06/07/2026
Mom here. Please read the whole thing. š©·
First, let me say thank you. The outpouring of love to my post on Friday was overwhelming and I cried reading all your responses. You all are the kindest people I know and I love each and every one of you. š©·
Iāve been asked to start a GoFundMe. Iām not comfortable doing that. If I or one of the dogs were sick, I would. But with so many others in worse situations than I am, I feel guilty doing so.
That said, I was asked for my cash apps and an Amazon list. We really donāt need anything from Amazon, but I did put a few items on there I use for Buddyās food, Lunaās meals and the only commercially made treats Iāve found without mixed tocopherols or rosemary extract (Luna canāt have either). Hereās the links:
š² Venmo: https://venmo.com/u/sherrytylerdog
š² PayPal: PayPal.me/destinythepibble
š² CashApp: https://cash.app/$tylerdogphotography
š Amazon: http://tiny.cc/PibblePosse
1300 S. Johnstone Ave.
Bartlesville, OK 74003-5624
Many people have DMād me with suggestions, leads, telling me what I should do, etc. Thank you. Iād like to clear up a few misconceptions Iāve run across. š
It was suggested I start my own business. I DO own my own business. I started Tyler Creative in 1994. Thatās my award-winning graphic design business. I also own TylerDog Photography, specializing in pet portraiture.
š» Tyler Creative: http://tylercreative.com
šø TylerDog Photography: http://tylerdog.com
It was suggested I sell my photos online. I already have a storefront on my TylerDog website with select photos and other items for sale and have for years. If thereās a photo you like thatās not on there, I can always do a custom.
š TylerDog store: shop.tylerdog.com
It was suggested I create a LinkedIn profile. Did a long time ago.
š©š»āš» LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/tylerdog
Iāve been told to just go get a job. š Well, thatās what Iām trying to do. Iām trying to find more remote graphic design work. Iāve filled out hundreds of applications. Iāve scoured Indeed, LinkedIn, ZipRecruiter, Handshake, JobLeads, and more. Iāve even filled out applications for jobs in which I have absolutely no experience ā like order filler at Walmart, retail, etc.
[ FYI Iād probably want to hit myself in the head with a hammer if I worked retail because Iāve worked remotely at my home studio since 1994, but a girlās gotta do what a girlās gotta do. Just donāt be surprised if my name comes up in the headlines if I do. š¤£š¤·š»āāļø ]
Iāve been in the graphic design field since Iāve been 18 years old and never done anything else for 40+ years. Itās what I know and am damn good at. I design book covers, publications, brochures, logos ā you name it, I can create it. Web design if you absolutely are desperate and every other web designer in the world has died. Web design is the bane of my existence and my weakest skill set. š¤£
Outfits like Fiverr, 99Designs, and other online groups have devastated designers in the United States. Why hire a designer here when you can hire one from India or Lithuania or any other overseas country for pennies on the dollar? Iām not bitter; itās a reality of evolving business.
Graphic design is being impacted by AI. Jobs I used to do are being done by ādesignersā who think kerning has to do with popcorn and donāt know leading from a hole in the ground. But clients are hiring them because they think theyāre getting a deal.
Case in point. A client came to me because his ad was the wrong size for our publication. I gave him the correct specs and said his designer should be able to plug those into InDesign / Photoshop / Illustrator and adjust the ad.
He said his ādesignerā was hard to get ahold of. I said I could recreate his ad for a fee, but I would need his photo because a great portion of his left side was cut off. He wasnāt able to get that.
So I said I could recreate it and, because Iām a Photoshop goddess, I could rebuild his missing left side.
I rebuilt his ad, he loved it, and promptly paid me. Think about that. He paid the other guy for junk and had to pay me to fix it. My client was duped by the other guy.
In the course of discussing it with a colleague, I found out his ādesignerā was a hack who uses AI to create his ādesigns.ā
Reason he couldnāt plug in the specs and fix the ad? Because AI doesnāt work like that ā it would have spit out a new generation of the ad, possibly changing something in the style or design, and the client would have learned he wasnāt a true designer. There are no layers in AI, no font specifications, no understanding of typography or colors.
If your designer isnāt using Adobe tools to create your projects, theyāre not a real designer. If they canāt give you a layered Photoshop file when asked, theyāre not a real designer. If they donāt understand leading and kerning, color theory, and how to prepare files for output, theyāre not a real designer. And yes, this is a hill I will die on.
Sure, Canva can create some decent stuff. So can Microsoft Word. Or Affinity. But true designers who work with printers, preparing files for output and social media will ALWAYS use Adobe products.
Over the course of my 40+ year career, Iāve won over 100 awards for design and photography. Just this last month I, along with my Osage News colleagues, took home the Oklahoma Book Awards Lynn McIntosh Award for Excellence for āThe Making of Killers of the Flower Moon,ā a book I designed in its entirety. Thatās like the Oscar given to the best movie of all time.
I work remotely from my home that is paid for. I donāt want to sell my house and start over somewhere else with a house payment. At 63, Iām up for some adventures but not that particular one. Well, that is, unless the job is amazing, pays at least $100k, comes with a small house on a few acres, no neighbors, fenced yard, and fiber internet. š
It was suggested I retire. Would love to but my social security draw would be less than I make right now. I mean, Iām already drowning. Retiring with savings depleted would sink me to the bottom faster than a lead cannonball. Plus Iād be bored out of my mind.
There were a few suggestions that were awesome and Iāll be looking into doing them. The ladies who suggested it were quite adamant people would want something like that, so fingers crossed theyāre right. Stay tuned. Weāll announce it soon. š
Again, I canāt thank you enough for all your donations, kindness, and words of encouragement. Itās greatly appreciated and I love yāall from the bottom of my heart. š©·
Love
Mama Sherry
