I'm passionate about my profession, but that's not all
When I'm not working, you'll usually find me enjoying:
• cuddling my Frenchie, Freddie, and my orange tabby, Terrance
• hyper-focusing on work for my Etsy shop
• being a sci-fi film, television, and book nerd
• having rambling, often esoteric, conversations with friends
• practicing for the next karaoke night by belting out Queen
• daydreaming about my newest big project or interest
• doing some combination of the above
How I became a pragmatic idealist
I've been dedicated to this field for a long time because I have faith in the power of design to solve significant problems. I was always the artistic kid, but I chose design because I wanted to impact people (something I continue to unpack with my therapist).
In the past twenty years, I've gained diverse experience, which is one of my strengths. I focused on digital branding and marketing in the first ten years before transitioning to user experience. I've worked as a 'UX team of one', joined established teams, and been the inaugural design leadership hire for multiple teams. I've successfully helped numerous brands and products go from inception to first launch and beyond.
Throughout my career, I've had the opportunity to work with small business owners, startups, and global brands. Collectively, it's not only allowed me to build a varied and award-winning portfolio, but it's what's shaped my point of view as a "pragmatic idealist." These experiences have honed my intuition and operational knowledge. It enables me to think aspirationally while approaching work in a flexible, execution-oriented manner.
I strive to find new solutions while making balanced decisions to serve my audience, the business, the tech, and my team. I firmly believe that when creating exceptional experiences, empathy for your colleagues is just as important as having empathy for your users or customers. I'd consider it one of the main reasons I've come to enjoy facilitating collaborative workshops and co-creation sessions.
I look forward to continuing to learn, grow, and make a positive impact through my work as a designer.