I don't do 'pretty'
Colleagues always used to ask me to make their presentations or documents look ‘pretty’ and while I understood their intent, the use of 'pretty' seemed to minimize the contribution I made. Afterall, my colleagues repeatedly told me I had a unique combination of skills, which is best summed up by a former leader, Ian Stephenson:
Before I work on any project, I spend a few minutes with the client to understand the context and intended message as well as how it fits within the bigger picture. While some of my clients react with unease, it doesn't take long for them to appreciate my purpose in doing so - which is to bring their expertise to their audience’s level and organize their messages into a compelling visual narrative that ignites action, and looks professional too!
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Now when someone asks me to make their work look ‘pretty,’ I confidently say, “I don’t do pretty, but I can professionalize it for you.”
“Tracy is a translator who can simplify the complex using her uncanny ability to see the whole system and identify what issues are critical to drive understanding for the audience.”
Why Story8?
new beginnings
abundance
prosperity
strength
success
While describing what I do to a prospective client, I told her I was a visual storyteller and that I ideate with clients to create graphics that convey their concepts and data. To which she responded, "So, you story-ate." A perfect and simple way to describe what I do.
Story-ate then became Story8 because a pastor friend of mine shared that in the Bible the number 8 refers to new beginnings - exactly what I'm doing in launching my own business.
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Upon further research, I found many meanings for the number 8 that are relevant to my new venture:
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In numerology, 8 represents success, abundance, and strength.
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In Chinese culture, 8 is associated with prosperity and success because the word has a similar pronunciation with Fa (meaning wealth or fortune).
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In Japan, 8 is lucky because it gives the idea of growing prosperous because the letter (å…«) broadens gradually.
Each of these meanings represent what I hope to be the destiny of my business and that of the clients I'm trusted to serve.​