Susie Burleson

Self-portrait by Susie Burleson, 2018

Meraki:(v) to do something with soul, creativity, or love; when you leave a piece of yourself in your work.

You’ll find this concept written as a bio on Susie’s personal site. It’s a rarity to find folks who are self-aware, but Susie has intentionally crafted and honed the art of her photography on the fulcrum of meraki, and it’s clear she is charging each of her works with a fragment of herself. True artists can do no less.

Once you click through to her site, you’re transported in some cases to another place, another time, another plane where she is exploring new dimensions and facets of planet earth. On the surface, Susie is intellectual, thoughtful, and intentional in everything she does. She works for Best Sign Group’s clients with an awesome determination and focus. She is quite purpose-driven. Her photography is a manifestation of her creative energies, which pervade everything she does. Whether creating or altering a logo for a client, or crafting a sign, she is working to think creatively to help folks get noticed. Her photography skills train up her mind as she explores a variety of aesthetic solutions, and it is this “off-hours” work that materializes in how she persists in providing signage solutions for the clients that walk through the doors of Best Sign Group.

When Susie joined Best Sign Group in 2016, we only guessed what her breadth of creativity could accomplish. Since then, she has excelled, and we have begun to utilize her photography skills on our own projects to capture with clarity and her creative eye the real spirit of our sign designs.

As a fit for our team, she continues to demonstrate a desire to work cohesively with others. Her sense of humor adds flavor to the day. She is deeply invested in communicating well, and she wants other team members to feel valued. Very early in her time at Best Sign Group, she willing pitched in her skills to honor Tim Birlson at his Beatles-theme, 10-year anniversary celebration. She came decked out in her best Beatles-era attire and offered the guitar to collaborate in our makeshift Beatles band. That’s great, you might say, but does her fervor stop there?

Susie is persistent in achieving the highest value for the customers. She works to get the details right, learns more all the time, and strives to offer the best customer experience possible. She works to make our customers feel welcome when the step through the door, and nurtures relationships with a very conversational (and professional) tone.

It seems in everything she does, she does it with soul, creativity, and love, which is very likely what resonated with her when she adopted meraki as an apt descriptor of her approach to photography. We couldn’t take a photo of her that would compare to her skills. So, instead, we’re shining the spotlight on her.