About
About Me
Hi there! I’m Bridget, owner/writer/designer/webmaster of Bespoken Words. Because I’m offering to help you tell your story, I want to share some of my own story with you as well.
Growing up as a military kid, I never knew where I would end up. Every few years it was time for a move, a new city, new schools, and new friends, and for a while that journey took my family to Dayton, Ohio. After a few years elsewhere, I came back to Dayton for college (go Flyers!) and, apart from a brief stint teaching English in South Korea, have stuck around ever since.
I love being a Daytonian. Dayton’s history, present, and future inspire me to no end. This is a city of innovation and invention, creativity and collaboration. The University of Dayton provided me an excellent foundation, both in my B.A. and M.A. programs in English, where I concentrated on rhetorical and literary theory, essentially the behind-the-scenes lives of language.
Words are our often-invisible legacy. When I think about the countless variables at play in the ways meaning is made, communication itself becomes something of a miracle. I feel a strong sense of obligation to use my words carefully, and I want to bring that same care to sharing your story, your messages, in your own, unique way.
Among my professional accomplishments, I am proud to list:
Teaching freshman- and sophomore-level composition at the University of Dayton, part-time, since 2015
Working with and for the Brunner Literacy Center to advance and promote educational opportunities for adults in the Dayton area
Giving a talk at TEDxDayton 2017 on the power of literacy, becoming a speaker mentor in 2018, and serving as co-chair of the TEDxDayton Signature Events from 2019-2021; beginning my next chapter as TEDxDayton’s first formal editing consultant in 2022
Helping to create and maintain websites for small businesses such as the Brunner Literacy Center, DragoonITCN, Appenzeller Woodworking, and more
About Bespoken Words
The Name
As an English major, I can’t resist an opportunity for wordplay…
A bespoke item is custom-made for its intended recipient. I think of this as applying to several aspects of the work we’ll do together. I tailor your website and communications according to your needs, your voice, your style, your timeline, as you in turn are offering your website and communications to your audience with their own needs and preferences. Throughout our work together, my goal is to facilitate your ability to reach your audience in the ways only you can.
Something “bespoken” has been completed in a bespoke manner ahead of some particular moment, suggesting forethought, care, and planning.
Similarly, “spoken” being the adjective for speech that has already happened signifies action being taken, ideas being transformed into reality. “Spoken word” is a genre of poetry, one in which poets and performers embody their truths, presenting their thoughts and feelings in a way that strengthens themselves and resonates, hopefully, with their audiences.
Speaking something into existence is powerful. You need intention, clarity of purpose, and boldness to create something. Once spoken, words can’t be taken back; the conversation can only be continued.
What story do you want to tell?
The Aesthetics
When designing my own business identity, there were several qualities I wanted to be able to achieve without words. I wanted my brand to feel energetic but stable, warm, inviting, and soothing, but the kind of soothing that evokes rejuvenation rather than rest. Deep, earthy greens and browns, and soft, rich golds fit perfectly, and just so happen to be some of my favorite colors as it is. And it doesn’t hurt that they are the exact colors we find in a garden bed of marigolds, my brand’s primary symbol.
The lettering in my logo is inspired by the intricate Irish history of illuminated manuscripts. Before the printing press, texts had to be hand-lettered, and in Ireland where literacy was preserved and advanced, monks were the scribes who copied texts by hand. Each copy of each text was a singular creation. From the monks’ handwriting to their illustration styles to the inks, colors, papers, and binding methods available at the time, no two copies - even of the same words - were the same.
That rich history and that singularity of creative product inform my approach and remind me that every creation has its unique beauty worth celebrating.
The Marigolds
My dad has a bit of a green thumb, and I have always had a fondness for the marigolds that used to fill our yard when I was a kid.
Marigolds are traditionally the flower of passion and creativity. As such, they are the perfect symbol for the way I like to work and the people I like to work with. If you are passionate about the story, event, or business you are creating, I want to work with you.
