My favorite pastime as a young girl growing up in Southwest Philadelphia was to color with Crayolas! I loved drawing. After high school, The Art Institute of Philadelphia fit my plan for getting out in the real world as soon as possible. I completed the two-year graphic design course, all the while flipping and serving burgers at McDonald's as a shift manager. Lo and behold, the sparkling, blue eyes of the new general manager caught my attention, one day at work. I soon fell in love with the boss! After graduation, we were married, moved to Upper Darby and are still together 25 years later.

As for my art career... luckily, McDonald's balanced the starving artist side of life, until I was hired by Replica to run copies at a center city store. Shortly after starting, the two employees in the type and design department put in their two weeks' notice! The owner considered me a quick fix and transferred me into the T&D department. I had a two-week crash course in conventional typesetting, vertical stat camera operation and platemaking. Another person was hired and we were the new department! I had learned more in one month than my two years attending classes. Sometimes it's about being in the right place at the right time. And when walking in the front door doesn't work, try the side entrance to your career!

I quickly evolved into a typesetter, and remained in that niche for years, working at different printing companies and adapting to the ever-changing typesetters. It wasn't a very creative position, but I've always been somewhat mechanically inclined, and the coding and knowledge needed to run the systems kept me satisfied. Then along came DOS on the little computer in the corner added to our office. More changes! Hmmm. The sands were shifting in the type/printing field.

In 1990 I found out that I was pregnant with my first son. I think Jack still likes humming noises reflective of his in utero existence next to the typesetter! Shortly after returning to work, I was laid off and filed for unemployment. A new baby and a "paycheck". What a country! Seemingly, this would be a bad time to be away from the industry. I knew that technology was warping my field like the new baby was changing my life. If I didn't roll with the times and educate myself, I would be an unemployed dinosaur.

Time for a big Mac attack! I decided to purchase a used Mac from a Drexel student. A Mac SE with 1 or 2 megs of ram, all for the bargain price of $1100. After we became "acquainted", I decide to "crack" the case myself and upgrade the RAM to 4 whole megs! The upgrade went well until I turned the SE back on, and the RAM wasn't recognized. As a matter of fact, I don't think anything was recognized! I thought I would pass out...what have I done? I've killed it!

As it turns out, I received the one in 1,000 bad SIMM. Couldn't I have used these odds for lottery winnings? After reinstalling a replacement SIMM, all was well again. Don't believe I've cracked a case since. It just wasn't worth the stress or the migraine that followed.

Still in search of employment, I cold-called printers. One particular company asked if I did freelance work. I said, "Ah, sure!" I hadn't done a day of freelance in my life.

With Jack at one year old...I gave birth to Keewell Graphics! Instantly, I became self-employed because of a phone call made to the right place, at the right time. Thirteen years later, I'm still working at home performing desktop publishing and design services for local printers and nonprofit groups. That one customer who started my business is still a part of my ever-growing client list. Keewell's clients also survived the birth of my second son, Andrew, in 1994 and a move to Havertown.

It's been interesting balancing motherhood with an at-home business. Over the years, I've promoted myself from my dining room with Sing-Along videos and Nick Jr.'s Blues Clues playing in the background, to WXPN and an attic view of Haverford High School. Sometimes I think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence (the real world). Most days, I try to remember, I work in a garden that's so beautiful, I can't see my grass!

The print field has constantly changed over the years and I very much enjoy its growth and technological advances. Keewell has also progressed with Macs: LCII, Performas, 7100, G4, and a Pismo PowerBook. My Macs have all run like well-oiled machines and with Norton and some general operating maintenance, I've never needed service that wasn't an upgrade or a death by old age.

I believe I found a MLMUG brochure at McMobile or MicroCenter. It was one of the best steps I have ever taken, both professionally and personally. It's nice to know so many (friendly) Mac users and the resources of the group have proven itself time and again. I now try to involve Jack (14), and hopefully as Andrew gets older, he'll pop into a meeting or two.

I still love that waxy Crayola scent, but there's not much calling for work in crayon! Guess those Mac programs will have to do.

— Mary Keil-Welsh