Bittersweet ending, exciting beginning

For the past 17 (!) years I have worked for VocalEssence in Minneapolis, the wonderful choral music organization led by Philip Brunelle. Over the years more and more people asked me for help with their communications-related projects. Eventually the free-lance work increased, so I downshifted from VocalEssence Marketing & Communications Director to a part time position as Communications Manager. At the same time, I launched Dakota Street Design from my home in Red Wing. 

August 1, 2013 will mark a major change of direction as I leave VocalEssence and begin a new position with Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical in Red Wing as Director of Communications.

I will continue to provide graphic design and website development services under the banner of Dakota Street Design LLC. For most of my clients — especially those who are located across the United States and Europe — this won't make much difference as we'll continue our relationships via email. However, for the most part, I won't be as available for face-to-face meetings and phone conferences during weekday business hours.

While it's bittersweet to leave my dear friends at VocalEssence, I'm excited about working closer to home in a college environment. I'm giving up a 60-mile commute for a quick 3-mile ride on my motor scooter.  And — as the creative director of Dakota Street Design, I look forward to continuing my work with you!

The Shoemaker's Children

But who is wurs shod, than the shoemakers wyfe, With shops full of newe shapen shoes all hir lyfe? — J. Heywood, Dialogue of Proverbs, 1546

​I've long heard the proverb about the Shoemaker's Children — it's a syndrome that has affected my own work. In modern English, "Who is worse shod than shoemaker’s wife?" (or the shoemaker's children) refers to the concept that the shoemaker puts the needs of his customers above those of his own family. In my case, it's been more that I've put the marketing needs of my clients above my own business's needs.

When you're a free-lancer, you've got to make hay while the sun shines (sorry to be mixing proverbs here). When I've got lots to do for my clients, the last thing I want to do is take time to work on marketing my business. But I would advise any client, whether a non-profit, an artist, a musician, an educational institution or a business, that it's vital to continuously market your services. ​

That's why I'm so pleased to have at last launched a re-vamped version of dakotastreetdesign.com. It's build on a sleek platform with all the latest bells & whistles, including responsive design. The template is intrinsically beautiful with very little modification on my part, allowing me to spend more time developing content (always the most challenging part of any project). ​

Now I'm happy to say my own site is up-to-date and I'm taking my own advice.

Sarah Miller Music

Sarah Miller is a composer of classical music based in Minneapolis, MN. We just launched her new website. It was a very smooth process as she provided all of the copy and uploaded much of the content herself. ​

Sarah's site is special because she is able to sell PDFs of her scores online. The ecommerce option automatically sends a link for downloading the PDF as soon as the site visitor has purchased the item.​

Another aspect of this site is that it features responsive design. It will re-scale itself depending on the site visitor's browser - automatically redesigning the site for optimal viewing and browsing on smart phones.​

View Site: sarahmillermusic.com​