I love design. The idea that one could make a living with typography, color, and images blew my 14-year old mind. Logos and the whole concept of graphic design fascinated me and having an art teacher who believed in me opened the door. I studied visual communication design at Art Center College of Design and the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). I was offered the first job I applied for out of school, then learned how different and challenging graphic design is in the real world.

Years later, I was working as an Art Director for a well-funded start-up incubator when the dot com crash changed everything. I decided to build my own design business and had the privilege to design and consult for companies both large and small, including those in entertainment, retail, sports & recreation, energy, technology, transportation, real estate, environment, hospitality, and health & beauty.

Along this trajectory, I also taught a Graphic Design and Color Theory class for three years at my high school alma mater, the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. During a stint at TBWA\Chiat\Day, the agency that created the landmark 1984 Apple Macintosh commercial, I produced ads for premiere accounts (Infiniti, Nissan, Pedigree) and toasted successes with ad mavens around the company surfboard bar. As a brand ambassador for Nike, I lead and managed a grass-roots running program throughout the greater LA area, which attracted over 1000 runners per week. While LA is full of culture and opportunity, I felt the constant sunshine and gridlock traffic were suffocating me. I needed clouds, rain, and open green spaces.

Portland, Oregon became home in 2006. I got to know the city pretty well by exploring the neighborhoods and shops, and writing over fifty editorial reviews as a contributing writer for Portland Picks, a weekly online publication. What I love about this city is its audacity to embrace so many creative expressions and yet remain true to its PNW culture – whether in food, fashion, art, music, recreation or design.

Most days are filled with design work, reading too many things, curating an Instagram account that reflects my passion, and sometimes resisting the urge to wander on those wonderful PNW trails with my husky pup and running partner, Indi.

Discipline is the difference between a goal and an achievement.