Who are you?
My full name is Maribeth B. Daquilanea of Iloilo City, Philippines with roots in Passi, Dingle, Anilao and Ajuy. I’m in my late thirties, an undomesticated and complicated goddess. To my friends, I am better known as Beth, Duds or Duday (a local word for small although short would have been a better description).
What is it exactly do you do?
I am a freelance graphic and web designer. I run Doodle Web and Graphics from my home in Mandurriao, Iloilo City. I love to write, read, build, form, construct, examine and solve technical problems. I've been making websites and print images for five years. I've mastered Photoshop, html and css and I’m getting my feet wet on flash, javascript, php and asp dot net. Learning stops only when life stops so I’ve pretty much continued to be a geek all my life. Truth be told, my left brain works better than my right, but a good work out between the two has produced great results.
What makes you tick?
Born the 5th child of 7 and sandwiched between two aggressive sisters, I grew up with a lot of imagination. I was lucky enough to experience middle class. Because we couldn't afford expensive toys, I was turning bottles into action figures, books into dollhouses, plastic tea sets into knobs for spaceships and floors into gurgling lava. I had my share of blanket tents and caves of overturned beds. My parents raised me and my siblings to have a genuine curiosity for life. As I got older, I built myself a reputation for being detailed and I secretly believe I'm an undiagnosed obsessive-compulsive. I generally have fanciful dreams, most of it I blame on television and books. Everything I learned as a child is a result of the wonderful world of Disney, Bugs Bunny and Super Grover. So it is no surprise that in my thirties, I started turning into a cartoon character.
Did you always want to work in designing?
No. When I was young, I wanted to be a teacher. In college, I studied to be an accountant because I was good at numbers. It was only when I started working that I started to delve into computers. Plus the computer-geek thing runs in the family. I realized long after that that I love images as much as I love numbers.
What is your definition of success?
In words borrowed from Catherine Aurelio, success is sustained happiness. This is why I probably will never get rich. I do this because I enjoy it. The moment this business ceases to be fun and challenging, will be the moment I stop doing it.
Like dogs, I'm territorial. I mark my spots with d's. D is my favorite letter in the alphabet. If I was a Super Hero, I'd make a D where the S is of Superman. I'd flood the night with the "d" in Gotham City. Come to think of it, I don't really need it. But it's there, so why not put it to good use? Wala lang. Gusto ko lang ya bi.