Dispatches: Graphic Designer Overcomes Economy to Build Homegrown Business

Graphic designer Chris Wildeman may have been laid off four times in the last few years—but that doesn’t mean he has given up.

It’s only given him space to grow and live in a mindset where there is no question but to make art.

“It’s really important to make, either artistically or otherwise,” Wildeman said. “It’s about spreading art as an outlet for people.”

Wildeman, 27, of has reincarnated his career at every turn, going from a T-shirt designer at a top national company, to server at a restaurant, to perpetual freelancer. Now that he has a steady gig at , he is venturing into his own homegrown business, “Hearts are Wild Print & Design.”

A New Jersey native who moved to Pittsburgh with his partner, Rebecca Cavanaugh, two years ago, Wildeman believes that art and community go hand in hand. The resident neighborhood artist provided the logo for Regent Square’s pet store, and continues to cultivate community relationships while growing his business.

“Just looking across the street here at , you see their logo and someone came up with that and that is their piece, and at Animal Nature, they have the logo I did for them—and it’s a nice community store and there is art attached to it,” Wildeman said. “With here, we have the tree branch with a square root sign—that is creativity.”

While he has now reached a point in which he has made several connections, also doing work for Planned Parenthood and the with resident , it’s been a long and rough road in a shaky for Wildeman.

Graduating from high school in 2003, Wildeman planned to attend art school and had his applications filled out when a bad experience with a teacher made him go in the opposite direction.

“I decided I wanted to be a middle school teacher to kind of reach kids and show them that not all teachers were going to be like the one I had,” Wildeman said.

He attended community college when a friend’s band asked him to design a T-shirt for them, which brought him back into the creative field.

In 2005, he started working for a t-shirt design company called “G.I. Apparel,” a national competitor that had clothing in J.C. Penney’s, Macy’s and other big box stores. Working for the company gave Wildeman an experience that allowed him to do production design and screen printing. He calls it the best and worst choice he has ever made.

“It’s really fulfilling to create for money,” he said with a laugh. “Granted, there is a lot of back and forth between the artist, the director and the sales people, but in the end, you have a tangible piece—and people need clothes.”

The downside occurred when the company decided to diversify with hats, sandals and more too quickly. The owner filed for bankruptcy and Wildeman was laid off in 2006.

“It really helped me professionally and opened my eyes to the process of screen printing,” he said. “It was life-changing for sure because in that, I hated the organization for letting me go and choosing that merchandising plan, but walked away saying, ‘You know what? I worked for this company for awhile and know a lot more than I did when I started.’”

Today, the experience has become a major resume-booster. After being laid off, he went back to school and earned an associates of arts degree with a concentration in graphic design in 2009 at a community college in New Jersey.

During that time, he cooked at area restaurants and began to wait tables—an opportunity he used to network with people who could offer freelance work.

“It was a good gateway to that,” he said.

When the freelance jobs dried up, he and his partner moved to Jersey City. When Rebecca got a job offer she couldn't refuse, the couple moved to Pittsburgh. Two months later, he was laid off from his main design job.

“That’s the nature of freelance design and trying to get in with larger companies,” he said.

Wildeman was ready to rebuild his career yet again, gaining a job at the Tazza D’oro coffee shop in Highland Park to build his freelance work in Pittsburgh.

From October 2010 to February of this year, he worked for Trau & Loevner when another worker went on maternity leave, making a key contact who has helped him ever since. Brad Towell, who works at the firm, has passed on freelance jobs to Wildeman whenever his own plate is full.

“He really helped me to get out of a rut and he’s just a great guy,” he said. “Now, it’s all about drumming up people who have a need and filling that need—I can do posters, invitations, anything.”

Wildeman said he recently designed a wedding invitation as a gift for a friend and continues to build his clients in the Pittsburgh region. The ups and downs all have been worth it and he said he looks forward to the future of a business he calls his own.

“I am happy with how it is going to turn out,” he said. “It’s more fulfilling because I am doing everything from start to finish, plus it’s more personal for people—seeing the response facially and hearing the squeals—it’s just different now.”

For more information, contact Wildeman at chris.wildeman@gmail.com or visit www.coroflot.com/chris_wildeman, or at heartsarewild at etsy.com.