FullBleed

Photo courtesy of Sean McCormick

Latiffa Kerbal’s parents immigrated to the United States from London, where she was born, in order to live “where the streets are paved with gold.”  At five, she was learning to roller skate on the sidewalks of Queens.  At eight, she was in elementary school in Old Town Alexandria.  At 10, she was a big sister.

Last year, at 27, this Arlington resident decided to go into business for herself.

“I had quit a great job after four years of going full-speed ahead being focused entirely on clients,” she said.  “I took some time just to get back to painting and drawing.  But it was absolutely horrendous living off my savings and watching them start to dwindle.  And, just as I decided it was time to go back to work, the unemployment figures came out, and I thought, ‘Oh, shit.’”

But Tifa (for short) prides herself on being resourceful — whether in finding inspiration for new pieces, searching the best prices on yarn for knitting, or securing her future success with clients.

“I started my job search just like anyone — by meticulously refining my portfolio and scanning or applying for jobs I found advertised in traditional classifieds online and elsewhere,” she said.  “But I couldn’t seem to find what I was looking for, whether on guru.com or mediabistro or jobfox.  It seemed like everyone wanted a web monkey, and I knew that wouldn’t go well for me.  After about a month of thinking everything might go to hell in a hand basket, I started looking for something more stable, which generally meant something less creative.”

Frustrated and worried, she shifted focus inward.

“I already had a network of people around me who needed my skills — in fact, as a freelance contractor, I realized I was more appealing to them given the economic situation.”

So, Tifa took on some work a former colleague offered her and, in no time, was completely booked.

“Going into business for myself at first was terrifying,” she said.  “But I could provide the creative support people needed — starting with their identity, for example, and then building that into a web site and then their marketing materials. It just continued to take off from there.”

Tifa said that she’s been lucky in that she hasn’t had to go looking for clients yet, but continues to get work through word of mouth.  She credits this pattern with being responsive and transparent — asking for a 50 percent deposit up-front, tracking to the hour even if it’s not an hourly gig, and being receptive.

“It’s really fun to be in business for myself.  I can say ‘no’ to something.  I can pick and choose what I want to do.  That’s like every creative person’s dream, I think.”

Beyond the fulfillment she gets from being able to pay her bills with her artistic expertise, Tifa values the true creative aspect she’s experiencing as a result of being her own advocate.

“I take the risks and the uncertainties just to guarantee that I can keep doing what I love doing.  I feel a lot more appreciated; sometimes it’s easy to forget that when you’re in an agency because there is someone else who is doing the talking at meetings. It can be easy to think that you’re not as valued.”

One drawback to this new path, however, is working from her home.

“Occasionally, I miss the collaborative atmosphere you get at an agency, where you can just bounce ideas off people and refine your own work with others’ help,” she said. “I find myself more fully invested in following industry leaders. I’m a total Martha Stewart fan now.  I mean, she’s actually on Twitter, and I actually follow her.”

Like Martha Stewart, Tifa knows her way around craft rooms and kitchens. She spends her free time cooking, knitting, sewing, or doing embroidery — skills that came in handy over the holidays.

“I did a whole handmade Christmas with a lot sewing, embroidery, and knitting.  At one point, I was cranking out a hat a day.  It got ridiculous,” she said, adding that creating her gifts made them more meaningful and less expensive.  She keeps her skills fresh with online tutorials at sites like craftstylish.com and threadbanger.com, both of which have user-generated content showing off everything from seasonal buttons to recycled crafts.

Although Tifa taught herself many of the artistic skills she employs each day professionally and personally, she doesn’t forget the formal education she received from the “incredible” teachers at Corcoran, where she earned a degree in graphic design.

“My program was more specialized — we were all there because we loved graphic design, the teachers included.  I was around the most amazingly artistic people I know.”

That experience almost didn’t happen — Tifa, while a senior at T.C. Williams, had just been kicked out of government for getting into a “heated debate” with her teacher.  So, she picked up a third art class in its place.

“By the time I graduated, I had this awesome portfolio of pottery, watercolors, and still life.  It was way more than I was expecting to have. When my aunt saw it, she said, ‘We’re taking this to Corcoran.’  She took me there, and I wasn’t really expecting anything. But we showed them and they basically interviewed me on the spot.  I left with an application, sent it in a day later, and the next week I got an acceptance letter.  I still have that portfolio.  It has a bunch of weird linoleum prints that are from when I was way punk rock.”

So, is punk rock the basis of Tifa’s artistic expression?

“Well, my inspiration hasn’t changed that much, but it’s certainly more refined. I took that dirty teenage punk rock or classic goth and made it more grown up and prettier.  I’m still in love with Tobias Wong and his amazing pieces of art furniture, like a rubber chandelier. And I have a giant James Jean tattoo of a poster of his from a comic convention; it was so beautiful that I got it for myself for my birthday two years ago.”

That rebelliousness manifests itself in Tifa’s work, which isn’t restricted to one media or tool.  She talks about her collection of paper samples and prints and her dreams of someday being able to make a “really great, hand-painted shift dress.”

“There are so many possibilities ahead,” she said.  “I’m just excited.”