Yogie Jacala

When I was six, I could remember distinctly coloring in my Little Bo Peep coloring book with my mom. We shared the book, with me coloring the left hand side page and her on the right. I just remember being amazed at how precise and beautiful her newly colored Little Bo Peep looked, as compared to my blue-scribbly faced Bo Peep and her matching purple and green sheep. (Not that there was anything wrong with purple and green sheep.) I wore my crayons down to the nubs, coloring like mad so I can make something just as beautiful as what my mom did. I was hooked.

Fast forward a couple of decades. After graduating at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Communications, my first real job had nothing to do with art. I was a copywriter. While it did give me an understanding and appreciation of the craft, my heart belonged to art. So with advice from my mentors, I invested in a Mac, taught myself the design programs, got my book together and started knocking on doors. Luckily, they opened.

Now, I look back on my career so far, I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some seriously talented folks, who have inspired and taught me more than they will ever know. With that, I’ve made it my lifelong goal to learn something new every single day. Whether it’s figuring out a new trick in a program or learning how to make a killer bundt cake... to me, learning is living.

My short list:

Love: people-watching, photojournalism, Old Hollywood films, scenic views, tater tots, DIY, my funny little nephews and sleeping in on a rainy morning.

Don’t love: big egos, telemarketers, rodents of any kind, and refried beans.

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• 06.03.10 | My Sweetie
• Sorry, I know I've been slacking on my personal posts. I've been a little busy (see above). Meet my sweet Sabrina Jane, born 01.17.10. 

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• 08.21.09 | Cut paper loveliness
• Was doing some research on cut paper a while back and came across this artist’s artwork. I swoon!

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• 08.21.09 | Never gets old
• Caught one of my all time favorite old movies, Sabrina, for the ump-thousandth time last weekend. Hepburn, Holden and Bogie...they don’t make ‘em like these three anymore.

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• 02.19.09 | New Puppy!
• So we just recently got a sweet yellow lab named Bob...yes, Bob. He’s 5 months old and pure puppy. He knows how to fully use those sad puppy dog eyes to his advantage, trust me.

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• 10.30.08 | Walking to work
• Took this on my walk to work a couple days ago. It’s out of focus, but I think I like it like that. Makes the focus about the colors. By far, fall is my favorite time of year.

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• 09.01.08 | Paris
• It’s been three years since I snapped this pic in Paris and I still daydream about that city. I can’t speak a lick of French, but I’m determined to retire there.

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• 07.11.08 | Hanging by My Desk
• Every day I get to look at this picture that my 5yr old nephew made for me. He called it “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Fights The Scary Tree Bad Guys.” Obviously.

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• 06.15.08 | Backyard
• Just goofing around in the backyard with my camera. 

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• 04.15.08 | Woody
• My good ol’ sweet Woody (R.I.P). He used to take a huge drink of water and with his slobbery droopy wet lips, he’d rest his head on my lap right after. It never failed. Best pup ever.

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• 03.15.08 | My Nephew
• My nephew on his 1st birthday. I think, on every birthday, we should all eat our cake like this. The world would be a much better place.