Ottawa brand and website designer for Multi-passionate business owners
Whoever says professionalism means hiding your personality was seriously disturbed*
*(Thanks Legally Blonde)
that's me, Jess!
Magnetic, personality-led branding has entered the chat
As the face of your business, your brand works best when you show up fully. When your personality comes through and you feel confident in who you are, everything clicks. Your brand becomes unmistakably you: rooted in your point of view, passions, and values. Instead of second-guessing what’s “professional enough,” you show up with clarity, ease, and conviction.
At Vividly Made, we’re all about being true to yourself in business and creating brands that lean into who you are.
my story
I’m Jess — an event planner-turned-web designer with a 70-book reading goal, a new sourdough starter to keep alive, and a habit of always planning my next trip.
When I’m not designing brands and websites, I’m probably reading a romantasy book, thrifting for vintage home decor, or attempting a tiktok dinner recipe
Growing up, I was never really asked the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
As the eldest daughter of Asian immigrants, I was expected to get straight A’s and land a traditional ‘safe’ job. When it came to the career crossroads of doctor, lawyer, or accountant, I bet on myself and veered off the yellow brick road to be a wedding and events planner. I’d always loved curating experiences and gathering friends... what could go wrong?
Round peg, meet square hole.
The truth is, I’ve never really been a “one thing” kind of person. I’ve always had a lot of interests—planning events, volunteering, traveling, social media, designing, starting little side projects just because they felt exciting. But for a long time, I thought that meant I was unfocused. Like I just hadn’t picked the right path yet.
So I tried to prove myself the traditional way. In my twenties, I worked full-time as a conference planner, ran my wedding business on weekends, volunteered on four (!!) planning committees, and filled any spare moment with professional development books that quietly told me I needed to be more polished, more accomplished, more something.
Quitting felt like failure... especially after years of justifying my career choice to my family (and maybe even myself).
After almost a decade of working in the wedding and events industry, was this really it?
J.Lo made wedding planning look glamorous in The Wedding Planner, but behind the polished emails and styled flat lays, I was running on coffee fumes and chasing achievement thinking that was what success looks like.
Somewhere along the way (through Saturn return iykyk), I found myself gravitating back to website design: the one thing I spent my teenage years doing just for fun. That’s when it hit me: maybe this was the thing I was actually meant to be doing all along. What started as a creative outlet slowly became a return to myself.
Fast forward a few years later...
I loved the work I was doing and was deeply grateful for the clients who trusted me—but loving your work doesn’t automatically mean you’re working in a way that loves you back.
But like a lot of new business owners, I fell straight into the world of courses, masterminds, and “proven” roadmaps to six figures.
I followed the formulas. I chased the milestones. I built the business.
And somewhere along the way, I started to lose my voice inside it.
The days got longer, the expectations got heavier, and the version of success I was working toward didn’t actually look like the life I wanted. What was the point of hitting big revenue months if I didn’t have the time or energy to enjoy them?
That’s when it clicked: following someone else’s blueprint will only take you so far. At some point, you have to build something that actually feels like you.
What I realized is that success isn’t about following someone else’s roadmap — it’s about becoming who you’re meant to be and having a brand that reflects that.
It’s creating a business that supports the life you want, and not the other way around. One that leaves room for your hobbies, side ideas, and the parts of you that don’t fit neatly into a single title. Because you were never meant to stay in one lane. You get to carve your own.
And sometimes, that simply means asking for help, trying a different approach, and giving yourself permission to do things in a way that actually works for you.
And I want this for you, too.
That’s why I do what I do: to help turn your ideas into something real—something that not only brings in income, but also gives you back the time, peace, and breathing room you’ve worked so hard for.
I believe the most successful brands happen when we embrace more of who we are — not less.
Together, let's uncover what makes you you, amplify your voice, and craft a brand that not only turns heads but also feels deeply, undeniably yours.
Your brand isn’t just about looking good. It’s about feeling confident using your voice, taking up space, and being yourself in a world that tells you not to be.
Now, I help other business owners like you do the same.
As your trusted brand and website designer
Encouraging women to dream big, believe in themselves, and be who they really are is basically why I jump out of bed in the morning
Here are the values that guide how I work, collaborate, and design every brand I bring to life.
Keeping It Personal
Yes, we’re building a business but we can still enjoy the process! I believe the best work happens in a space that feels comfortable, open, and genuinely collaborative. Whether we’re meeting for the first time, going through edits, or chatting through a monogram idea, I’m here to listen closely, ask thoughtful questions, and catch the little nuances that make your brand feel like you.
Yes, we’re building a business but we can still enjoy the process! I believe the best work happens in a space that feels comfortable, open, and genuinely collaborative. Whether we’re meeting for the first time, going through edits, or chatting through a monogram idea, I’m here to listen closely, ask thoughtful questions, and catch the little nuances that make your brand feel like you.
01
Keeping It Personal
Channeling Clarity into Energy and Creativity
When you have 3945784 ideas for your brand and no clear way to translate them, this is where I thrive. I help make sense of the chaos by connecting the dots, refining direction, and bringing your vision into real life. The brand in your head becomes something tangible, strategic, and even better than you imagined!
Pouring Light into Others
You already have what it takes. Sometimes you just need someone in your corner to reflect it back to you. Whether we’re on Zoom, swapping book recs, or having a heart-to-heart, I care deeply about creating work that feels affirming, confidence-building, and genuinely supportive - because what we build together creates ripple effects far beyond the screen.
Living Freely and Fully
Your business isn’t your whole identity but it does reflect who you are. When we build your brand or website, we start with you as the foundation and design in a way that supports the life you actually want to live.
More ease. More joy. More room to breathe.
Why Vividly Made?
A CLOSER LOOK INTO THE NAME
I chose the name Vividly Made because I’ve seen how easy it is to forget your own brilliance—especially when you’re deep in building a business, doing all the things, and trying to look like you’ve got it all together. The ideas, the instincts, the gifts? They’re already there. Sometimes you just need a reminder to stop shrinking, stop second-guessing yourself, and actually lean into who you are.
To me, living (and creating) vividly isn’t about being the loudest or doing the most. It’s about showing up fully—present, curious, and open to where things might lead. It’s finding joy in the in-between moments, savoring the process, and choosing work (and a life) that actually lights you up.
Here at Vividly Made, we aren't about chasing trends or designing the boldest brand in the room. It’s about creating something that is an extension of you. Maybe that looks soft and understated. Maybe it’s refined, playful, or deeply grounded. There’s no one way to be “vivid.” If it’s honest, aligned, and true to you, it’s built to last and built to grow.
Vividly:
Clarity in high-def; evocative and lively
Made:
Intentionally personal, creatively yours
xo, Jess
A look back at where it all started
The best journeys are rarely straight lines (and that’s coming from a former type-A event planner). Mine has been full of pivots, side quests, leaps of faith, and a few “wtf am I even doing?” moments along the way.
But every detour, risk, and reinvention brought me closer to the work (and the life) that actually felt like me. Here’s a little look back at the chapters that shaped it all,
90s-00s
Spent my early childhood in Hong Kong before my parents moved us back to Canada for a better future. Learned English and French from scratch while figuring out who I was between two cultures and a whole lot of expectations.
2004
My mom secretly signed me up for Air Cadets (not exactly the fastest track to popularity). I hated it at first, but two years later it became the foundation of my leadership skills, discipline, and sense of direction.
2009
Moved across Canada to Ottawa for university, where I studied Honours Communications and later a post-grad in Event Management. I joined a sorority, led philanthropy campaigns, planned events, and stepped into leadership as VP.
2015
Landed my first corporate event planning job and launched a wedding blog on the side—which quickly turned into a planning business. At one point, I was juggling four jobs and multiple volunteer committees, deep in my hustle-and-climb-the-ladder season.
2018-2019
While being nominated for “Favorite Wedding Planner,” “Top Meeting Planner,” and “Volunteer of the Year,” I was quietly burning out behind the scenes. I decided to solo traveled to Kenya to learn about girls’ education after watching an eye-opening documentary... and started questioning what kind of life and work I actually wanted.
2020
I made the tough decision to quit - and close down my wedding planning business. Then, I released self-limiting belief that I wasn't "creative enough", betted on myself, and launched this creative design studio by taking on $250 projects!
2021
I matched my 9–5 income a year later and became a giveback partner with Kurandza. We also got engaged at the top of Sea to Sky on a suspension bridge and bought our first home together!
2022
Quit my full-time job, said goodbye to my first career love, and went all-in on entrepreneurship (and Showit!)—leading to my first six-figure year working for myself.
2023
We got married in Greece with 20 of our closest friends, shortly after launching my Showit website template shop and becoming a Showit Design Partner!
2024
After years of 14-hour days, I started a sidequest to rediscover life outside of work—and began redefining success as something that includes rest, hobbies, and a business that actually supports the life I want to live.
2026
After an unexpected year of riding the waves and feeling stuck, I leaned back into my voice, my personality, and everything that makes me… me. Rebranded to Vividly Made and started building a brand that reflects all the parts of my life, not just one version of it.
Let's get more personal
Real-Life Luxuries Worth Noting
Preferred "Office"
Music that gets me in the zone
A flower coffee shop!
On replay!
The enneagram 7 in me loves the full experience.
Anything that falls under tropical house, beach club, sax house music.
Bucketlist Destination
My Go-to TAkeout Order
A. Christmas in Vienna
B. Japan
C. Maldives
D. New Zealand
Sushi everyday? Say less.
IMO, there’s nothing fresh sushi or a well-stacked tuna poké bowl can’t fix!
What I'm Learning
Pottery! It’s so rewarding to create something from nothing and with your bare hands!
A Not-so-guilty Pleasure
Buying myself flowers – to bring beauty into my space & show myself some extra love.
but... also a whole lotta cheese!
Unexpected thing I’m into right now
ThriftTok has me romanticizing secondhand finds... and the thrill of a really good dig.
Movie I’ll never say no to
A. Love Actually
B. You've Got Mail
C. Parent Trap
D. She's The Man
Nothing beats a nostalgic Nancy Myers classic!
Making a difference together
THE IMPACT OF OUR COLLABORATION
Supporting women and girls has always been close to my heart, from volunteering with local empowerment programs to visiting Maasai villages in Kenya back in 2018.
That’s why every project with Vividly Made goes beyond your business, where 1% of each project directly supports girls’ access to education and opportunity in Mozambique through the nonprofit Kurandza.
Brand and Showit websites built around who you are, not who you’re “supposed” to be
Calling all quietly ambitious and Multi-passionate
No more generic branding or strategies that box you in. Just a custom brand experience that feels like you—and makes more room for the life, passions, and pace you actually want.
Custom Brand & Website Design
peek the experience
LEt's work together
connect with me on the gram!
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