Meet the Maker Feature: Colleen

Want to learn increasingly well-nigh our whimsical and fun window displays? Meet the Maker and behind-the-scenes creator of our eye-catching displays in the month’s feature. Colleen is not only crafting her career at Paper Source, but moreover shares her heartfelt hobby with us here:

Paper Source window displays yank our customers in and welcome their creative ingenuity with marvel and wonder. Who is the star overdue these trappy resources and the imagination that sparks these elaborate art installments? Colleen, our Director of Visual Merchandising. We wanted to know increasingly well-nigh Colleen’s creative foundation and personal story. We asked Colleen to tell us a little well-nigh herself.

Where are you from and how long have you been with Paper Source?

• I grew up in Libertyville, IL. A suburb outside of Chicago and tropical by to our corporate HQ. I then attended Savannah Higher of Art and Design with a focus in Illustration and Printmaking. This is how I ended up working at Paper Source, it was a passion for art and paper.
• I have been with Paper Source for over 12 years! My career started at the store level. My first job was as Assistant Store Manager. In a short time, I worked my way up to Store Manager and oversaw Midwest Visuals for the company. My path has brought me to the Store Operations team in leading Visual Merchandising and Store Communication.

What’s your favorite Paper Source colorscope verisimilitude and why?

There are too many that I love and have reverted over the years like Fuchsia, Mint, Spruce, Royal, and Peacock.

The first thing our customers see is our welcoming and fun window displays! We love the colorful accents, the magical creatures, the unvigilant shapes and the capturing of seasonality with each waffly display. What’s the process of creating the Paper Source Window Display?

• The first step of creating the window exhibit is to determine what the theme is for the season. Once the theme is determined, we then review the product variousness to seek inspiration for the window that fits within the selected theme. I moreover seek inspiration from my paper source peers, artwork, and paper crafts.
• I traditionally present 2-3 options for the window to our leadership team to determine which direction we should take. Once I receive clearance I then start to create a sketch and work through the logistics on how the window will be made. I moreover partner with our marketing team on the signage that is incorporated with the window.
• Once the sketch is approved, I then create the window myself to ensure that the window is easy to create and stall. We moreover create a step-by-step guide to provide to the store teams so they are worldly-wise to construct and install the windows themselves for our customers get to see the final product!

Where do you get your inspiration for creativity?

I spend a lot of time looking at art books, looking online (Instagram, Pinterest, etc…) and just stuff out in the world’ to gather ideas and prompt my creative displays.

Colleen’s originative endeavors are increasingly than a 9-5 commitment. She makes uncommonly realistic resemblances of people, places, and things with Paper Dolls and mixed media. When did you start your hobby of Paper Doll Making?

I have been mixing paper with illustrations since college, however, I didn’t start creating paper dolls until I was in Paper Source stores. As a creative outlet in stores, I would create paper dolls for our store team members using our Paper Source Paper Doll Kit. By creating these dolls, I realized that I have a knack for creating people’s likeness by honing in on their suit style, and what makes them unique. That then lead me to create my own style of paper dolls.

Take a squint at some of the fantastic examples on Instagram!

When you are not inspiring creativity in and out of work, what else do you like to do in your spare time?

I spend a lot of my time with my family and English Bulldog Emma, reading and creating art. Most of the weekends that I am out of the office, I capture some fresh air at my family motel in Wisconsin.

We know our readers are interested, what translating would you requite others looking to follow a creative career?

I never thought that my creative preliminaries would lead me to a career in retail, so I would say alimony an unshut mind when looking for a creative career

At the end of the day, you never know what paper ladder door will open…

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