Have you ever felt like you weren’t doing what you were put on this Earth to do? I know I know, that question is kinda dramatic. But really?!

Here’s some backstory on that heavy question I just asked. I’ve always fancied myself a creative person, so when you’re 17 years old and you’re repeatedly being asked “what do you want to be when you grow up?” or “what are you going to college for?”, you feel like you need an answer. Which honestly wasn’t much of a problem for me. After being a yearbook editor in High School I realized I could see myself doing that long term. “That” being working creatively through the computer, aka Graphic Design. I was excited! This seemed like the only option for me in life that made sense and could be a way to make money without being a starving artist.

Shortly after graduating with my Bachelor’s Degree in Design and Visual Communications from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, I got a call from my recruiter saying that Harley-Davidson Motor Company® wanted to interview me. WHAT?! I was shocked that I was getting the opportunity to interview at such a massive company. About a week after the interview I got the call offering me the job. So I took it and learned A LOT about something I had zero knowledge of…MOTORCYCLES.

I still remember coming home at night after my first couple weeks there feeling drained, lost, confused, pathetic, left out, and quite honestly like a poser. Let’s just say I CRIED, every night. I kept telling my husband (boyfriend at the time), that this just wasn’t the right fit for me. I mean what the heck did I get myself into accepting this job? For starters, I DID NOT “look the part” of a motorcycle gal. Not trying to stereotype here, but c’mon, it’s pretty obvious that I fall near the girlier end of the spectrum. I didn’t fit in with my coworkers at the time, I felt unqualified for the job, and I fell into an unhappy version of myself just existing each day…

This quite honestly ended up being the best first “real” job out of college experience I could have asked for. I was making my family proud, making more money than any design agency in Milwaukee probably would have paid me, meeting new people, understanding how corporate companies worked, and getting the opportunity to travel to Daytona, FL to see all my design work printed and up at the 2020 Bike Week.

So I, along with most of the world, was working from home feeling thankful I had a job. That was until July of 2020 when I had the lovely video call with my Boss + HR informing me that I was included in the 700+ person layoff that H-D® was doing as part of their restructuring. BLINDSIDED is an understatement for how I felt for many different reasons. I was so confused and saddened by this. I had just spent the last 2 years at this company building my portfolio and skills.