Welcome to Before the Rush

Honest notes on freelance, fashion, & figuring it out!

It would almost be easier to write the first entry of Before the Rush than to create a formal introduction. As a creative, I often fear the permanence of an idea or a concept. However, Before the Rush is just that, a space to celebrate the tension of being in progress. It’s the BEFORE where we do the planning, the practice, the hoping, the fearing, the dreaming, and the just figuring it out.

I’ve been craving such a space.

And so, in the hopes of carving it out for myself in the small corners of the internet, Before the Rush is born.

My Physical “Corner” of NYC

As a brief introduction…

My name is Erika and I’ve got the Carrie Bradshaw curls and the adoration for life in New York City and fashion to match. Although recently, I’ve been mistaken more so for Julia Garner. (No, really. I had a fan come up to me at a local coffee shop and everything. Haha!)

Me :)

At heart (and on paper), I’m a graphic designer and illustrator. I’ve spent the past five years building visual identities for brands ranging from dog-food startups to global product design firms, primarily in an agency setting. You could say, I think about brands a lot. Like A LOT.

This year, I’m working for myself and on my own brand. To put it lightly, 2025 has brought a lot of unique opportunities and circumstances. I’m choosing to imperfectly embrace them.

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So, what can you expect from Before the Rush?

Every Thursday, weekly posts on life in the city, the art and designs that shape my days, the thrill and challenge of working for yourself, fashion, and all the small moments that happen in-between the big leaps!

If you’re interested, I hope you’ll follow along. I’d love to hear about the kinds of spaces you’d like to carve out for yourself and in the meantime, I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes by Roald Dahl.

“I began to realize how important it was to be an enthusiast in life. …if you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it at full speed ahead. Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it and above all become passionate about it. Lukewarm is no good.”

So, grab your cup of coffee (or tea) and let’s embrace life, just before the rush.

— Erika