Meet Maryam Siahatgar | Creative Director/Designer

As a child I grew up watching my dad take many risks in life both personal and with his business. I think it was a blessing and a curse because I saw both the success and the failure but I also saw that no matter what, my dad was always living out his purpose. When I was about 24 and decided to start my own business, I felt comfortable doing so because I watched my dad do it his whole life. My thought process around it was that I can always go get a job and live a comfortable life it it fails but creating a life I love takes courage and faith and worth exploring. Momentum is everything. Sometimes it’s about just taking a few small steps forward and seeing where fate takes you. I’ve always believed in God so that helped me take a step forward in faith. When I first started my business I didn’t think it would ever get to where it is today but every small step just opened more and more doors and the business created itself. Taking risks takes a lot of hard work and trust but if you have a purpose behind it, it’s worth it. Freedom is my highest value and I think that plays a huge role in taking risks. I wanted to create a life where I have as much freedom as possible while doing what I love and helping people.

I own a boutique design studio in Irvine CA and specialize in building brand identity platforms for small to medium size businesses. I would say what sets me apart is that I love to get know people on a deep level. Love to learn about their stories and values and it helps me intuitively come up with branding and designs that best suits them and their business. I started my business in 2009 after I got laid off from an Ad agency I was working at. I started working out of my little studio apartment and then a few years later opened up an office in Irvine CA. At first it was very tough because I didn’t trust the process. I would panic if I didn’t have any jobs lined up for a few months or I had to figure out all aspects of my business alone. After a while though I began to build more trust and confidence in myself to sustain my business. I learned to value myself and my worth and be able to say no to work and people that didn’t serve me or were aligned with my values. Iv’e learned throughout the years that if you stick to something and keep working on your craft day in and day out that eventually it pays off. I want the world to know that if you are passionate about something take the first step toward it. You don’t have to have it all figured out but taking the first small step opens another door and things start to fall into place.

If I had a friend in town I would take them to see Laguna Beach, have some drinks and dinner at Javiers in Crystal Cove. Take them to OCMA and the Noguchi gardens here in Orange County. Maybe do a hike, go shopping at fashion island or South Coast plaza, Maybe go up to LA and go visit the Huntington museum and go out for drinks and dinner in Santa Monica.

I would say that is my father. He always encouraged me to take risks and believe in myself and my gifts and talents. He was always so proud of my work and helped me take the right direction in my career. I wanted to first be a fine artist but my dad encouraged me to learn graphic design and I fell in love with it. I also watched him build businesses my whole life and it gave me the strength to believe I can do it too. I would also have to give a shoutout to my dear friend and mentor Ali Sabet. He was someone I looked up to as a designer most of my life and he always mentored me and critiqued my work. When I got laid off from an Ad agency in 2009 he was the first person I called and he said “Welcome to the best day of your life” I didn’t get it at the time but he was telling me I had everything it takes to start my own business. His words inspired to take the leap. There were so many others that I crossed path with along the way that always supported me including my clients.