Tabitha Suzette Smith
Q What do you do?
“I am a web designer for creatives, healers, and visionaries.”
I especially love to support mission-driven brands who are working to make a difference in the world.
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
I kind of fell into design, actually! I was a yoga instructor and herbalist working in the wellness industry for 8 years, and more recently was the managing director for a new creative juicery/retail/wellness studio fusion. We didn't have anyone on our team to do graphics for social media, so I started teaching myself... eventually we needed a better website, and that's when I found the ilovecreatives Squarespace course, near the beginning of the pandemic. Since then, I've been working through numerous design courses - learning CSS/coding, business, Adobe Illustrator, and more so that I can launch my own business. Rumi Studio is and will grow to be the culmination of all my passions, where I'll serve fellow creatives, yogis, healers, and earth-minded brands.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
I'm a very intuitively driven person and have spent the last 10 years working in a lot of different industries. I also really value my experience with psychedelics and exploration of consciousness through spiritual practice. I feel that all of these things have really allowed me to develop my appreciation for aesthetic beauty and design and to be more sensitive generally to peoples' needs and desires. It inspires me to continue building and learning new skills so I can offer more and more to the people I work with and bring the things I envision to life.
Q What are you working on right now?
I'm currently juggling my existing freelance projects with *formally* launching Rumi Studio. It's that dilemma of finding balance working IN and ON your business. Having my own business is something I've wanted to do for a long time, and I finally feel like I found the perfect combination of flexibility, creativity, and stability in doing design as a career.
Q What’s your style?
I'm really inspired by nature in all realms of design -- muted, yet rich colors, textures that evoke feeling, movement. I love the elegance of editorial design and great typography, but I also love unique, vintage imagery and analog media. I'm pretty sure everyone doing editorial design is obsessed with Soul Twin Studio (which I love so much as well) but I really want to find a way to branch out and kind of meet the middle of the road between minimalist-editorial-neutral style with some vintage/psychedelic/edginess that makes this beautiful, timeless synthesis of past and present. Angela Milosevic and Sasai Jewelry are good examples of work I'd like to do.
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
I want to focus more on branding and identity design -- I'd really love to be able to confidently direct projects fully and create the entire identity of the brand, not just the website aspect. Outside of business, I really want to try my hand at ceramics.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
I'm having a lot of trouble with the systems aspect of my business. I know so much can only be figured out and refined through trial and error, but there are so many moving parts to running a design studio in an efficient way and be able to make the experience simple and direct for the client. I also would *really* love to know how people manage to secure all the content for a project on time without feeling like you're pulling teeth! 😅
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
I'd hire someone to make healthy, organic meals for me -- I really love to cook, but when I'm busy working it's hard to prioritize making a meal for myself and not grabbing something quick.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
I don't really have regrets in my life -- I know if I changed something in the past I wouldn't be where I am now. If I had to pick something, I'd go back to myself in high school and told myself how important learning marketable skills would be, not getting a degree. I never graduated from college but I definitely spent a lot of time spinning my wheels trying to figure out what I was passionate about.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
I actually am super interested in just being a fly on the wall for someone's client process - hearing how they navigate their sales calls and onboarding process, and then getting some support in how to best utilize all my knowledge to elevate my client experience.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
I'd really love to work with brands that are rooted in purpose and intentionality -- visual artists of any medium, environmentally conscious businesses, healing artists, or simply anyone who resonates with my style and influences and wants to work together to build something really special and inspire others.
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
An ideal collaboration would be with someone who is aesthetically driven and understands how valuable good design is. This is why I love working with visual artists, because aesthetics are their business, so clients that come to the table with great photography and a forward-thinking mindset are aspects I see as incredibly important to working together -- not to mention it's so much more fun!
A few dream client examples:
- Rachel Saunders Ceramics (probably any ceramicist)
- Herbalist / Herbal product company
- Interior designer
- Graphic tee / product company (a la Edie Parker, Old Pal, Boot Boyz Biz)
- Always love working with florists and photographers!
- Jazz/blues musicians
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
You can submit an inquiry form here or email me: hello@rumi.studio letting me know a little bit about you and your business, what you're looking for, your budget, and why you feel inspired to work with me! 🌟
Q Who is a creative you admire?
Kelsey McCormick from Coming Up Roses has been really inspiring for me. We were both in the ilovecreatives course and Squarestylist's Standout Squarespace course at the same time, so I followed her work and have been really inspired by her style and philosophy. She has a really great mindset and I love how she funnels her creativity into different mediums. I just always get a very authentic vibe from her and am inspired by the flow of her creative energy. She reminded me of how powerful The Artist's Way was for tapping into my creative reservoir and she embodies that beautifully.
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
Thrifting and treasure hunting, traveling, being in nature.
This member profile was originally published in October 2021.