We had the good fortune of connecting with Mia Washington and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Mia, what’s the most difficult decision you’ve ever had to make?
The most difficult decisions I make regarding my business is scaling my designs to meet the constantly changing technologies. My goal is to create quality, entertaining products that are easy for my customers to use.
My older eCard designs were longer in length and filled with many animated elements and sound effects. Once I create a new design, I go back through all the elements and determine which sound, animation, and font combinations are engaging, but also meet mobile and message application guidelines.
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I have always been a fan of animation. My family made flipbooks when I was a child and were real fans of Disney and Hanna-Barbera animations. Living in California, my family visited Disneyland and Universal Studios every year, and loved the behind-the-scene features, including art cells and foley. I grew out of creating flipbooks but watched several animated films with my daughter as she grew up.
Years later, I created the Pickles’ Adventures series based on our experiences with our dogs. I eventually realized that the flipbook format was the ideal vehicle for my stories. Because I chose to print and assemble my books manually, it was not feasible to sell them online. I could not compete with creators who used professional printers and decided to turn my books into animated videos by uploading each page into a graphic design tool. Over time, I pivoted and began creating greeting cards and, eventually, illustrated the Balcony Dog TV books.
It all has been a labor of love. Hearing from my customers on how much their family members enjoyed the birthday ecards fills me with so much joy.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
The East Valley has so much to offer. I love taking the drive to Lost Dutchman State Park or Canyon Lake, walking a trail off South Mountain, and taking my dog to Cosmo Dog Park.
My family enjoys having breakfast together at Joe’s Farm Grill and love taking our visiting guests, as well.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Every member of my family has been encouraging; however, my daughter, Gabrielle, has always been my biggest supporter. She has been my motivation and deserves a lot of credit for my success.
Website: https://metronomellc.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/metronome.az.llc/
Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/metronomeazllc/
Image Credits
Gabby Washington