💡Meet Rowan Shade Creative

Answers provided by: Ro Stastny (she/they), Founder of Rowan Shade Creative

I am excited to introduce you all to Ro (she/they) behind Rowan Shade Creative! I relate a lot to Ro’s lived experience of transitioning out of a 9-5 to work for themself. I find that many queer people do the same because we do our best work when we have control of the work that we get to do. The questions below were asked by myself and answered by Ro. I hope you enjoy this read!

1. Tell us about your journey—how did your queer-owned business come to life?

Part of my professional journey, moving from physically-demanding service and labor jobs into office-based roles, has been learning that the rigid 9-5 work day structure is just not for me. I knew I needed to find an alternative that worked better for my neurodivergent creative flow, while also being more fulfilling.

I started to entertain the idea of leaning more into freelancing after completing an online certificate in graphic design many years ago. Coming from a background of nonprofit and service experience, I was not really in the most financially stable place, so the thought of having inconsistent income (or potentially NO income at all) from freelance work was a little terrifying.

I took design gigs on top of working a full-time job, and took the opportunity to really dig into the ‘why’ behind the creative design work that I enjoyed most. That’s where Rowan Shade Creative really had a chance to start growing its foundation and identity.

“Part of my goal in starting Rowan Shade Creative was to help elevate other businesses and organizations that have a clearly defined purpose-driven mission to strengthen communities and make the world better for everyone.” -Ro, Founder of Rowan Shade Creative

2. What mission or values guide your work and how does being queer-owned shape that vision?

It really matters that my work, whatever it may be, is serving a greater good in some way. Most of my clients have been nonprofit organizations or very small businesses founded by people who care about a particular issue or group, and I gravitate to purpose-driven businesses that are committed to what they do because they believe it will help make their community a better place. I love getting to be a part of helping these organizations and businesses share their story and create their own communities full of caring, driven people.

I am committed to authenticity overall in my business, and queerness is definitely part of that.

4. How do you foster inclusivity and community through your business?

Part of my goal in starting Rowan Shade Creative was to help elevate other businesses and organizations that have a clearly defined purpose-driven mission to strengthen communities and make the world better for everyone.

I intentionally used the word ‘Creative’ instead of ‘Design’ in my business name so that I could keep it open-ended. I know no matter what I’m doing, it’s going to be creative. That’s just who I am. Right now, that looks like a lot of brand and logo design and custom merch illustrations, but I hope to continue to grow and take on new projects, or try something I’ve never done before and maybe connect with other creatives and artist communities that I can learn from and share skills with.

5. What’s one piece of advice you’d give to other queer folks looking to start their own venture?

Rowan Shade Creative

Image of Ro Stastny, provided by Ro Stastny

Rowan Shade Creative Website

Dare to give a damn about something, and then follow that thing. No matter where you are starting from, following your gut and your passion will always go farther than just doing what you think you are supposed to be doing.

6. What does "queer joy" mean to you, and how do you create or celebrate it in your space?

Being able to just show up in a place and know that who I am doesn’t matter. That sounds kind of backwards, but I really feel the most content, safe, and joyous when I don’t have to worry about how I am existing in a given space, and that really brings me a lot of peace. I’m so over the overthinking, and worrying about how I present myself to the world. I love the roominess of my queer identity, and how it allows me to shift and grow endlessly as much as I want to.

Additional Information for the EIQ community:

Rowan Shade Creative is named after myself, when I  played roller derby for several years under the skater name “Rowan Shade.” I have played for multiple leagues in the Chicago and Seattle areas, and I still play occasionally. It’s a very demanding hobby, and I recently have stepped away to focus on other areas of my life like growing my business and engaging with other hobbies. Roller derby has always been and will still be an incredible space for being openly queer, and being involved in it was a big part of my own queer journey.

To discover more queer-owned organizations like Rowan Shade Creative, download our free app called Everywhere Is Queer, available on iOS and Android, globally!