Hold The Cheese

01/05/2023

2023: ready for it

11/23/2022

Fishers locals, shop local! Hold the Cheese x PlayFishers capsule collection launches today! https://www.bonfire.com/store/spirit-by-cait/
My hobby shop will keep profits local and directly benefit my family and community!

01/18/2022

Boom, donated!
I’ll keep it coming if sales continue but I wanted to get that first round post-bowl game locked in! THANK YOU for celebrating classy behavior in the face of aggression with me!
Purdue Bands & Orchestras, Purdue "All-American" Marching Band - Boiler Up!

Links below to shop to donate, and back story!

01/13/2022

Playing with a new doodle style, just for the joy of it

12/31/2021

🙂 Profits for Donations 1/1/22 11:00am EST: $56

I've always taken the chance to design for good when it is presented.
A current Purdue AAMB member was being verbally roughed up by a rival fan during the bowl game in TN. He responded with the quote that's now on the sites below. Class act! Boiler Up! Video warning- rival fan language (original was taken down but this light smirk includes the original) https://mobile.twitter.com/billylong07/status/1476735215364190222?fbclid=IwAR07aRJTrHOFvDwSHdyHZY8Jhxgcg8etua91phW758Tdd9ELGNKx7q2zfJo

I'm a Purdue band alum that couldn't be prouder of how this student handled themself and represented the uniform. I love to donate to the band. Anything on these two pages sends 100% profits to the Purdue Bands Scholarship for Excellence fund. Purdue Bands & Orchestras
Script
https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/97894322?ref=studio-promote
Block Text
https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/97894862?ref=studio-promote:-)

12/31/2021

09/12/2021

Exploring different styles of family portrait illustration. This was the rough and accurate one that looked awesome printed! Hand lettered family name signs are also in the exploratory stage! Should I offer these for the holidays?

09/10/2021

Design friends and clients - working with kids popping in and out of the schedule has altered my availability (surprise?!) and I'm doing what I can to serve all of my clients in a timely manner. Thank you for your support and continued partnership!

New design friends, how can I meet your needs? Are you a small business needing branding? Are you a teacher who wants a worksheet updated? Are you a scouting friend who needs marketing material for an event?

I allocate hours for donation of my design time to serve as a community volunteer. Let's design together!

Featured: Fishers Cub Scout packs are teaming with the Fishers Fire Department and the Hamilton County Sherrif's Office to learn about bike safety this coming Saturday!

12/11/2020

What a delightful pair of hues and the explanation is even better! 2021 looks balanced

PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray + PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating, a marriage of color conveying a message of strength and hopefulness that is both enduring and uplifting.

Illuminating is a bright and cheerful yellow sparkling with vivacity, a warming yellow shade imbued with solar power.

Ultimate Gray is emblematic of solid and dependable elements which are everlasting and provide a firm foundation.
These two independent colors that come together to create an aspirational color pairing, conjoining deeper feelings of thoughtfulness with the optimistic promise of a sunshine filled day.

Visit pantone.com/color-of-the-year-2021 to discover more.

11/12/2020

Keep yourself and your information safe. Social media secret Santa Pyramid schemes are illegal, no matter how well intentioned :-(
https://www.bbb.org/article/scams/18854-bbb-warning-secret-sister-gift-exchange-is-illegal

What's a great feel-good alternative?
-Try baking a few dozen cookies or making a seasonal decoration to share with neighbors or friends as a surprise and encouraging them to pay it forward?
- Send a non-holiday card hand written note to someone you miss
- Pool some group funds together to buy food for a food bank or treat some first responders to a delicious hot meal
- Do a secret Santa with recipients assigned so everyone gets the same number/value of items

The “Secret Sister” gift exchange, wine gift exchange, and similar invitations on social media are illegal and should be ignored.

11/10/2020

In building my stock photography collection, I'm also creating some family imagery I can't help but print! I truly cherish time behind the lens and portraiture is one of my favorite subjects. As the pandemic continues, I hold out hope to pursue offering portrait sessions again in the future with an eye for the timeless yet personal. What has caught your eye these days?

11/07/2020

Beautiful days ahead as we move forward together. Honor your heart and the work that has gone into building this great nation while supporting independent artists.
This design echoes the artwork for a local campaign by grassroots supporters of good. Through Nov 20, 50% profits will be donated to Fishers Youth Assistance Program to help provide food for families in the coming months. Local to Fishers? Message to join a batch one-time order going in Monday 11/9 at 10pm EST to save shipping and donate an extra 10%! Direct shipping available through orders on the website: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/61854348

08/05/2020

** Free video background for teachers!

Hey there educators, leaders and all those who are in need of video conferencing personalization! I'm Cait and if you're new here, I'm a mom of four with two new Zoomers in 4th and 2nd grade. My professional expertise is in visual communication and creative marketing strategies and I'm a full time caregiver right now. If a personal background or two would make your video conferencing feel more like you, message me!

I'll offer a free background for teachers as time allows me to produce them. Teachers request it here: https://bit.ly/backgroundsforteachers

TIPS!!
Friendly tips from a creative marketing and photography professional to make virtual learning more inviting on screen:

• Be yourself. It's ok if this is new and scary. But show your students you want to grow and you DON'T have to APOLOGIZE. If you have an oops or a confusion, switch to what I think of as "customer service mode." Instead of saying sorry and shaming yourself, thank them for their patience while you get something to work. Instead of sharing only frustration, encourage yourself out loud while setting a growth mindset example saying "I'm sure this will get easier with practice!" Your tone will work to improve the experience for all involved.

• Have someone take a picture of you to use for your video conferencing account 🙂 It's good to have your account squared away and personalized.

• If you have interest in using a green screen or background replacement, get your images ready ahead of time and have fun! Note, text is reversed on the screen when in video mirrored mode.

• Play around with a video conference with no one in it! It's super easy, and no one can see you mess with settings when it's actually live! Learning how to mute your whole class is priceless. Successfully sharing your screen is a valuable skill but...

• Clean your computer/iPad/device desktop and close all non necessary things before you start a video chat where you will share your screen. This is assuming it's not already pristine. My cheat? Make a folder on your desktop, label it "Stuff" or something mundane and drag and drop everything that's not an external drive, garbage or THAT FOLDER into it and boom- as clean as a teenager's room after shoving things in the closet for 4 minutes!

• Pick a desktop or screen background that is not a personal photo of people. A landscape or low contrast abstract art is always nice.

• If you're doing video from a classroom, try to set up a teaching space away from natural light if possible. Set up a lamp/light source slightly above your face and behind the camera you're facing for the best video interpretation of your gorgeous face.

• Can't get away from natural light? Make sure it's not behind you. Light behind you will make you look like an anonymous victim interviewee on How to Catch a Predator.

• Don't be afraid to ask for help with something you don't understand when it comes to new technology. You may have classroom parents that have experience to share and walk you through issues if you're proactive. It's not the time to be shy. We all can learn every day!

• Place your face in the top third of the screen with some space above your head. It's the most natural ratio of face to body to converse with, in my opinion.

I whipped this together while my kiddo was napping because I want to help our educators make this fall awesome! Thanks for ignoring my tank top/day old pony tail/make up free pandemic parent look in my demo shots 🙂

Let me know if a live Zoom/video would help you to learn how to set your own personalizations!

10/24/2019

Lots of days look like this for me right now until night time Freelance Cait comes out to create! What inspired you today?

09/27/2019

Wishing all the bands, fans, parents, and staff a wonderful day of competitive performances at the Honda of Fishers Invitational this weekend! I'm a proud part of the Fishers Band family and a loyal sponsor for a group that aims for excellence and sets the bar higher each day!