About Sheryl Checkman

Sheryl Checkman is an award-winning designer with more than 25 years' experience in applying innovative yet pragmatic solutions to the full range of communications and design challenges. Before opening Checkman Design, Sheryl was Vice President & Manager, Design Services, for the public relations agency Burson-Marsteller from 1981-1992. Prior to that she was an Art Director at the The Barton Gillet Company, a marketing communications firm. Sheryl graduated from Cornell University and attended a Masters program in Communications Design at Pratt Institute as well as a three-month design program at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. She graduated from the High School of Music & Art in New York City. Sheryl is an avid skier and scuba diver. She swims, plays tennis, practices yoga and enjoys taking pictures, both above and below the water. She adds her creative signature to her photographs by creating Digital Fine Art which she currently exhibits in her online gallery. She recently launched a line of inspirational sports-themed T-shirts under the name Life is Balance®. In addition to her design work, Sheryl also creates custom photomontages for a variety of corporate and consumer clients.

I’m ready for summer…or at least spring!

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Sheryl Checkman

It’s winter again today! After temperatures in the 70’s last week it just plain wrong that it was back to winter today in NYC! My summer mojo was poking it’s head out, complete with t-shirts and shoes without socks! Today it was firmly put back in its’ place as I layered up once again in sweaters, scarf and ski jacket! Well mother nature’s tease did put me in the mood for spring to hurray up and get here for good. I’ve had enough of scarves and wool hats! I want to wear my new straw beach hat, my flip flops and nothing but a tank top and shorts! I guess I’ll have to wait a bit longer though.

This past weekend I visited two distinctly different trade shows that each added to my yearning for the warmer season to arrive. The first, on Saturday was the Whole Bead Show at the Metropolitan Pavilion in NYC, where I stocked up on some new stone beads and silver charms to add to my Life is Balance Jewelry Line. Roaming through the various stalls of bead vendors I got inspired to create an “Ocean Collection.” Here are are few photos of the end result:

Life is Balance Ocean Collection Fish Balance Necklace

Silver, Laboradite, Amazonite & Swvarski Crystal Balance Necklace from the new Ocean Collection

Balance Bracelet with dolphin charm

Balance Bracelet with tiny Fish Charm

On Sunday, I took a bus from the Port Authority to the Exposition Center at the Meadowlands to visit Beneath the Sea, the largest consumer scuba and dive travel show in America. There I walked from booth to booth salivating over all the wonderful dive destinations I’ve yet to visit. I stopped by and visited with vendors who I have gotten to know over the year such as David Dunleavy, whose paintings bring the underwater world to life and Roland St John, an incredibly talented jewelry designer who specializes in beautiful diving and aquatic gifts. David and I talked about my Life is Balance® line of t-shirts – (he too has a cool line of marine life tees). Of course I was wearing one of mine!

Protect and Preserve Ocean Conservation T-Shirt

I stopped by my local scuba shop’s booth (Scuba Network) to look over the dive computers and try to decide which one I will eventually buy to replace my older model. I just can’t seem to decide between a wrist model or one on a console! I was also on the lookout for a decent strobe light for my camera to take underwater with me the next time I go diving. I stopped by a couple of photo booths and learned a lot about the Sea & Sea YS-01 DS-TTL Strobe. It sounds like the right set-up for me. Between that, the dive computer and all those great destinations I want to travel to, I think I need to start saving my pennies (and selling more t-shirts)!

Yoga Balances the Mind as Well as the Body

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Sheryl Checkman

yoga meditation pose at sunset

I’ve been feeling a bit off balance lately. My left shoulder started bothering me back in the fall. I first noticed it while swimming laps. I thought it would go away but it didn’t. So after going to the doctor and getting an MRI, I learned that I have severe tendonitis and a bone spur that is aggravating it. The prognosis: “If I were a betting man” said the doctor, “I’d say you will need surgery to shave the bone spur down.” Not wanting to jump into surgery (I’ve had enough of that lately!) he has me on an anti-inflammatory and will be starting physical therapy. I see him again in 6 weeks and then we’ll re-assess. I’m not sure, but I think as soon as I had a diagnosis, I started to feel worse! I can’t swim – not supposed to lift my arm over my head (hard to swim the crawl with one arm!). And what about yoga? I don’t want to give up the one thing that makes me feel grounded and peaceful!

I was able to ski last weekend though. As long as I avoided the bumps and anything that would put a strain on my shoulder I was good. But, as most of us in the East know, this hasn’t exactly been a stellar year for skiing! What can I do to keep balance? I went to my 8:30 am yoga class this morning hoping I could find enough modifications to make my practice work for me. Suzanne, my wonderful instructor was back from a month-long retreat and she made some suggestions for modifications. I avoided the poses that I knew would hurt my shoulder (chaturanga, knees, chest , chin, shoulder stand) and I modified my arm position for the other poses, avoiding stretching my left arm over my head. After shavasana I stayed for the meditation. The end result? I walked out of class feeling balanced both in body and mind!

Life is Balance: Going for the Gold!

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Sheryl Checkman

Life is Balance is a sponsor of the Empire State Winter Games I’m excited to report that Life is Balance® has become a sponsor of the Empire State Winter Games in Lake Placid, NY. The Empire State Winter Games is a multi-day sports event, taking place February 2-5, 2012. For more than 31 years, the Games have brought together nearly 1,000 athletes from across the State to compete in a variety of winter sports. What better venue for Life is Balance® t-shirts? I’ll be placing a brochure in each athlete’s gift bag with a coupon code for a discount on the Life is Balance website. And, two t-shirts are going to be raffled off during the weekend!

Not only am I able to help support young athletes in their quest to realize their dreams, but I learned about some sports I’ve never heard of! The winter sports included in these games consist of: alpine skiing, biathlon, bobsled, cross country skiing, figure skating, luge, skeleton, ski jumping, ski orienteering, slopestyle, snowshoe racing, speed skating, women’s ice hockey and skier/border cross. Slopestyle? Skeleton? Sounds more like a fashion show for Halloween!

Did you know that the Slopestyle competition takes place on a course consistingof variations of jumps and handrails. Anywhere from 3 to 5 of these “features” make up a standard size run. Athlete get two attempts to execute their most difficult and creative maneuvers. Another one new to me is Skeleton – a fast winter sliding sport in which an individual person rides a small sled down a frozen track while lying face down, during which athletes experience forces up to 5g. Crazy? They don’t think so. I think I will stick to downhill skiing!

Here are some of the winter sports themed t-shirts available from LifeisBalance.com: