I landed my dream job right out of college. I mean, come on. It doesn't get much better than that. I spent four years studying at the best Journalism school in the world (Mizzou!) where I learned how graphic design and storytelling go hand in hand. I learned how to create magazines, then I headed off to St. Louis Magazine to start my journey.

I truly thought that I would spend the rest of my career in magazines. But it didn't take me long to realize that my dream job wasn't my dream any more. I had a new dream. A crazier one, yes, but one that I couldn’t ignore.

That year, on a whim, I took the plunge and opened an Etsy shop. I spent hours pouring over articles on marketing and branding. I learned all about Etsy SEO, Pinterest marketing and dove into best practices for Instagram. And through it all, I fell in love with creative entrepreneurship — and helping others. I still have that shop today, but it's now called Ezer + Pine.

At the same time, I started transitioning into a marketing role at my magazine job. I spent my days creating graphics and implementing strategy to get more social media presence and more subscribers. I got to use the tricks I had picked up from my Etsy shop to help grow the magazine and learn about

editorial graphic design and art direction from some seriously talented people.

A few months later, my husband and I got married and I started feeling a tug at my heart. I felt like there was something bigger that I had to do, and I needed to do it back home in Texas. We made the (terrifying) decision to leave the life we started to build in St. Louis and relocate to Texas.

I knew that I wanted to go full-time into entrepreneurship, but I was scared. I tried looking for jobs that would allow me to keep learning about creative entrepreneurship. Lucky for me, I never got a call back for any of those applications.

Through a lot of trial and error over that year, I figured out what made my entrepreneurial heart tick — helping other creatives use Pinterest for their business. It combines my love of graphic design and SEO strategy. I finally went full-time in the Fall of 2019, splitting my time between Elizabeth Gladney Creative Co. and Ezer + Pine, and I couldn't be happier.

I get to build my dream product business while also serving other women who are building theirs. It isn't always easy (you of all people know that!) but it's so worth it at the end of the day.

i help creatives use pinterest to grow a business that works for them.

are you ready to do the same?