Jess Kasteler of Mara Design Co.
Next in our series of inspiring women is Jess Kasteler! Jess is the Creative Director of Mara Design Co., a full-service creative agency offering graphic design, brand strategy, marketing, and website creation. We’re so inspired by Mara’s beautiful work and commitment to support women-owned businesses. We hope you enjoy getting to know Jess and feel inspired by her like we are!
Tell us a bit about yourself!
Hi, I’m Jess! I was originally born in the Seattle area into a very creative family full of artists & designers & photographers, so I was around design from a young age & it’s always been a part of my life. I am passionate about travel & have been blessed to explore many new places over the last few years including Switzerland, Germany, France, Austria, Ireland, Spain, Iceland, & Belgium - it’s been incredibly eye-opening & has really shaped who I am as a person to have the opportunity to experience so many different cultures. On a normal basis, you can usually find me with a cold brew in hand, practicing yoga, spending time outdoors, working on house projects, or chasing my two little kids around our backyard!
What do you love most about your work?
Honestly, the thing I love most is the way design allows us to connect. Not only does it bring us the opportunity to build relationships with our incredibly talented, inspiring clients, but through those relationships we are also entrusted with the task of helping those clients connect with THEIR people, too. I believe that beautiful, strategic design work that perfectly represents a business plays such a huge role in bridging the gap between brands & their customers - & we love getting to be a part of that.
What do you do to jumpstart your day?
Right now, I’m really focused on refining my morning routines so that I’m able to start the day off on the right foot, especially with all the uncertainty & stress happening in the world right now. On a good day, I find that practicing yoga (even a quick 6 minute practice while my kids are distracted for a moment!) allows me to begin my morning intentionally & with a calmer perspective overall. I also wouldn’t turn down a cup of coffee, tea, or lemon water first thing in the morning, either, while I plan out the day!
How do you keep yourself organized?
Alright, shameless plug time - using my planner daily is the single most impactful way I can keep my life organized & focused. I am often juggling a lot & it’s easy for me to get swept up in it all without pausing to organize it or take control of it all. To help with this, I like to write nearly every little task down in my planner - wellness habits for that day, emails to send out, tasks to complete, people to text back (sorry, friends!), etc. - which brings a kind of intentionality to my day as a whole. I also keep a Google calendar with my husband for our family’s schedule & religiously use Basecamp for work to keep our team’s client & internal work on track & organized.
How do you stay inspired?
This is such a great question! I think as humans in general we are inundated with a lot of external content constantly. Very often, this is such an amazing thing, as we are given the ability to see beautiful, inspiring work from others all the time - but sometimes, it can cause me to feel super overloaded to the point that I can’t truly absorb that inspiration. To help offset that, I’ve found when I give myself space in life to LIVE - to be outdoors, unplug, travel, go for a hike or a walk, work in the garden, paint on a canvas - it nourishes my creative soul so that I’m more open to all sorts of inspiration the world has to offer. I also really enjoy listening to music, audiobooks, or podcasts that help me feel uplifted in an inspiring way as I think this brings a different kind of energy into my life.
What have your kids taught you lately?
My kids teach me to slow down & be present. I owe it to them to be consciously living a joyful life - & to me, a big piece of this is learning how to stop the constant multitasking & be in the moment. So many of us I think are going through life without truly thriving - or we have such jam-packed days that we are just trying to make it through & we aren’t stopping to run barefoot in the grass with our kids or putting our phones down long enough to have real conversations with them without our minds wandering onto our to do lists. My kids help me better prioritize where my energy is placed so that I never forget what’s most important.
So many thanks to Jess for taking the time to share such insightful and inspiring thoughts with us! Be sure to follow Mara Design Co. on Instagram and head to their website if you’re in need of creative or marketing services for your brand!