Unmuted: A Year in Review
There’s no better word for this year than unmuted.
Not louder.
Not busier.
Not flashier.
Just… clearer.
This year wasn’t about doing more, it was about finally being heard. By myself. By my work. By the business I chose to build instead of waiting for permission to lead it.
Unmuted Creative didn’t come from a place of comfort. It came from a moment where staying quiet was no longer an option.
And once I pressed unmute, everything changed.
From Behind the Scenes to Being Seen
One of the biggest wins of this year was starting the We Are Unmuted interview series podcast.
If you know me, you know this was HUGE.
I’ve spent most of my career behind the scenes as the creative director behind the campaign, the designer behind the brand, the strategist shaping the story while someone else told it. Being visible was never the goal. The work was!
So putting myself on camera, speaking in my own voice, and becoming the face of my brand was uncomfortable, vulnerable, and honestly effing terrifying.
But it was also freeing, and dare I say, Unmuted ;)
The podcast became a space where I could show up as myself as the curious, and crazy honest human I am, and have real conversations about the work we don’t always see celebrated in different industries.
That same courage carried into showing up at local events, chambers, and community spaces to promote my own business, not a big agency name, not a corporate logo, just me and Unmuted Creative.
And yes….I learned quickly that visibility comes with noise. A couple of LinkedIn posts went semi-viral this year, and with that came opinions, some supportive, some hard, some just… OUCH.
But I stayed.
That alone feels like a win worth celebrating.
Redefining Boundaries (and Actually Keeping Them)
This year, I stopped treating boundaries like suggestions.
Instead of just setting boundaries, I made commitments to myself about what I would do if they weren’t honored.
That distinction changed everything.
I built my schedule around my ethics, my clients, my family, and my true capacity as a human being (not as the jane of all trades machine I had become in agency life).
For the first time in nearly seven years, I wasn’t working 60-hour weeks by default. I created space for rest, presence, and time with my family that I didn’t even realize I had been GRIEVING.
Unmuted Creative is proof that you don’t have to burn yourself out to build something meaningful, but you do have to be honest about what you’re willing to protect.
Letting Go of “I’m Not Enough”
One belief I finally released this year was the idea that I wasn’t enough to do this on my own.
That a designer couldn’t own an agency, and that I was just a “Jane of all trades.” That I belonged behind the mask, not at the helm.
What I learned instead is this: anyone can own a business, but not everyone is willing to take a chance on themselves.
This year, I did.
Unmuted Creative is more than freelancing. It’s the culmination of years of relationships, lived experience, creative leadership, and values-driven work, all coming together to build something intentional, sustainable, and actually human.
The Work (and the Why Behind It)
The projects this year weren’t about trends or buzzwords.
They were about alignment, and finding mine (and Unmuted’s) Intrinsic value. It was about accessibility being baked in, not caked on. It was about clients trusting me not just with how something looks, but with how it feels. And most importantly, about brands breaking their own molds in ways that felt more like them (not less).
That’s the work I want Unmuted Creative to be known for.
Not “bold.” Not “wild.” Not “pushing boundaries” for the sake of it.
But work that makes people pause and say:
“Wow. That IS totally them. They nailed it.”
Whether it’s a small nonprofit or a large organization, the goal is always the same: create something that feels like they said it.
Looking Ahead
As I move into the next year, I’m not chasing louder goals.
I’m protecting what matters.
I’m expanding what feels aligned.
I’m saying no more easily.
I’m continuing to do the work others are too scared to touch, or too uncomfortable to say out loud.
Unmuted Creative exists for the brands, organizations, and people who want to be seen clearly, not performatively.
And if this year taught me anything, it’s that clarity is powerful.
Once you unmute, there’s no going back.
Thank you to the partners, clients, collaborators, community members, and supporters who trusted this vision; and to myself, for finally believing I could build it.
Here’s to staying unmuted🎙️
