Background & a little more about me

The first job I remember wanting was inspired by an afternoon spent at the Seattle Center with my grandmother. There was a caricature artist on full display along one of the walk ways, drawing silly pictures that somehow still looked like the people dutifully posing on the folding chairs across from them. I remember thinking how cool it would be to get to get to be that person; to draw for my job and make people smile.

Fast forward a few years, I discovered design in a photoshop class my freshman year of high school. Suddenly a whole new medium of creative expression was opened before me, and I was infatuated. Photo manipulation, masking objects in/out, distorting them in interesting ways, making it look like my bedroom window opened out to the surface of the moon. Incredible experience for my 14year old mind.

It wasn't till a bit after that I was made aware of Graphic Design—but didn't know what Design actually was, I thought maybe it was just digital art. Little did I know the path that was just laid out before me...

Jumping forward again, after being accepted to the design program at University of Washington, I thought for sure I wanted to continue down the path of Graphic Design, go into marketing or creating brands. That is, until my first Interaction Design class. I don't remember the details of the projects, but i remember how that class made me feel—getting to solve real problems through design thinking, and craft usable, working, beautiful things that had impact on people's lives. I was instantly addicted. I changed majors to Interaction Design, and have never once looked back.

Finding my way to this point in my career has felt very strait-forward, but looking back there were clear pivotal moments (as well as teachers and mentors) that lead me to where I am. My passion for design thinking, process, and craft still stems from the same place that saw that caricature artist: A desire to connect with, and create for, people. I first and foremost want my work to remain inherently human centered, and build the strategy around the people I'm solving problems for.