When Paula Kirman decided to pursue a career in writing and Web design, she had no idea that she would be running an entire business based around her favorite hobbies.
Calypso Communications & Consulting offers a wide range of services, including writing, editing, Web design (especially layout and content production), research,
and photography. Clients include the Montreal Gazette, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Suite101.com, and Economic Development Edmonton, to name only a few. That's a pretty impressive roster, considering
the business is pretty much a one-woman show.
"My love of music and literature gave me the desire to pursue a career in communications," says Kirman, who holds a Bachelor of Education in English and Music. "I started out writing music and book reviews for a variety of newspapers and magazines. From there, things just snowballed into promotional writing, photography, editing, and, eventually, Web design."
Kirman's Web creations are simple and clean. She takes a no-frills approach to all she does. "I create copy and layout that are very eye-catching. Too many Web sites try to do too much. They throw in animation, multimedia, and all sorts of bells and whistles that only accomplish a cover-up for the fact that there is very little substance there," she says.
It's no surprise that many of Kirman's Web design clients are musicians. One of her sites, for Quebec-based musician and producer Rick Haworth, received accolades from a major
Internet magazine in Quebec, and was mentioned on several television programs there. "Yeah, I'm famous in Quebec," she laughs. "I've done sites for cell phone companies and various small businesses, but music is my first love."
On the literary side of things, Kirman is the Contributing Editor for Canadian Literature at Suite101.com, a literary Web site covering a variety of topics, organized according to the Dewey Decimal System. She has also been published in numerous literary publications across Canada, and has been writing for the quarterly literary journal Prairie Books Now for over five years. "I love talking to authors. They live by their words, and
always have something to say."
Calypso Communication & Consulting is a home-based business, which keeps Kirman's overhead low and allows her the time to pursue a variety of projects. She says that she always has several things on the go at once. "I can start my day by working on some magazine articles, then
work on maintaining Economic Development Edmonton's Greater Competitiveness Strategy Internet site, then head over to the coffee shop to interview an author."
To learn more about Calypso Communication & Consulting, visit Paula's Web site. Paula can be reached at paula@calypsoconsulting.com.
