. Anytime you start stepping out of the “family and friends” comfort zone and working for strangers, you run the risk of a job spiraling out of control and ending up with a bad review, no pay, lawsuit, etc. But fortunately, even the clients I found on Craiglist, were lovely. To this day, I’ve only had to chase down ONE invoice, and that was because my client ended up in jail (story for another time).

Aside from the horror stories, the daily challenges with running your own business usually (unfortunately) center around yourself. Staying healthy, balanced, motivated, and on-task is a constant uphill battle, but it’s worth the climb. One industry-specific challenge with design is discerning between what a client wants and what they need. Those two are sometimes at odds with each other and it takes a good bit of intuition (or coercion, hah) to deliver work that the client loves but also serves their purpose well.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I find that my biggest passion lies with branding new businesses or products. Part of that is the intoxicating newness of starting something fresh and listening to someone talk about how their product or service is going to change the world. That excitement is really contagious, and I love knowing my work will become small part of this person’s dream. When I show a client first drafts of their brand, it’s often the first time they’ve seen their dream realized, out of their head. It’s like hearing a baby’s heartbeat for the first time or seeing them on the ultrasound. It’s that moment where it all becomes more of a reality, and it boosts their belief that “this is going to really happen”.

As far as my work specifically, it’s fairly unique that my designs start by hand. I learned early on that traditional artistic skill is not required to be a fantastic graphic designer, but since I’ve got that in my back pocket, I should lean on it as much as possible. I fill my iPad with sketches before getting started, and it always gives me a place to start over or go back to for more ideas if something isn’t working.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Home makes me VERY happy. My husband and I live in a cabin in the woods with our sweet dog, and that place is the happiest, most peaceful spot on earth for us. I am also in love the surrounding area, and spend WAY too much time sitting in the forest or wading into the cold rivers. There is no substitute for being outside.

On the art side of things, I have a rotation of hobbies that keep me pretty happy. To name a few, I love photography and get out at least once a week to stargaze or shoot sunsets. I also have been working on some personal artwork and products that have been slowly evolving. And about once a year, I sell a collection of jewelry made out of used/retired drumset cymbals, that I call Cymbali. Recently, I’ve got my sights set on making music, but I’m a little too intimidated right now to get started. Hoping to do some experimenting towards the end of this year and see what comes of it.

Contact Info:

• Website: abigailducote.com
• Instagram: abigailducote
• Facebook: abigailducote
• Twitter: abigailducote
• Youtube: abigailducote