MY WORK STORY  THE LONG VERSION​

I began my graphic design career by accident after coming to the sad realization that my French major would not easily turn into a job. My first foray into the field was as a designer for internal communications at HH Brown in Greenwich, CT. The job fell into my lap after meeting the vice president of the company while working at a swanky Greenwich restaurant. There, I learned some basics, and found that I loved graphic design. After a year of working in CT, however, adventure came knocking. 

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I spent time traveling through Europe with my sister, through Central America with friends, and finally road-tripping across the US. Inspired by travels and my interest in graphic design work, I took a job in Dallas as an Art Director for a small healthcare magazine. There, I learned about the importance of consistency and attention to detail, and cut my teeth on desktop publishing and press checks. 

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Later, I landed a job as an Art Director at DDB on the American Airlines Vacations account. I only worked there a year when American moved the business to a different agency. Luckily, I transferred to a promotional agency under the same Omnicom umbrella.  At The Integer Group, I gained experience on big name brands such as Cinnabon, 7-Eleven, Nokia, International Delight, and a few others, but I spent most of my time as a Senior Art Director working on the Cingular Wireless account, creating monthly in-store POP kits. It also involved a stint at their corporate headquarters in Atlanta, and an opportunity to install my concept for a full-store promotional display in their flagship store in New York City.

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In 2005, we welcomed our daughter into the world. After taking a year to care for her, I took advantage of the opportunity to do contract work for clients across various industries and that's what I've been doing ever since.

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MY TRAVEL STORY

I love to travel. Starting with summer road trips from TX to our home state of NY when I was a child, I have always relished any chance to explore.

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My top experience was in the spring of 2017...

We took a family hiatus and moved to Granada, Spain for 4 months. We wanted to give our kids the gift of a different perspective by exposing them to another way of living. To say it was life changing and incredible is an understatement. We immersed ourselves—and learned to love big afternoon meals, la sobremesa*, the Spanish language, Moorish history and la Semana Santa. Our time ran out far too quickly and we would go back in a NY minute.

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Some of my other travel adventures have also shaped me in many ways...

• Living with a French family while studying abroad in France opened my mind tremendously, while traveling around Europe taught me the value of learning to blend in anywhere. Watching from the wings, I learned why we’re often referred to as “ugly Americans.” I found heaven on earth on the Cyclades Islands in Greece.

• A 2-month ramble through Honduras taught me about living with less and the beauty of remote beaches.

• Wandering through Europe with my sister for a few months gave us so many great memories—lots of beautiful museums and a bond that still holds.

• In my late twenties, a road trip with my best friend took us through the entire Western US in about 2 months. We saw just about every National Park, landmark, scenic highway and big city and came back with our minds full and open.

• Spending a month living on the Yucatan peninsula with our young kids gave us an appreciation of Mayan culture, Sopa de Lima, and the confidence to eventually pack up and head to Spain.

My design work is influenced by my travels in ways that are hard to quantify, but I hope that the perspectives gained from my experiences come through in my creativity, work ethic and mindset.

* Time spent in conversation after a meal, digesting, relaxing, enjoying. Certainly not rushing.

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