Derilyn Chambers

I'm a Graphic Designer in Chicago who has been in the design industry for 6 years. My love of the arts probably started at the age of four when I remember my dad participating in art shows and I would see beautiful paintings, pottery, and sculptures. I also remember coming home smelling my dad's oils and watercolor paints and seeing canvases and easels throughout the house. By the third grade, I recognized that I had some artistic talent when classmates would crowd around my desk to watch me draw, or they would oogle over my artwork that our teacher presented. I loved to draw, and I would draw for hours or create anything I could think of from paper.

I was particularly influenced by my parents. In my early childhood years, my dad was a painter and my mom was a wedding coordinator and floral designer, and they both owned a small bookstore. My mom was wonderful at initializing and nurturing my ideas which allowed for me to run wild with my imagination. I "purchased" my first home—and several more thereafter—at age five. A beautiful big brown stove box complete with windows and a door, which my mom would carve out for me, and lovely fabric curtains which she would sew and attach to my windows. I of course furnished the house with my toys, artwork, and stuffed animals, 3 or 4 hair pins linked together to create my "keys", and my tricycle was my sports car.

When I reached middle school, I realized I also had a fascination with stories and writing. One of my aunt's—a newspaper journalist—was energetic, politically minded, and was passionate about storytelling. That, coupled with my parent's bookstore, where I would try to read every book in the store, nurtured an interest in writing. Because my English teachers encouraged this talent—and I thought I could make more money as a writer than an artist—I went to college and graduated with an undergraduate degree in English Arts. Although I loved to write, I still loved and missed venturing more into art. Hmm...art + commerce. So, I decided to go back to school for Graphic Design.

I love Design, and I am a strong advocate of arts education. The arts contribute toward cultivating a humane spirit. Treat is a community that supports design and the arts. I want to share these inspirations with you, hoping to inspire creative new ways of experiencing life, connecting people, and making the world a more beautiful place to enjoy!

Derilyn