As a marketing professional, I am motivated by stories. Be genuine, tell your own story with integrity, and connect human to human in all the messages you put out into the world. This is the philosophy I impart on my clients as we embark on our working relationship.
As a lover, supporter, and passionate patron of the arts, it is imperative that the first image viewed on the Creative Touring website be an incredible work of art. Compelling, thoughtful, a touch of whimsy, with a great story to make it genuine and personal; This is the essence of who I am and how live in the world.
The Story behind the illustration:
The artist, John Clinkscale and I are childhood friends, our families lived only three houses away from each other. When we were little kids John, his sister Colleen, our friends Holly and Beverly often gathered at their house to listen to the elder Clinkscale's rock albums. Led Zeppelin, Heart, Creedence, etc. Our own age group listened to the pop stylings of the Partridge Family, Jackson 5, and the Osmonds. Music, dance, song and imaginative play was how we spent our days. We set up fake instruments and flawlessly lip synced to the music pretending we were a band. John used his talents to make our album covers.
John's innate talent was obvious from a very young age. His impeccable charcoal and pencil duplications of the rock posters on the wall of his siblings bedroom like Frampton Comes Alive and Eric Clapton are still so vivid in the archive of my brain. At that young age, it was my first emotional connection to an artist and their work.
Fast forward to Creative Touring. I searched for a couple of years, scouring websites and contacting brilliantly talented illustrators. Their work was stunning, but I was just not feeling the emotional connection I wanted. I went without a website until I found the right illustration. Luckily, word of mouth kept me in business and my clients never called me out on it, when I was preaching to them how important it was to have a website.
Then one day, Baabam! out of the blue, I had the AHA moment.... I jumped on Facebook to find John with hope that he had made a career as an artist and didn’t become a lawyer who had no time for art. My Heart skipped a beat, he was creating art and my level of excitement could only be expressed with a joyful dance around my office. I knew he was the one to create the illustration for my website!
Music and art would unite us after 35 years.
The illustration exceeded all my expectations and John, a perfectionist with a wild imagination was wonderful to have as a creative partner. He took my verbal sketch of an idea and turned it into a stunning work of art. It reflects perfectly the balance of whimsy and thoughtfulness that I put into my work and my personal life.
If all anyone does is stare at the gorgeous illustration on the front page and never click a button on my website my work is done, I have introduced you to a new artist and hopefully you will pass it on to others.
Please check out John’s portfolio at