Firebelly Design

June 12, 2009 by Dawn Hancock

I have a lot to be thankful for, which after you read this might seem like a strange way to start out, but I do believe everything happens for a reason.

This year we are celebrating 10 years at Firebelly. Kinda hard to believe. Sounds so long ago and feels even longer, yet I still feel like a kid sitting in an oversized chair.

I spent some time with my good friend Searah last night. We were  reminiscing about those who have passed on in our families.  It got me thinking about how the hell I got here. I'd imagine many of you might know parts of this story, but for those who don't here's a bit of what got me to this place.

At the age of 10 my mom passed away from lung cancer (yes, she was a smoker). Of course this was a life changing moment for me, as it would be for anyone. And as an only child of sorts (I have 2 half brothers and a half sister, but they never lived with me and  were considerably older than I–the age of most of my friends' parents), I was left with the responsibility of caring for my father who had rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 59. Kind of a lot for a 10 year old, yet looking back now, I think it truly is what shaped my strength, compassion and work ethic.

Fast forward 8 years and I graduate high school. My dad splits to Arizona to get a much needed change of weather. I stay with a friend for the summer and then head off to college at good old NIU in DeKalb. While in school, I learn a lot about life. Ethics, values, sexuality and that the girl I made out with in 8th grade was probably more than a friend.

Off to the working world. I get fired from my first job and end up in a cubicle. Never would have imagined either of those two things happening, ever. So everything happens for a reason, right? A few years into the corporate gig, my dad dies unexpectedly. Bastard didn't go to the doctor because he was about to have surgery on his hands (replacing the joints with the fake stuff–he had already had both knees done with great success). He knew that if he went to the doc for his cold, they would postpone his surgery... so he goes and get pneumonia and dies in his sleep. I suppose a good way to go if there is one.

I was 25.

At the funeral, my long time friend Chris Eichenseer came back in, after having already left visibly upset, to tell me he was there if I ever needed him. That would prove to be the start of this 10 year roller coaster. Seemingly days later (I'm kinda blurry on how long it actually took, probably more like weeks), we had decided to go into business together under the name Someoddpilot.

I left my job a few months later and he followed suit about 3 or 4 months after me. A wild ride to say the least. We were quite a success being one of the few small shops to be both web designers and developers and that was back in 1999 when the internet was still being discovered. We also had a record label. Which was really cool to say, but proved to be a bit of a challenge. What we both gained from the experience though was that our interests were ultimately in different areas.

Shortly after our realization, we decided to split to pursue our real passions.  His focus became the entertainment industry and photography and mine, nonprofit work and philanthropy. That was 8 years ago.

Of course a lot has happened in the last 8 years. Things I could never in my wildest dreams have imagined. From working with some of my dream clients and having the opportunity to speak about my experiences around the world, to starting my own nonprofit focused on helping my community and taking my entire staff on a volunteer vacation to Thailand.

It's really surreal when I look back at everything. And with this year being the 25th anniversary of my mom's death and the 10th anniversary of my dad's, I wonder just how things would have been different had they both not left me so early in life. I certainly would not have the strength, compassion or work ethic. I also would have had no reason to believe the clock was ticking and there was no time like the present to jump ship and start my own thing. As weird as it might sound, I am truly grateful for all those experiences, as hard as they may have been at the time. I would not be who I am today without them (well I would still probably be queer, I mean come on, but my mom being the big Catholic that she was may not have approved.)

Do you have anything in life that has really tried you to the point that you didn't think it was possible to continue on...and somehow you managed to and you're better for it today? I would love to hear your stories.

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