How a winding career path, a few unexpected turns, and a love of beautiful design led me here.
I've never been particularly good at following a conventional path.
I've lived in different cities, changed careers more than once, and occasionally found myself wondering what on earth I was going to do next. Looking back, though, I can see something that wasn't always obvious at the time.
I've always been a creative person. It just took me a while to figure out what to do with it.
Santa Barbara, State Street
CALIFORNIA DREAMING / SUNSHINE + LATE NIGHTSA Little Bit of Everywhere
I was born in Wichita, Kansas, but spent most of my childhood moving around the Southwest. I was raised in Palm Springs, Las Vegas, and Scottsdale. By the time I finished grade school, I'd attended eight different schools ( at least.)
Constantly being the new girl taught me to adapt, make friends, and feel comfortable around people from all walks of life. I didn't realize it then, but those experiences would shape much of my professional life.
After attending Chapparral high school in Scottsdale, I moved to Santa Barbara for college. Let's just say I was more interested in enjoying the beach than studying. I eventually dropped out and decided to pursue something more creative.
That decision took me to Los Angeles and Vidal Sassoon, where I pursued hairstyling. It was the first time I found myself working in a field where creativity was the entire point.
A Creative Beginning in Los Angeles
After graduating, I began assisting at a salon in Beverly Hills before moving to a smaller salon in Santa Monica, where I started building my own clientele. I worked hard, moved between salons, and gradually found my footing. Then something completely unexpected happened.
One of my clients worked for Condé Nast Traveler and introduced me to someone from Allure magazine. That connection led to being featured as one of Allure's Rising Stars and suddenly, I was booked solid. It was an exciting time. I eventually moved to Pacheco, a salon in Venice, where I spent nearly five years doing work I genuinely loved, but eventually, I burned out. I missed my family, wanted a change of scenery, and decided it was time to try something different. And different it was.
The Charm of Highland Park Village
Well it's not just a little charm, it's Highland Park Village.A Few Unexpected Detours
I moved to Kansas City and entered commercial real estate, a business my family had been involved in for years. There were aspects of it I enjoyed, particularly meeting people and building relationships. But creatively, something was missing.
After leaving real estate, I spent some time managing investment properties before joining friends who had started a hail company. Yes, hail…. As in hailstorms. For several years, I traveled around the country selling hail repair for vehicles. We worked incredibly long days, knocked on doors, followed storms, and spent much of the year on the road. It was fun, demanding, unpredictable, and occasionally a little crazy. I loved it. The adventure, the independence, and the different people you meet along the way. It suited me. We worked hard for eight or nine months, and during the winter I had the freedom to ski in Vail, travel, and spend time in Dallas.
Eventually, I settled in Dallas and returned to real estate, this time with Briggs Freeman Sotheby's. I loved Dallas and I enjoyed working with clients, but once again, I felt that familiar pull toward something more creative.
I just hadn't figured out what that something was.
The Unexpected Beginning of Lisa Cole Designs
When COVID arrived, I was living in a high-rise in Dallas. Like so many people, I found myself reassessing where I wanted to be and what mattered most. I moved back to Wichita to be closer to my family and eventually took over managing a large family restaurant. It was a busy, lively place. Along with the day-to-day operations, we hosted weddings, birthday celebrations, engagement parties, and private events and I loved bringing all the details together to create something memorable for our guests. I also took on the restaurant's social media with the help of an employee and began managing its Squarespace website, which my niece who had originally designed and developed it. I discovered how much I enjoyed the creative side of it. Choosing images, experimenting with layouts, and seeing how all those little decisions could change the look and feel of a website. There wasn't some grand plan to become a website designer. I just loved doing it.
My niece eventually referred me to Rachel De Luna at Squarestylist, and I signed up for her courses. What began as a creative interest gradually turned into something I wanted to pursue seriously. The more I learned, the more I realized that website design brought together so many things I'd always loved and that's how the idea for Lisa Cole Designs began to take shape.
Sometimes the Ending Is the Beginning
A friend once told me something I've never forgotten: “If you're not meant to be somewhere, and you don't do something about it, the universe will eventually kick you out.”
I've thought about that more than once over the years. When the restaurant eventually closed, I was devastated. I'd invested so much time and energy into it, and watching that chapter end was incredibly difficult, but something surprising happened. About two weeks later, I felt relieved. For the first time in a long time, I had the freedom to decide what came next and this time, I knew exactly what I wanted to pursue. I continued studying website design, developing my technical skills, and learning everything I could about creating more sophisticated, custom Squarespace websites. Eventually, Lisa Cole Designs was born.
Finally, Doing What I Love.
A FEW DETOURS + A LOT OF STORIESFinding My Own Creative Direction
What I love most about website design is that no two projects are exactly alike. Every business has a different personality, a different story, and a different vision for what it wants to become. I love getting to know the person behind the business. What inspires them, what they're passionate about, and even the little details they might not think are important. Those are often the things that make a design feel personal rather than predictable.
I'm very visual by nature. Photography, architecture, interiors, fashion, and beautiful typography have always caught my attention. I can spend far too long considering an image, adjusting a layout, or deciding whether a particular typeface feels right.
Some might call that being particular. I prefer to think of it as paying attention. My design style has naturally evolved toward something more editorial, sophisticated, and a little unexpected. I appreciate timeless design, but I also believe a website should have personality. Beautiful is wonderful. Memorable is even better.
The Next Creative Chapter
One thing I've learned about myself is that I'm never quite satisfied with standing still. I'm always curious about what else is possible, what I can learn, and how I can push myself creatively.
Lately, that curiosity has led me to Showit, a design platform that offers a different level of creative freedom. After building websites on Squarespace, I'm excited to explore a more flexible approach to design and one where I can experiment more freely with layouts, typography, imagery, and all those little details that make a website feel truly individual. I'm still learning, experimenting, and discovering what I can create with it. And that's probably my favorite part. I won't give too much away just yet, but let's just say there are some exciting changes ahead for Lisa Cole Designs.
And I have a feeling this next chapter is going to be a lot of fun!
Now, I'd Love to Hear Your Story.
One of my favorite things about what I do is getting to know the people behind the businesses. What brought you here, what inspires you, and what you're dreaming of creating next.
If you're thinking about a new website, I'd love to hear your ideas, learn a little about your journey, and see what we might create together.
LET'S GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER
Schedule a complimentary 30-minute discovery call.
