About
WHAT IS DEEP DISH CREATIVE?
Deep Dish Creative is the freelance design effort of me, Lara Dickson. An independent graphic and web design studio, Deep Dish Creative draws on nearly two decades of hospitality and tourism industry experience and education to create:
Lara Dickson, Chief Whiz Bang - Deep Dish Creative
medium to small informational web sites & maintenance
custom emails
social media set-up
WordPress blogs
web banners
brochures & annual reports
print production
print advertising
promotional materials
direct mail
company collateral
restaurant menus and collateral
etc, etc, etc.
I have been around the hospitality block a couple of times. From my work experience as a hotel manager, sales & catering manager, head chef, waiter, and finally Creative Services Manager for Seattle’s Convention and Visitors Bureau, I have become steeped in the business of destination marketing. I know what works and how to drive new and repeat business to your door.
Deep Dish Creative is very affordable, personable, and ready to go. Now.
WHAT’S THE BLOG ALL ABOUT?
The blog is the chattering companion to Deep Dish Creative. I post tourism marketing musings and observations and useful information about destination marketing and how to capitalize online with social media and clever design. I’ll occasionally indulge in my personal freelancing and networking experiences, and post notable projects as they come along.
A BRIEF HISTORY
West Coast to East Coast
I was born at a now-defunct US Air Force Base on the dusty outskirts of Phoenix, AZ. I should clarify I started kicking and screaming in the Base’s hospital, not on the tarmac amid the roar of F-15s. Thereafter I somehow endured 20 odd years of childhood, sunburns, high school, and bon fire parties in the sage-scented surrounding desert. I dabbled at community college and assorted dead end jobs like pizza delivery and mobile dj-ing, then headed off to visit a former co-worker in the wilds of Anchorage, Alaska.
Imagine my dismay at all the Christmas tree lots everywhere there – and it was only June… The plan was to spend the summer lolling in the wilderness, then join a caravan of burn-outs heading to Mexico for the winter, assuming I would be dropped off back home without incident. Of course this caravan never materialized and I was forced to find work, even as a cook at Tony Roma’s. Then at a hotel counting cash and doling out payroll. One thing lead to another and 8 years, 5 jobs (including a couple of years running a remote sport fishing lodge) later I found myself on the Al-Can highway with Mr. Right-Then heading to Seattle.
The view from my office.
Seattle was heaven – the happy medium between roasting to death in the Arizona heat and eternally scraping one’s windshield in AK. Another 8 years, 5 hotel stints, art school, and other feats of self enlightenment left me thoroughly satisfied that I had indeed seen it all. Not so, said my wandering gypsy conscious. “There’s always New England,” the voices murmured, “Burlington, Vermont is like Seattle-Lite, you should check it out.”
So here I am. Just north of Burlington on beautiful Lake Champlain. All alone without distractions to hone my craft, learn some new tricks, drink lots of wine, and marvel at the transcendent beauty that is a quiet Lake Champlain beach at 6 a.m.
Looking forward to another long stretch of experiences, friendships, education, thrills, chills and tall tales that have so enriched my life.