The Early Years
I started pretty young for my field as a tweenager while living in Ohio, I turned a hobby into a job, where I made graphics for an online video game called Graal Online. I used software called Jasc Paint Shop Pro on Windows 98, now formally known as Corel Paint Shop Pro, to do this. I then transitioned into using Adobe Photoshop 6 to create graphics for the game.
I moved out to Orange County California for a couple of years during High School, where I continued to create graphics in my spare time as well as take extra curricular classes called Digital Media. In this class, I worked on a couple of personal projects and mostly made videos using the iMacs using iMovie and Adobe Premiere. I also built my first website in Orange County during 2004 which I used as a personal playground to showcase my creative work.
I moved back to Ohio for the last two years of High School, where I immediately transferred to a Technical High School and focused on continuing my career in Digital Media. I worked on many different projects here, as well as continued my interest and learned Adobe Indesign and Adobe Illustrator. I also worked on various Print Projects at this time as well as created a small website for an IT startup company. I participated in the Business Professionals of America contests for Graphic Design and Web Design, and placed as an Ohio state Qualifier for Web Design. During this time, I also worked Part time after school as a Graphic Designer at a Screen Printing and Sign Shop, Creative Designs and Signs.
The Middle Years
After High School, I decided it would be best for me to enroll in College at Rhodes State College for Digital Media. I took all of my core classes in the subject, and was obtaining a really good GPA. I decided it would be best for me to pursue things on my own, and landed a job doing Graphic and Web Design at a local advertising company. I also started to pick up jobs online from companies that outsourced my type of work. I did really well, and met some great people that continued my interest in the field.
In 2012, I decided it would be best to finish up my degree and enrolled in the College of Technology at Bowling Green State University to study Interactive Media. I was required to take an introductory class into the program, which was a refresher on that which was second nature to me. Thankfully, students in the previous years had requested an alternative lab portion of the class, called VIA Media. I was one of two students who signed up to take the class, and I was very glad I did! Instead of learning the basic tips and tricks to the Adobe Creative Suite, I spent my time in a group of 4 where we learned how to use CAD Software to prototype, build, and design a corrugated cardboard display stand for the BGSU Bookstore.
Within the degree I was taking, I had to do three CO-OPs, so I decided to start looking for one in the summer of 2013. After applying to three different CO-OPs, I quickly learned that I was a bit of a hot commodity for someone who already had experience in the field. After interviewing with all of them, I decided on the Web Designer position with BGSU Dining to gain corporate experience and strengthen my web design skills. I worked within the Marketing Department, and helped update their web presence to the best of my abilities. Some of my duties were to keep their website up to date with new information, create a calculator to help students budget their meal plans, design E-Mail campaigns for Faculty, Staff, and Students, and I even built a Nutrition Kiosk on iPads for all the Dining Locations which displayed the Nutrition Information for the Meals that were available that day. They hired me after the internship was over, but I decided to move to start a new chapter in my life.
I moved back to the West Coast at the end of 2013, to the second most populous city in the Northwest, Portland Oregon. I worked for a few startups for a while and on freelance projects while I waited patiently to establish in-state residency so I could complete a General Studies degree at Portland Community College with a focus in Marketing.
During COVID-19 I had a short stint in the countryside and worked on-site as an interim manager for an agriculture startup. That was really fun and I learned a lot about careful observations in nature and how humans and plants are similar. Was able to focus more on product development, project management, and photography.
I moved back to Portland in 2021 and since then have loved contributing to more projects and events in the city. I am currently continuing to pursue freelance graphic design work and building websites and architecture in the cloud. I am back in University studying Cloud Computing, and exploring more about the types of experiences and projects that make us unique.