Jai Sequoia
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my storyI was born and raised on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. I enjoyed playing outside, climbing trees, and riding my bike alone in nature. For ten years, I studied classical piano (Royal Conservatory of Music) and then moved onto jazz and alto saxophone in high school. Growing up, music played an important part in my life, and I'm thankful that I had the opportunity to express myself creatively.
My next creative endeavor was hairdressing school followed by an apprenticeship at a salon after I moved to Vancouver. Despite loving the creative aspect of hairdressing and being very good at it, working with people for eight hours a day exhausted me and caused frequent migraines. My first job after hairdressing was as a cosmetologist at a big department store. I was on a journey to discover what work would FIT me... at that age the idea of being an introvert hadn't been presented to me yet. After taking various classes, including computer-based desktop publishing and bookkeeping, I came closer to achieving my goals...and I was discovering my inner geek. When I was 28, I moved to Nelson, British Columbia. Having lived in the city for a long time, I was looking for a quiet life in the countryside. Despite a lengthy retail career, at 36 I found myself on disability, dealing with mental health issues caused by CPTSD (complex post-traumatic stress disorder). My journey as an entrepreneur began during this painful time, and it provided an opportunity to focus on healing, personal growth and learning new work skills. Training support and equipment were provided by disability funding. During that time, I did a lot of poster work for various businesses in Nelson, BC. Another passion of mine was designing logos and business cards for local clients, and I began seeing my work around town on signage, which was exciting! In 2008, I realized a life-long dream of owning a horse. When Prowler came into my life, everything changed. In studying natural horsemanship, I learned a great deal about effective communication with my horse. Due to my passion for horse health and well-being, I found my niche in horse/animal-related businesses. I will always be grateful to Prow, who died in April of 2017, for teaching me how much I could love anda dedicate myself to another being. I learned how resilient, persistent, and resourceful I can be because of him. Prowler helped me discover a passion for learning and solving problems that I didn't realize I had. I am a detective at heart. I built my first website in 2011 for a wonderful organization called Pink & Green Ribbon Campaign with Wix. I then discovered Weebly, which led to many more websites. In 2014, I set up my first Squarespace website for my friend Marie Racine, owner of Handy Hay Nets. The classy and clean layouts of Squarespace instantly drew me in, and I've never looked back. Life Today My days are usually spent at my computer, maintaining or creating websites, learning CSS (custom coding) or working on design projects. Keeping a healthy balance in my life requires me to maintain a light workload (basically part time) so I can spend time in nature and with horses as often as possible. My cat Oliver is most content when he's seated on my lap his 'royal' position while I watch movies, play the piano, or read. I also enjoy long walks and long conversations over tea with close friends. My life is quiet and I prefer to share deep connections with a few close friends. My Philosophy Because I am highly sensitive and empathic, I can connect with my clients' energy and style and bring their logo and website to life. It is my belief that all design, whether logos or websites, is an organic process based on harmonizing elements to create something visually pleasing -- something the viewer can feel and experience. My business is based on integrity and kindness, and I believe that everyone can achieve holistic success from a heart-centred place. In the end, business is about people helping each other right? Many of my clients have been with me for five or ten years, and I support them by maintaining their websites and producing print materials for their programs, clinics, and other projects. View my portfolio here. It matters to me that my work makes a difference in this world and so I choose to work with people who help humans, animals or the environment. |
