It started with a rented electric typewriter, a stack of library books, and a head full of ideas.
I didn’t know it then, but I was building the foundation for everything I do today. My creative journey has been a lifelong process.
I had three little ones at home, an unemployed husband, and we’d already filed for bankruptcy. We were desperate. I went to the local library to research money-making ideas, and one thing stuck: writing books to sell through mail-order classifieds in magazines. So I rented an electric typewriter and began writing two little booklets that I could sell through mail order in magazines. From my library research I wrote two booklets: 101 Craft Ideas for Children and 101 Home Business Ideas.
The only downside to placing a classified ad in a magazine was the wait—at least 2-3 months could pass before the ad was published. and of course, I had to pay up front! But I persevered and found a small publication that didn’t require such a long lead time: Mothering Magazine (I loved that magazine since I had two little boys, and a baby on the way). It didn’t have a huge subscriber base back then, but I always devoured every issue when it arrived in the mail. So I took a risk and paid to place an ad for two mail order booklets.
My Creative Journey Begins
After my ad was published, soon checks began to arrive in the mail. When the first check arrived, I nearly cried. I immediately went straight to Kinko’s, and made copies of my booklets, stapled, addressed, and mailed them off right away. Getting those checks was the most exciting feeling I’d ever had. It inspired me to keep going—to keep creating—and to never, ever give up.
With my typing speed close to 90 wpm, I decided to take one of my business ideas in my booklet to heart: offering typing services to university students. This was an easy one, since I lived in Eugene, home of the University of Oregon. I posted flyers around the campus offering to type theses, essays, term papers, and résumés. Soon, there was a line of students waiting to pick up their finished papers. I even had a few lawyers hire me to type their legal documents as well.
Before long, my little rental typewriter became a dinosaur. My client base was growing faster than I could type! The buzz about computers was in the air, and I was curious. I’d actually be able to save my work? I could edit with a backspace key instead of white out? Needless to say, I was very intrigued.
I Need a Computer, He Said No
When I asked my husband (at the time) if I could buy a computer, he said no. (Don’t ask me why—he was benefitting from my hard work but he wasn’t very supportive.) He suggested a word processor instead, thinking I couldn’t handle a computer. So we went to Radio Shack, and I bought a Smith-Corona word processor. It wasn’t a computer, but it was pretty close, it felt like magic.
That lasted a few months. The printer was slow, and I always had clients lined up waiting for their papers. Fortunately, I was part of a small network of home-based typists in my community, and we often referred clients to one another when our workload became overwhelming.
I Get My First Computer
But I still wanted a computer. I realized, after talking to other typists, that it was the only way I’d be able to keep up with the demand. Even after being told no by the ‘boss’, I was still determined, after all, I was earning more than he was, since he wasn’t working at the time. Just down the street from where we lived, a new computer shop had recently opened up. I went in (without my husband). The salesman showed me how it worked, agreed it would help my typing service, and suggested the kind of printer I should get with it. Right there and then, I arranged for a payment plan and bought an IBM-clone computer with an amber monitor, no mouse, and a daisy-wheel printer. It was clunky, loud, and there was no hard drive. To check spelling, I had to swap out the 5¼-inch WordPerfect disk; and to save documents, another disk. But I didn’t care, I didn’t have to use white out anymore and indeed, editing was a breeze due to being able to save documents.
Soon I upgraded to a 20 MB hard drive (yes, you read that right 20 MB!), thinking, I’ll never fill that up! And traded the daisy wheel printer for a “dot-matrix, laser-quality” NEC printer. Every new tool opened another door, and one thing led to another.
Learning to use the Computer Opened Up Doors
Soon I was able to take my typing skill to another level and began working for a railroad brokerage firm. Using a computer. No fancy interface, all text on the screen. But I was one of the few ladies in town that knew how to use a computer in those days. Then I was hired by law offices and became a legal secretary. I got my paralegal diploma and began working as a paralegal, researching legal cases for attorneys, typing pleadings and appearing in court for trials. I was using computers on the job now, all self-taught, or skills that I learned on the job. I was fascinated with computers and the technology behind them. Taught myself coding, web design, HTML, CSS, Java, CGI and everything about the internet when it went live in the early ’90s. I loved having an encyclopedia at my fingertips. Soon I was offering web design services, graphic design, and résumés services to local and global clients.
I spent the next 20 years working as a computer consultant, IT specialist, graphic designer and software tech for a database software company. I’m grateful for what it has taught me: a valuable skill in a technology that just keeps growing and growing. Now we have AI, and guess, what? Of course I’m fascinated with it and of course I have learned how to use it as well. It is a valuable tool, and is definitely not going away!
Looking back, it was never really about the machines or the technology. It was about curiosity, about saying yes to whatever new tool that came next. That mindset has stayed with me through every creative chapter since.
You’ve probably started your creative journey differently, but if you’ve ever felt that spark to create something from nothing, you’re already part of this story. 🌿 You can learn more of my story in my About page.
