Meet Fontayne Sisson | Graphic Designer & Founder of Studio Sisson

We had the good fortune of connecting with Fontayne Sisson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Fontayne, do you have any habits that you feel contribute to your effectiveness?
The habits that have helped me succeed are, focusing on one task at a time, asking for help, having a morning routine, and planning ahead.

I feel that multi-tasking may work in other areas of life, but for building my business, focusing on one task at a time is far more productive. It’s easy to get caught up in jumping around from checking social media, to working on a project for a bit all while constantly refreshing your email. When I go down my to-do list and focus on one thing at a time, not only do I give it my full attention and put more effort in, I always end up completing the task way faster.

Asking for help when it is needed is a must. I have so much to learn in how to build and scale a business, it’s impossible to know everything. Allowing myself to be ok with being vulnerable and reaching out not only helps with my business growth but my personal growth. People seem to like it when you ask for their advice. It shows that ‘hey we’re all human and no one is perfect, we’re just trying to learn’ and I think people really appreciate that.

Having a morning routine and sticking to it. It sounds so cliché but for me this is one of the biggest game changers. And by morning routine, I don’t mean a days worth of work before 6am. I keep it simple and realistic. I wake up around 6:00am, read for about 20 minutes, stretch for about 10 minutes, drink a ton of water, and go for a walk. And that’s it. If I don’t do those four things every morning Monday to Friday, I feel flustered and all out of whack for the day.

Planning ahead for everything. With starting a business, there is so much that needs to get done, it can seem overwhelming if you don’t stay organized and plan. I map out my tasks a week ahead of time so I don’t forget anything. This also helps for the days my brain just doesn’t wan to work, I can just look at my calendar and know what needs to be done without any time wasted.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a full time graphic designer. I graduated from the art program at SDSU with a B.A. in Graphic Design in 2014 and have been working in the industry ever since. I always knew one day I would branch off and start something of my own. Even though starting a business has been the most challenging thing I’ve ever done, I can’t see myself doing anything else. One of the biggest lessons I have learned along the way is to not be afraid of failure. Not every client is going to want to work with you, not everything you create everyone will love. I’ve learned that in order to grow you have to accept failure and use it as a tool.

One thing I’d like the world to take away from Studio Sisson is, don’t forget to have fun and enjoy the process. Creating art shouldn’t be stressful, even though at times it may be, but the journey should be enjoyable every step of the way.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If I had to plan the perfect weekend in San Diego I would start by heading to Coronado! I would grab lunch at Miguel’s Mexican Restaurant, the shrimp enchiladas are delicious. Then walk across the street to the beach and go for a swim. Afterwards, I would grab a drink at the Hotel Del and watch the sunset. The next day I would grab brunch in La Jolla Shores and walk around to all the little shops. To finish off the day, I would have dinner at Buona Forchetta in South Park, it is the best pasta I’ve ever had. For the final day, I would visit the Bernardo Winery. It is the cutest local winery with lots of greenery and tasty homemade pizza. It’s the perfect place to spend a summer afternoon.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Shoutout to my fiancé, Parker Washington! He is my biggest supporter from day one of my journey. He is constantly reading and researching right along with me, giving me pep talks on the days I want to throw in the towel, and reassures me that no matter what he knows I will succeed. Without him, I don’t know what I would do!

Website: https://www.studiosisson.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/studiosisson/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StudioSisson/

Image Credits
Arielle Levy