Leaf Silver
Artist / Squarespace Website Designer
Chicago, IL and Brattleboro, VT
leafsilver.com
instagram @silver__dot
tiktok
Q What do you do?
““I help artists, professional individuals and small businesses transform their online presence with Squarespace website design. ”
I am very much in love with the process of making objects which function in everyday life and exist close to the body like altering garments and carving wooden spoons. Although I am a sculptor, I am starting to see my art practice as less about the individual artworks and objects that I produce and more as the kind of life I’m trying to cultivate through prioritizing rest, pleasure, mental health, physical well being, nourishing food and friendship. I see my artwork as a record, evidence of my experiences and that I exist. I am a being in perpetual transition, meaning that I am constantly embracing change in myself and the world around me. Squarespace website design has become an important tool in giving my life some direction as I navigate uncertainty and change.
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
There is so much pressure as an artist to always be producing more and more artwork, and the past couple of years have taught me that it’s okay to go through periods of repose, and it’s okay to take extended breaks between creative projects.
I was raised in a household which celebrated art and creativity and I was always encouraged to find ways of expressing myself through art making. As a result of my upbringing, it is impossible for me to limit the kind of art I create to one medium or discipline. I simply use what I have access to and harness the flow of creative life force energy from the universe as a way of life.
Cultivating a practice of gratitude has been essential in the curation of my experience as a place of safety and exploration. Growing up in the ancestral homeland of the Abinake people (colonized as Vermont) has impressed upon me the importance of living more slowly and in reciprocity with nature. I am generally astounded and filled with gratitude at the strength and beauty of the Earth which inspires me every day.
Graduating from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in the spring of 2020 was a strange experience. To be released into the world through an anti-climactic zoom graduation and into a pandemic world, challenged me to shift my perspective of what success looks like for me and to reconnect with my core values - Communication, Boundaries, Love, Friendship and Vulnerability.
I moved in with my parents for a few months and helped our family’s catering business through a total rebrand project, completely revamping the logo, website and updating the business’s entire online presence to reflect the vibrant and colorful food that I grew up eating and loving.
I’ve always had a keen eye for color, shape and patterns and I discovered that especially after designing my own websites that this was a way that I could utilize my natural design sensibilities to help others create interactive and inviting websites full of color and personality.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
I specialize in helping people who may feel intimidated by technology or are not necessarily tech-savvy. My attention to detail and attunement to my clients needs help to take the stress and frustration out of the process. I help my clients feel confident and excited about their online presence.
I also enjoy working collaboratively. I am definitely a being who thrives in community with other creative people where differing perspectives and ways of being are celebrated.
Q What are you working on right now?
I love spending time outside, riding my bike, reading books and witnessing the gifts of each moment I am able to be fully present in. I am also working on cultivating more consistency in my yoga practice as a way to resource myself. I try to prioritize rest in my daily life as much as I can, so that I can approach new projects with energy and enthusiasm.
A passion project of mine still in the works is a multi-faceted, world-building project I am working on with my two platonic life-partners. We affectionately call ourselves the “Housetheys” and we have plans to share the beautiful home we have cultivated together through a series of creative projects including: photoshoots, a podcast about living together, and creating a recipe archive of our family dinners. All of which would all culminate in some sort of food and lifestyle blog with the hopes of generating some income for our household.
For now I am working on cultivating community by investing energy into fostering meaningful and joyful friendships and relationships. I'm doing this through checking in with myself and my own emotional state before sharing food and vulnerable quality time with others.
Q What’s your style?
My particular design taste can be witnessed in many different parts of my life including the interior decoration of my home, my personal style and the types of objects I like to create and collect. I love classic and modern pieces with bold colors and inviting textures. I love finding gems in thrift stores and DIY and up-cycling furniture and garments. I love learning new skills and teaching myself how to do things. YouTube university amirite?
Translated into online aesthetics my design style utilizes color blocking and bold organic shapes to create unique layouts which make content stand out. I’ve found that on the internet oftentimes the simplest designs are the most effective and that type of design also requires a lot of thought and intentionality. I love choosing color palettes and creating custom graphics to best represent the personality and feelings my clients evoke with their work.
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
I really want to build out my own wood shop. I love carving and working with wood. It definitely would be such a dream to have my own workshop in the woods so I can carve beautiful spoons and other kitchen utensils and then give them as gifts to people I care about.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
One main challenge I’m facing in my business is getting a consistent amount of work each month. I know that it’s normal for small businesses, especially sole-proprietorships, to go through turbulence, especially towards the beginning when there is a learning curve to everything that goes into running a business.
What’s frustrating is having all these skills that I want to share with people and help people with and not have the energy to dedicate to marketing them. So much of this work depends on how much I’m willing to advocate for myself and network with people outside of my immediate circles. As an introvert I have to be really careful about how I expend energy so that I don’t feel drained and exhausted, and that has been a major challenge in getting the word out about my business and what I am trying to create.
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
I would hire someone to post on social media for me. I’m trying to set boundaries with my phone and limit the amount of screen time I have during the day. Marketing on social media is becoming essential to any sort of business these days, and that has been difficult for me to navigate when there are so many other projects that need my creative energy.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
I wish I could tell myself as a kid to trust my intuition. There are so many times I felt stuck in my own head and felt like I was watching my life happen around me. I truly believe that if my younger self could see me now, little Leaf would be QUAKING, because I have surpassed all of my own wildest dreams of what I thought was possible for me. I truly believe that it is such a gift to be in this life and existence and I can’t take any of it for granted.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
I would talk to an expert about financial management and literacy. There is so much essential knowledge in this area that I never learned in school or anywhere else. It’s so important to stay organized on the financial side of a business (especially when tax season rolls around)
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
I’m looking to work with people who are ready to invest in a website to upgrade and transform their online portfolio and/or presence.
If anyone in the Chicago area wants to hire me for creative direction, photoshoot styling, graphic design, video editing, or get a gender affirming haircut from me, that would also be amazing :)
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
My Ideal client right now would be creative professionals who are really good at what they do but need some help figuring out how to make their online presence work for their business or their art practice. I want to help my clients make their website their go-to place where people can learn more about them, see their best work, and get any questions they have answered.
I just met a new friend who is a hairdresser and she was talking to me about having difficulties spending a lot of time on administrative tasks which were taking away time and energy from her being able to do what she does best… hair! I want to be the guiding light that helps people like that set up systems and automations online to streamline their booking process so that they can focus more on the creative aspect of their work.
Q What is your rate?
I give a free consultation to all new prospective clients to first determine if we will be a good fit, and then discuss the project in more detail.
My website design packages start at $3500 and increase with additional pages, customizations and the specific needs of the project.
I like to charge on a project basis that we both agree upon beforehand, any requests that fall outside of the project scope will be charged at my hourly rate which is: $125/hr
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
My website is a great way to get in contact with me. I have a short intake form on there that anyone interested in website design can fill out which will give me the information I need to move forward. (leafsilver.com)
I’m also on instagram for other art related inquiries and collaborations. @silver__dot
For any general questions, thoughts about art and design, or pictures of your pets, email me at: contact@leafsilver.com
Q Who is a creative you admire?
Pat Mahaney - Graphic designer
patmahaney.com
instagram @pat.mahano
Emma Rueter - Photography
erueterphotography.com
instagram @emma.rueterphotography
Grace Gittelman - Ceramic Artist
gracegittelman.com
instagram @lildogbigdreams
Alec Silver - Actor
alecsilver.com
instagram @alec.silver
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
Drink Water. Breathe. Pet Kitty. Eat Snack. Take Nap.
This member profile was originally published in August 2022.