Caroline Sleeper Creative
Photography by Milena Mallory & Caroline Sleeper
Bright light, hand lettering and a perfect vintage chair are a few of the delightful things to be found in designer Caroline Sleeper's home office. We were so glad to connect with this Arizona-based talent and get a peek into her daily life as a freelancer.
Tell us a little more about what you do and are working on currently.
I am a freelance designer, photographer, and stylist. A little over a year ago I started teaching myself how to incorporate hand-lettering into my designing and I feel like I really found myself as a designer when that happen, I just knew right away it was the direction I wanted go from then on. I grew up in Southern California, then spent 2 years living in Seattle before moving to Flagstaff AZ, where I am currently. I have so many projects coming in right now and I love it. I think the 2 that I am most excited about are a Wedding Design Package for a couple getting married here in Flagstaff and a Re-Branding project for a Make-up Artist/ Stylist who’s based on the east coast. I've just been so fortunate to connect with such amazing clients lately!
“Working from home is something I never knew I would love so much. ”
How would you describe your workspace style?
Clean, organized, simple. I don’t like clutter. When I was young I used to just love knick-knacks and …just stuff. Everywhere. But over the past few years I’ve grown out of that. Now I just have a few pieces of my own works on the walls, and some work of others that I like. I also have quite a few beautiful coffee table books that are always sitting out. Other than that I keep it pretty minimal. My desk is actually in the living room of my apartment and I love how open it is. The big windows, great light, and lots of room to move around if I want to. I love the light it gets in the morning, especially when it’s warm enough to have the front door open. I just love it. I’m an early bird, I love mornings and there no place I enjoy spending mornings more than my workspace. I just feel so perfectly at home in it.
Where do you draw your design inspiration?
I love trying new thing and going to new places. The place I've been and people I have met inspire so much of my photography and design.
What is your favorite part of your workspace?
My chair. It’s the simplest wooden chair, I found it at a little thrift store and I will never let go of it. If you have ever seen the movie “Like Crazy,” my chair reminds me of the classic design on the chair Jacob builds for Anna. It’s sturdy, comfortable, and helps me keep good posture when editing work for hours on end.
What is your favorite decor item (purchase/DIY/heirloom)?
My set of antlers – I was on my way back into town from a snow shoeing day trip last winter and saw some elderly men on the side of the road selling Christmas trees. I decided to stop and just take a look and ended up stumbling upon a pretty large collection of antlers behind some of the trees and couldn’t help but buy some. And at under $15 it felt like a steal!
Describe your typical day in your space.
I usually start the morning off with coffee, and sometimes some eggs, and then start reading and replying to emails. Then I’ll make a to-do list for the day and get started. Working from home is something I never knew I would love so much. I definitely have days that are far less productive than I wish they had been, being the boss of your own priorities definitely requires some proactive planning and follow through. A couple times a week I do try and get out and do some work at a favorite coffee shop or café to get a change of environment. I usually try and wrap up my workday by mid to late afternoon. And then typically I’ll meet up with some friends, run some personal errands, or - on days that I’m scheduled to work at my part time job – I’ll head to that so I can actually get all of the bills paid every month, haha.
