behind the design
Meet Jackie Dahm, Showit Website & Brand Designer
Something about this place shapes how I work. Nothing here moves fast. The seasons take their time, the quiet is real, and being this close to nature has worked its way into how I think about design — steady, unhurried, built to actually last, not just look good for a season.
I didn't plan on running a business. For a long time, work was just something you pushed through until Friday. Then this work found me — helping people shape brands that actually fit — and somewhere in there, work quietly stopped being work.
Turns out the slow life and the meaningful work weren't opposites. They built each other.
I'm from a small town in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. A place with one traffic light and more trees than people.
I created Sparrow & Spruce to do the kind of work that actually felt like mine. It gives me so much joy to help others build a brand that feels unique to them — something that fits who they are, and gives them the confidence to keep doing what they're here to do.
the creation of sparrow & spruce
2019
2019
From that moment on I knew what I was supposed to do...
I started to feel the stirrings of wanting something more. Enter a friend looking for some Virtual Assistant work. I found that I LOVED creating graphics for her social media. And then I dove head first into figuring out how to make a website for her.
trusting myself
I felt lost not being caught up in the corporate grind, but as time went on, we found a beautiful rhythm of spending time together as a family again. We decided that we loved this new pace of life, so we made a plan. We sold a vehicle, cut out all unnecessary costs and made it work.
slowing down was a gift
2015- 2018
In 2011 our branch was shut down. PJ and I had just built our dream house a couple of years before and no longer having the security of a steady paycheck was very scary.
lost my job in corporate
Then Life Threw a Curveball
2010 - 2015
Two of the greatest gifts I was ever blessed with. Our wild, sweet boys bring so much love and laughter into our lives.
became a boy mom
I eventually worked my way up the corporate ladder to a robotic programmer and while it seemed like I was doing well for myself, in reality I was living the real life version of the movie, Office Space.
working in corporate
2000 - 2010
I married my high school sweetheart, PJ, and we planted our roots in a tiny town, with one traffic light in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, right next door to where I grew up.
married my soulmate
I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life at 18 years old... After I graduated high school, college led me to a degree in computer aided design and I soon found a position as an automobile assembly line tool designer.
high school graduation
1990 - 2000
From the very first moment I can remember putting crayon to paper, art has always been a part of me. My mom still has a painting I did in 2nd grade proudly displayed on her wall.
creativity is in my soul
I grew up knowing that I would always live in the country. I need peace, quiet and time in nature to thrive. I was blessed to have been raised on my family's 80 acres of land. We lived next door to my grandparents who had a farm, where I even had my very own horse.
a country girl at heart
1980 - 1990
beginning
starts at the
every story
the creation of sparrow & spruce
a glimpse into
I can't walk down a beach without filling my pockets with rocks or beach glass.
You'll find me barefoot whenever possible.
I have crazy thick hair — my stylist basically needs a warm-up stretch before every appointment.
I'm mostly love and light, but I've also been known to drop an f-bomb or two. Balance, right?
I went to a very small high school where I was Valedictorian of my class of less than 40 people.
Fun facts
the best things my clients have said to me
"I showed my best friend my site and she said - "Wow, she really gets you..."
"Jackie, you really SEE me..."
"I'm so glad I found you, I've been looking for you for a long time..."
"It's like you can literally see into my soul..."
