A Little Bit About Me
I grew up in a somewhat touristy-somewhat artsy town in Upstate New York called Cold Spring. I developed a love for overpriced lattes, oversized pizza, theater, and fine art. I attended a trade school during high school for Advertising Art and Digital Design, which is where I first learned and developed design skills. It was an amazing opportunity to spend so much of my day focused on developing skills so early.
Absorb as much information as you can from the people who are excited to give you that information. Teachers are amazing people and an amazing resource for young people.
Life got a little hectic when I moved to Quincy, IL with my family. The culture was different, I started community college, and got a part time job working retail. I was a bit upset about the change; it wasn't what I had planned. I learned and hussled my way through John Wood Community College, however, and the education I got through their graphic design program was fantastic. I supplemented it with enthusiastic research on my own and self-driven projects.
I landed an internship at The Knapheide Manufacturing Company in 2018. I was able to work alongside industry experts and other great designers. I met some extremely intelligent people and continued to absorb as much information as possible. It was challenging and fun; you can see a summary of the work I did at Knaphiede here.
My next role was at a sign shop. This came with another set of challenges including taking on roles outside of graphic design. They weren't tasks I was unfamiliar with; customer service, order processing, and email management were familiar to me. I picked up new skills, such as print production, engraving, vinyl application, and general print knowledge.
I am excited to learn new skills and absorb more knowledge in the future, wherever my career and life takes me. I haven't been in a position that I didn't learn something incredibly valuable from, and I can't wait to learn more!