I was born in Battle Creek, Michigan, the cereal capital of the world, where the smell of fruity pebbles hangs fresh in the air. Learning and imagining have always been the essence of who I am. My passion and drive in life is being able to create in any medium that I can. This has sculpted me into a multifaceted, versatile artist.
As a little kid I was obsessed with Loony Toons and Disney movies. When I wasn’t watching cartoons, I was drawing them. It was obvious to the people in my life that I was born to be an artist. In high school I dove head first into the world of Graphic Design and Communications in hopes of finding an outlet for my creative compulsion. I thrived in these courses and loved every minute of it. I took college design courses at Kellogg Community College during my senior year of high school and Graduated in 2009 with my diploma and An Instructor’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Graphic Design.
As I stood at the first major crossroad in my life I decided to reach back to the roots of my inspiration and enrolled in the Computer Animation Degree Program at Full Sail University. I moved to Florida and was able to expanded my design skills into the world of 3D. I felt as though I had a bit of an advantage over some of my peers because I had such a strong foundation in 2D design.
My time at Full Sail was a true test of my ability to handle pressure and tight deadlines. My degree was an accelerated program. We attended classes around the clock. Labs could be scheduled anytime day or night. 3:00 am labs were the norm. We were expected to adapt quickly to our monthly changing schedules. There was little time for anything but school. But two years later I emerged from this boot camp esque lifestyle with my Bachelors of Science Degree in Computer Animation.
After graduation, I found myself back in Cereal City, USA. and have been doing freelance work ever since. Design work was difficult to find and Animation work was impossible, but I was persistent. After scoring a sweet day gig as a barista I eventually nudged my way into a position at Thermo Fisher Scientific. I was hired on contract as a Graphic Designer for the GHS/CLP relabeling project where I have worked on over 1500 labels and packaging. I was constantly faced with new challenges and learned how to overcome them every day.
After my contract with Thermo Fisher came to an end I moved to Washington State with my life partner. I feel I have truly found a place I can call home. The mountains offer a peaceful retreat after a busy work week and a perfectly brewed cup of coffee is never difficult to find. I had the opportunity to fulfill a life long dream and worked with Nintendo of America. Here I gained valuable insight into the gaming industry. More recently, have been fortunate enough to go full time with my freelancing career, working with clients like Oikocredit US and Kellogg’s.
Here's to life’s next exciting experience.