by Grace VanHanley

FAQ

What do you do for work?
 I do community programming in libraries and am studying towards an MLIS. My niche is helping kids and young adults to develop their unique relationships to information networks and local resources.  I also re-home retro finds through my online shop, Relentless Vintage. These jobs provide a really fun mix of customer-facing work and solo creative time. 

Outside of my regular commitments, I enjoy taking on the occasional freelance marketing project. I use my own multimedia feeds to practice digital creation skills that I then apply to client work. 

How do you manage all that?
Paradoxically, I find that having limited free time helps clarify my priorities and push important projects forward. Also, I’m a terribly earnest nerdy type. Read: I’m bad at relaxing. Because my various endeavors rely on similar skillsets, I often apply ideas from one project to another. For example, a children’s book illustration might inspire a graphic design concept, which might then bleed into a clothing photoshoot. I would then promote the photos on social media, applying that experience in turn to growing a client’s online following. Everything is connected.

Where are you based? 
I currently live and take online courses in my native Seacoast New Hampshire. I speak French as a second language and would love to work abroad in future. I’m committed to some cool projects near my hometown for the next couple of years, though. 

I saw on LinkedIn that your undergraduate degree is in journalism. You must want to be a reporter, huh?
Nope. My undergrad served as a jumping off point rather than a destination. Journalism training forced me to practice writing concise copy and talking to strangers, which I am grateful for.

What are you reading and/or listening to?Probably a combination of contrasting genres. I’ll try anything once, although I tend to gravitate towards Big Literary Novels of the Human Condition, pop science accounts, and detective stories. You’re welcome to add me on Goodreads for booklists and the occasional review. I’m also planning to post monthly playlists on the grab bag section of this site.

Is your question absent from this list? Please avail yourself of the contact form here to send it my way.