We asked experts from a broad range of industries to open up to us about things they know about their industry but that we probably don’t and we’ve shared some of those responses below.

Alexis Ward | Graphic Designer, Illustrator, and Art Director

We live in an age where you it doesn’t seem like you need much skill to be a graphic designer. Applications like Canva are available to everyone to create graphics. Anyone can do it…right? But a skilled graphic designer understands more than how to pick a cool font and image. An educated designer understands the importance of white space and will move items around on a page for hours, finding the perfect balance in the design. A graphic designer understands how important font choices are for giving a voice to the design and how fonts need to work together instead of competing in a composition. A professional graphic designer puts great thought into what your brand needs to connect your business with your audience. A skilled designer will research your brand and translate it into a compelling visual message. Can your quick design app do all that?. Read more>>

Judi Wells | Responsibly Armed Radio Co-Host, Facilitator A Girl & A Gun San Diego, Firearms Instructor

I know that this is a really sensitive subject, especially right here in SoCal / San Diego. Gun Ownership and Gun Control is at the forefront of political and private discussions all over the country. People who do not frequently visit the gun range might think that our guns are a “go-to” tool, but actually they are tools of last resort. Gun owners want our loved ones to be safe, and most of us believe that each person has the right to define what that looks like…whether we want to use a firearm or pepper spray or other self-defense item. We train to be able to protect our families, but we hope the day never comes when we have to use our gun against an attacker. Instead, the day that we look forward to is a typical afternoon on the range with our friends, shooting a competition for fun, smashing sporting clays, or learning new self-defense information. Read more>>

Dallas McLaughlin | Performer and Writer

It’s not that glamorous. As an actor, writer and comedian I find myself in lots of fun situations, and around an incredible amount of talented and hilarious people, but backstage is a lot different than on stage. Small dressing rooms, greenrooms that smell like sadness and old cigarettes. Sometimes there is no greenroom and you’re either in the audience or outside. The pay is never great, but it does get better. Most people see you on stage or hear you wrote for this show or that commercial and think you must be a millionaire. Often the opposite is true. Read more>>