The year is twenty-fifteen and I'm a graphic design student at a local community college. Having graduated with a business degree a number of years sooner, I had realized something was missing.
I realized my work needed to feel meaningful, and I also wanted to be really good at what I do. I was interested in business, technology and design, but didn't know yet I could combine the three. UX was not on my radar. Despite the credits not applying towards my degree, I took a course in Video Production. It didn't matter. It was what I wanted to learn. That was the turning point.
Near the end of the semester, a colleague heard that I "did video." Soon I was working my first freelance job as a content creator, and my ability to lead and figure things out in real-time soon landed me my first full-time, salaried position. It was just a beginning. I discovered that creating without clear reason and intent, was not effective for creating impact. There has to be a reason for doing what you're doing, a good one, or success and improvement remains elusive. So I did what any normal person would do. I moved 3,000 miles away to a city I'd never been, to live in a room I'd found on Craigslist, and started a technology company with a concept that'd never been attempted. It was here I discovered what I'd been searching for. It was here that UX found me.
I discovered a natural ability to translate data into copy and visual design. I'm a right-brain, left-brain technical-creative with a mind that sees past limits and a strong will to break them. My affinity for the written word drives my understanding of the digital landscape and pairs with empathic emotional considerations to enable specific, actionable feedback on the user experience.
I discovered a natural ability to translate data into copy and visual design. I'm a right-brain, left-brain technical-creative with a mind that sees past limits and a strong will to break them. My affinity for the written word drives my understanding of the digital landscape and pairs with empathic emotional considerations to enable specific, actionable feedback on the user experience.
I strive to do more with less. I believe this is accomplished through courageous questioning to achieve clarity throughout an experience, ending with the discovery of connections that move people to action. My approach in user experience design mirrors the stripping away of layers I experienced to narrow my career path. I find my work challenging, interesting, and exciting and I've worked hard to be able to say that.
I couldn't have done this without the people in my life. Long before I knew what I was searching for, my parents listened, and saw that I was serious. I owe them so much for their support and continued conversation on this journey. I am proof of the power of honest, compassionate and transparent communication with others to bring about the best, both in work and in life.
Outside of work, I'm a former nationally-ranked long-distance mountain biker, and in the distant past, taught snowboarding professionally. I enjoy doing difficult things on purpose, and 3 years ago was successful in creating a twice-daily meditation habit. I have an eye for fashion and an ear for psychedelic rock. I drive the raddest 1994 Volvo station wagon you've ever seen, and I take a few ice-cold showers a week. One day, I will surely learn to play the piano.
In the meantime, let's create successful, innovative, content-driven user experiences.
In the meantime, let's create successful, innovative, content-driven user experiences.