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Rhian Swain-Giboney doesn't have many photographs of herself -- she's always the one behind the camera.
In addition to photography, she also dabbles in writing and painting. Her friends call her a modern-day Renaissance woman.
She's also a business owner. Her marketing and design agency, RedWolf Inc. on Broad Street, has been in business for 10 years.
Most people recognize Mrs. Swain-Giboney by her bright red hair, which partly inspired the name of her business.
"I have always been fascinated since I was a kid with wolves. I used to have dreams of wolves, so wolves have always been very important to me. And, of course, the red hair. Red is a very marketable color. It's very eye-catching, so all of that was part of the strategy. You want a name that you can feel good about long term. It's worked out real well for us," Mrs. Swain-Giboney said.
For the most part, RedWolf is a one-woman operation.
"I get up at 4 o'clock in the morning. Usually even on weekends. I don't watch TV at all. When you lead a busy life and you do a lot of things, you prioritize what's important to you. TV is just one of those things that had to go. I haven't watched TV in five years. There's a lot to do when you paint, write and want to go to the gym," she said.
Brenda Durant, the director of the Greater Augusta Arts Council, met Mrs. Swain-Giboney about 10 years ago.
"She is very professional, but Rhian has always been very much true to herself. Augusta tends to think that being professional means that you wear a suit and high-heeled shoes. To me, professional means how you do your work, how you operate your business, your attention to detail and your management of time. And in all of those ways, that's how Rhian is professional," Ms. Durant said.
RedWolf does all the public relations and maketing for the arts council.
"And donates a large amount of it as well," Ms. Durant said.
Angela Hillesland, a public relations manager at Jim Hudson Lexus, is also impressed by Mrs. Swain-Giboney, who does logos, ad layouts and photography for the dealership.
"I have always been thrilled with her work. For both Lexus and Saturn, she was able to do some scale drawings of our cars -- artist's renderings that were technical drawings. It's very impressive to be able to do something as creative and artsy in her paintings and yet do the technical drawings -- to have that kind of skill on both levels, that's very impressive," Ms. Hillesland said.
She describes Mrs. Swain-Giboney as energetic, loving and vivacious.
"She's the kind of person who will be friends with everyone and hug people and make them feel comfortable. I have never met anyone that just wasn't immediately at ease in her presence, because she has that warmth about her," Ms. Hillesland said.
"If I could wish anything for Rhian, I would wish for her to find someone that could help ... because she works so many hours. I just think she enjoys it so much and likes her clients so much. She's taking pride in making sure she touches whatever comes out of her office," Ms. Hillesland added.
Like many businesses, RedWolf Inc. has been impacted by the economy.
"At times the economy fluctuates, one of the first industries that's going to feel it is advertising. We're in a great position because being a boutique, we don't have huge amounts of overhead,'' Mrs. Swain-Giboney said.
''I feel very fortunate that we have a lot of client loyalty and have managed to ride through that. We're actually picking up new clients."
The business remains successful because of its diverse clientele. Ms. Durant said Mrs. Swain-Giboney is comfortable with "arts organizations and equally at home doing a catalog for a nut bolt company."
"I give Rhian a lot of artistic freedom," Ms. Durant said. "She is just this Renaissance woman who can produce the invoice, write the press release, do the computer graphics, but she'll sketch an original painting. It's really remarkable," she said.
In the Army
Mrs. Swain-Giboney was born in Germany in the 1960s. She grew up traveling with her parents, Margarete and Frank Swain, and her younger sister, Dianne.
"My mom was German and my dad was in the military. So we traveled around a lot. It was a great way to grow up -- traveling all over the world, especially being an artist, because I got to see a lot of things," said Mrs. Swain-Giboney, who graduated from high school in Turkey.
She chose her career path early.
"I always knew I wanted to be an artist. Always. It was great to be able to take advantage of different cultures. Being able to see the history, the art from places all around the world. Even as a child, I appreciated that," she said.
After high school, she attended the Atlanta College of Art where she earned a bachelor's degree in fine arts.
During her studies, she met the Rev. Howard Finster, a nationally known artist who specialized in native art and completed the first album cover for the rock band R.E.M.
After college, she took a job running a photography studio in Atlanta, where she worked for five years.
"That was a great job. That was very helpful in honing photography skills and learning how to deal with people as subjects," she said.
She moved to Augusta to accept a job at Savannah River Site, where she worked for 10 year in the publishing and design departments, and also in the AutoCAD department, where she drew nuclear reactor pumps.
She also wrote government proposals, which later proved beneficial when she needed to write contracts in her own business, she said.
During her last two years at SRS, she started a company and worked at it part-time. She designed the Red Carpet Tour logo, and officials wanted to thank her by putting her logo on the materials.
"I had to come up with a company name (RedWolf) and logo in 24 hours. That's how the company name came about," she said.
She decided to pursue her company full-time when she was laid off at SRS.
"I had enough work that I could roll into this full-time, and it just grew from there. With the capability of the Internet, we weren't just limited to doing business here. We have clients all over the country, which helps," she said.
Today, her clients include the Cirque Du Soleil, Stafford Security, Pineapple Public Relations and Quasar Strategies. She also did graphics for multimedia CDs for the World Bank.
Mrs. Swain-Giboney has never taken out loans to fund her business.
"It was very limited growth. Only growing to the point that we could handle what was coming in and what was going out and keeping everything balanced," she said.
New Frontiers
Originally, Mrs. Swain-Giboney designed only logos and brochures, but expanded to offering photography, marketing and Web sites at clients' requests.
"Client needs dictated how we grow and where we grow," she said.
And she can no longer be a one-woman business all the time.
"It's gotten to the point where softwares are changing so quickly that there are things I have to delegate out, like with the Web department. I used to be able to do almost everything myself, or if I didn't do it, I would know how to do it," she said.
''Now I can't keep pace with that if I'm going to keep up with illustrating and publishing softwares and Photo Shop. You're not going to be an expert at everything, as fast as the technology changes.
She has hired employees or freelancers or subcontractors to complete some projects.
"We go through insane periods right before the arts season kicks off. We do all of the marketing, PR and design for two festivals -- Arts in the Heart and the Westabou Festival. Then it goes back to regular busy," she said.
Her husband, Scott, plays a role in the business in Web site maintenance. She met him in 1992 while they were both working at SRS. They were married one year later. Mr. Giboney works in the business part-time.
She has taught her sons to have an appreciation for the arts. Kylain has a master's degree in writing, and he's also a visual artist. Chase is attending culinary school. Pierce works as an engineer, but he has interests in reading and philosophy.
"They've all been extremely supportive of everything I do. It's amazing how much they back whatever exhibits I have. Volunteering even has become a family-type thing," she said.
They work with their mother at Westabou and Arts in the Heart, but they won't be joining in the family business.
"Unfortunately, none of my boys want to work with me. I'm a little tough to work with. I have very high expectations. That can be tough on somebody in the family," she said.
Creative Goddesses
Mrs. Swain-Giboney wanted a creative haven for women, so she started a group called Creative Goddesses six years ago. The artists share their creativity in monthly meetings. The women participate in activities such as writing haiku poems, belly dancing and chalk drawings at the Augusta Common.
"It's letting your inner child out for a while," Mrs. Swain-Giboney said. "That's just so important. There's no rules. That was my main thing. We have enough rules in daily life. This is about you time, to feel good and to explore different areas creatively."
Elizabeth Barnes was one of Creative Goddesses' first members.
"It's a fun group because when we get together, there's so much positive energy. When you walk away, you feel rejuvenated and ready to dive in and do something new and creative," Ms. Barnes said.
''Rhian is really the inspiration. She just kept us going. She's just full of energy and fun. It's a pleasure to be around her. You go away smiling.''
Mrs. Swain-Giboney said she is working to establish a better work-life balance.
"I have really made a conscious effort to start doing more things for myself, not just work all the time, which is what I had been doing for many, many years. As you get older, I think you realize that you need to have a little bit of 'me' time to refill the creative well," she said.
She works out at the gym each morning and also makes time for her writing.
"My main love will always be painting. My focus lately has been writing. I have a finished novel, so I'm trying to get that published. I've also been working with several publishing houses that have sent requests for short stories," she said.
She offers advice for women who want to run a business or change their lives.
"As long as you believe in yourself, set yourself some goals and you stick to those, anything is possible. You can be and do anything you want, even make a living at the arts, as long as you follow through. Once you give up, it's a done deal," Mrs. Swain-Giboney said.
"I think it's really important to do something you love because you spend so much time doing it. Even if you have to fight for it, it's worth it," she said.
Reach LaTina Emerson at (706) 823-3227 or latina.emerson@augustachronicle.com.
RHIAN SWAIN-GIBONEY
BORN: June 3, 1961, in Germany
EDUCATION: Atlanta College of Art, bachelor's degree in fine arts
FAMILY: Husband, Scott Giboney; and children, Pierce Giboney, Kylain Swain, Chase Giboney and Bryce Giboney
HONORS/AWARDS: ADDY awards for her illustrations and design concepts, Silver Medal Award (Ad Federation's highest honor), 2007 Women of Excellence Award for the Arts, Small Business Person of the Year (2000-2002)
CIVIC/EXTRACURRICULAR: Leadership Augusta; Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival (past chairwoman); Red Carpet Tour and Augusta Showcase (past marketing chairwoman); Greater Augusta Arts Council executive board of directors; Rachel Longstreet Foundation (Jessye Norman School of the Arts) board of directors, Augusta Advertising Federation board of directors
HOBBIES: Painting, writing, photography, community service
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