My Story

The creative spirit knows no boundaries. I’ve always had an impulse to create, and every endeavor I take on teaches me something new and expands my array of skills. My experiences have ultimately led me to a career in graphic design, where I can apply my strengths and interests in a context that helps others be seen.

I’ve immersed myself in a variety of mediums to realize where my talents lie. As an advanced photography student in high school and college, I trained in traditional darkroom processing. I experimented with alternative development techniques and became comfortable with strong composition and thought-provoking imagery.

I earned my bachelor’s degree from Santa Clara University in 2005, majoring in art history and English and minoring in studio art and Spanish. My diverse studies helped me develop a well-rounded understanding of artistic style and mentality throughout the ages and across cultural lines. I nurtured my affinity for in-depth research and persuasive writing. I also added painting and sculpture to my artistic repertoire, exploring color, spatial relations, formal elements, balance and construction.

I returned to Texas to pursue a master's degree in pre-Columbian art at   the University of Texas in Austin. It has always fascinated me how  indigenous groups base so much of their identity and practices around  the production of art, design and craft. Our culture today is not so  fundamentally different. We are heavily affected by what we see, and I  believe it's important to maintain quality in our visual  communications. This belief, paired with my natural drive to participate in  hands-on creativity, led me to the field of graphic design.

I went on to complete an associates degree in visual communications at Austin Community College. There, I strengthened my technical skills and began to produce effective, intelligent and beautiful design. I accepted an internship in Austin's City Hall, mentored by Kay Owens, Senior Graphic Designer for the City of Austin Public Information Office. I refer to her as my "Design Mom," as she enthusiastically guided me through in-house "survival training" to fine-tune my design workflow. My talent and work ethic allowed me to quickly transition into a contract position on the PIO team.

Not long after this promotion, I was offered a full-time position at Austin Water. The Public Affairs team was in need of a strong self-starter to lead them in a complete department rebranding to support their new conservation focus. This experience served as a crash course in graphics production for various mediums, in direction of advertising campaigns and in development of a lasting brand identity for a large-scale organization. 

Since then, I have worked independently as Creative Commonground, headed a two-semester mobile design project through Austin Community College, and worked in-house at LifeSize Communications, a division of Logitech. I continue to delve into new and evolving areas of graphic design, enrolling in additional training whenever possible and perfecting my creative process. I  specialize in graphic art creation, branding, event marketing, program promotion, advertising and much more. My artistic background gives me a special affinity for illustration and photography, which I believe adds a unique quality to my work. The saga continues ... stay tuned!

Stuff you didn't think you wanted to know:

Favorite Musicians

• Les Claypool (Instrumentals)
• Ani DiFranco (Lyrics)
• Björk (Performance) 

Favorite Artists

• Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
• Diane Arbus
• Roxanne Swentzell

Favorite Writers

• Tennessee Williams (Playwright)
• Carlos Castaneda (Non-fiction)
• Diane di Prima (Poet) 

Favorite Films

• Being John Malkovich
• Fight Club
• Black Swan

Favorite Cuisine (Spicy Please!)

• Cajun
• Mexican
• Indian

Favorite Beverages

• Micobrews
• Absinthe
• Sake

Favorite Animals

• Horses, horses, horses!
• Pygmie goats
• Platypus

Favorite Hobbies

• Playing with my dogs
• Cooking
• Scrapbooking

Favorite "Sports"

• Equestrian competition
• Camping/backpacking
• Pilates

Addictions: 

• The outdoors
• Tattoos
• Coffee

Guilty Pleasures

• Food challenge TV
• People watching
• Searching YouTube for baby animal videos

Things I Could Do Without: 

• Dishes
• Traffic
• Laundry