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Getting to know Terri Bischoff

November 6, 2015

If you've had printing, copying or graphic design projects on campus, chances are you've worked with Terri Bischoff, director of Creative and Print Services. From brochures to notepads, from large-scale posters and billboards, to newsletters and magazines, Creative and Print Services does it all. But did you also know that Terri likes to take moonlight rides on her Harley, enjoys television shows with well-written dialogue that have deep, dark story lines and enjoys antiquing, drawing and painting? No? Then perhaps it's time you get to know Terri Bischoff.

What has kept you at USI?

It's a nice, relaxed work environment compared to the corporate structure that I used to work in. I have a lot of resources at my fingertips, like up-to-date software, computers, equipment and all the tools I need to work with. The people are friendly, and the staff in my department is fantastic. Everyone gets along really well.

What is a responsibility you have at work that most people aren't aware of?

Probably how much I work on the University's marketing direction and ad campaigns. I give a lot of oversight to maintaining the brand.

It's challenging and fun to help further the University's mission. It's nice to be a part of the planning process, the marketing of the University and creating more awareness outside these walls.

What motivates you to succeed?

Developing the department to the point where we're the go-to source for all things creative and printing. I really want us to be indispensable to the campus community as a resource, so that nobody on campus needs to go anywhere else.

Also, being able to assist people in getting what they want, when they want it. I love this type of work; I've been at it for over 20 years. The requests and project scopes continue to change, and I like the change aspect and the problem solving. It's always a challenge to come up with new, creative ways to portray the University or to help a department get their message across in a visually exciting way.

IMG 0351Tell me about your dog, Hayley.

Hayley is an all-around good dog. She's my eight-year-old Doberman, and she's a registered therapy dog. My sister was a volunteer for Deaconess Hospice, and she encouraged me to go through training, and become a pet therapy volunteer because they wanted to add more pets to their therapy program. Hayley and I worked with Deaconess for close to two-and-a-half years, primarily visiting nursing homes. We would also visit Ronald McDonald House. Hayley at that time wasn't registered as a therapy dog, she was just a therapy dog under Deaconess, so I decided to go through the steps to get her certified with Therapy Dog International, and she received her companion dog certification. She's been a therapy dog close to five years.

If you could bring any fictional character into your world, who would it be?

Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice. She's one of my favorite characters, and Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite stories and favorite movies. I like the time period the stories are set in - the Napoleonic time period in the early 1800s in Great Britain. She's an intellectual. She didn't mince words; she saw people for the way they were, although sometimes she was a little too judgmental about things. But I think we would be buddies.

If you could wake up tomorrow having gained one quality or ability, what would it be?

To be musically inclined; I'd like to be able to play piano and the harp. I enjoy Celtic music, and would like to play the Celtic harp.

As a child I took piano lessons twice, and failed miserably both times. My brother, sister and my mom are all musically talented, but I never had any inclination as to how to read music. It was lost on me; like a foreign language.

Tell me something you hate doing. Why do you hate it?

I have two things that go hand-in-hand. One is going to the grocery store, and the reason I hate it is because I don't cook anymore. The older I've gotten, and the fact I work all day, the last thing I want to do is go home and cook a meal. If somebody would go get my groceries, I'd be totally happy with that. The other is cleaning out the refrigerator. I tend to keep shoving food in and pushing old food to the back of the fridge.

In what ways are you the same as your childhood self?

Sometimes I've been a little bit of a daredevil, and I can still be that way. I'm willing to push the envelope and be a little mischievous.

Tell me about being a daredevil. 

I grew up in the country, and a girlfriend and I had a little Volkswagen Bug. We'd take it out on the hilly country roads, and one of us would ride on the hood while the other one drove. We'd go up and down the roads really fast. We could've flown off at any moment. I used to jump off of whatever, or swing on a rope-swing over a creek. How we kept from getting hurt badly, I'll never know. I'm a little more conscientious of injuring myself than I used to be. Riding a Harley is as close to that as I get now. I like to ride because it's really relaxing, especially in the evenings after working.

If you could bring one musician back from the dead, who would it be and why?

Amy Winehouse. She was so young and had so much potential and talent. She had a really nice, deep sound. It was tragic the way she died and how young she was. She was a bright star before she flamed out, but I think she could have been so much more.

Making Merry Bischoff72You're also an artist; tell me about your work.

I've been drawing since I was 4 years old and still haven't put down my pencil (now pastels). The need to draw and paint always lurk beneath the surface. I discovered watercolors in my youth, dabbled with oils and acrylics and now in my older years, I prefer to draw with pastels. I like the process of building up the colors, blending and the rich softness of pastels. My subject matter is varied.

As a side to the traditional mediums, I also enjoy working with gourds. One summer I planted some seeds and got a great crop of apple-shaped gourds. I wanted to do something with them besides making them into birdhouses. I researched there are some amazing decorated gourds out there. Once they are dried and cleaned they are like working with wood. I stain and decorate them with leather dyes, use a wood burner to etch the design and use a special jigsaw to cut out unique shapes and edges. 

Over the years I have entered various art shows, displayed my work, and garnered some awards. Being an artist has certainly given me an edge as a graphic designer and vice versa. I use skills from both areas interchangeably in whatever I am creating.

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