Amanda Jozaitis has always known she wanted to pursue a full-time career in the arts. As a young girl, Jozaitis was often asked by classmates, “Can you draw a picture for me?” and she was known by her peers as the best artist in school. Through hard work and dedication to continuously improving her craft, Jozaitis is now the proud owner and designer of Region Design Co. operating primarily out of La Porte.
Jozaitis grew up in La Porte. When the time came to choose a university to study for her Bachelor’s degree, Jozaitis decided to attend the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design in Wisconsin. Despite her wishes at the time to experience a different way of life in a new city, Jozaitis returned to La Porte after college, working in the surrounding region and appreciating the benefits of her hometown.
“I just love La Porte,” Jozaitis said. “I love how much history is in La Porte and the area it is in. The city isn’t too large or small. There’s beautiful nature, such as nearby lakes, and there are nearby busy cities, like Chicago. There are beautiful developments happening downtown, and I think it’s a fulfilling and exciting place to live.”
Near to her beloved hometown, Jozaitis had a few options available to start her career. She majored in Fine Art Printmaking and received a minor in Graphic Design. After doing a marketing internship for about three months, Jozaitis accepted a full-time graphic design position at Royal Brush, located in Merrillville at the time. Royal Brush is an art and beauty supply company, now run in Munster.
Jozaitis found a job closer to home after having her first child. She worked at The Grossbauer Group in Valparaiso for the next five years until a position opened up at Urschel Laboratories, where her husband was employed. Again, she was employed there for another five years until she decided to pursue her and her husband’s “side-hustle” full-time.
“My husband and I ran a side business called Region Press for many years,” Jozaitis said. “We began thinking it would be great for one of us to take it over and see where it would go. We began to position it as more of a freelance graphic design and illustration business, and have been slowly transitioning away from screen-printing.”
At Region Design Co., Jozaitis has created many different things with her art, from screen-printed shirts to logos for companies. She is most passionate about two projects she has done this past year.
“I recently began work on illustrating a multi-book children's series for the Sacred Hearts church in La Porte,” Jozaitis said. “That project is a lot of fun because I haven’t done something like it before. More recently, I did a mural project for the Play For Jake Foundation. I learned from Julie West that her son Jake was part of the Kindness Campaign at La Porte High School, and we decided to showcase that in the mural. The mural did a great job of capturing his vibrant personality and what he stood for. In the fall, the mural is scheduled to be displayed at La Porte High School.”
Outside of her work, Jozaitis enjoys traveling and experiencing new things. She is also part of the Black Sheep Car Club in La Porte and enjoys riding with her husband in their ‘59 Ford Fairlane. Jozaitis also enjoys working out and doing home DIY projects to help manage the stress that comes from owning a creative business.
As a lifelong artist, Jozaitis feels lucky to be able to pursue a career that fits who she is. She is excited to continue growing her business and creating art for clients. She feels lucky and rewarded every day for doing what she does.
“There can be a lot of ups and downs,” Jozaitis said. “Art can be a difficult business to break into. Being my own biggest advocate and always striving to learn more and continue working on my skill set has led me to the light at the end of the tunnel. Despite the challenges, my career is rewarding and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. In the harder moments, I always remember, just keep on keeping on.”