About the Designer
UX UI Designer - Creative
My dad was an Aviation officer, so I grew up as an Army BRAT. We traveled all over the country and even spent a few years living in Germany. Living overseas taught me how big the world is and how different people can be even just a state over. I learned that our planet is teeming with so many perspectives and my childhood helped me to become so open-minded.
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That, and art school.
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I was always creative growing up. I would draw and paint for hours. I was originally going to go to school for film, but I was encouraged into the direction of art. Graphic design gave practical uses of my artistic skills and usually led to many opportunities and careers. Then I discovered The Creative Center in Omaha and went there to study graphic design, illustration, and web design. As I was preparing to enter the field, however, a family emergency led me away from my career and into part-time jobs so I could help my family in a time of crisis.
As devastating as it was, it led me to a lot of amazing experiences. I worked for a NASA visitor center for a year; there I learned how to build confidence in presenting, how to speak to a large crowd, and generally beefed up my public speaking muscles. That job then led me to the IMAX theater at the museum where I did less talking, but we worked with a 30-year-old machine that no longer had parts made for it. That position involved a lot of problem-solving, trial and error, and required attention to detail. I had a lot of fun and it was extremely rewarding- we watched a lot of movies days before they aired. When I became comfortable with the tasks of loading the projectors and cleaning them, I was able to make it more of a performance. People were able to watch through a window as me and my glow-in-the-dark TOMS flipped from Rogue One to Dunkirk.
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I had a lot of fun being a technician and I got to do so much more than play movies. At our second theater, we helped presenters and speakers with lectures for Space Camp, conventions, and other events hosted at the museum. I got to meet so many amazing people, like Robert “Hoot” Gibson and Dotti Metcalf-Lindenburger. I was even lucky enough to watch Interstellar two weeks in advance on my birthday! But as wonderful as that job was, I wanted to move back home to Kansas City. So, I said goodbye to the museum and drove north.
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In Kansas, I spent two years as a Graphic Designer for a screen printing company. But when difficulties sprung up with Covid and there was not enough business to keep me on full-time, I moved on to become a Data Entry Specialist at a medical lab. It was a job I enjoyed and I learned a lot about attention to detail, organization, and time management. After two years of working there, they began to phase out my job in favor of automation, so I took that as a sign to get back into something more creative.
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Which led me to Chegg Thinkful! Thanks to their Bootcamp, I am a practiced UX/UI Designer and I am ready for work!
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Skills
Here are a few things I can offer~
UX Design
Recently worked in a boot camp program where I learned how to create and develop usable products to solve user problems.
Illustration
Drawing is what started me on the path of graphic design, and now UX/UI design. I am able to paint, sketch, draw, create line art, and draw with vector. I am also proficient with traditional mediums such as pencil, watercolor, and paints.
UI Design
In the same program, I learned how to create designs for those products that are pleasing, easy to understand, and accessible.
Graphic Design
Two years working as a Graphic Designer for a local screen printing shop and many years of contract freelance work. I have made invitations, advertisements, websites, forms, and more.
Public Speaking
From years of Drama class to two years of presenting as a museum guide. I am very comfortable speaking for long periods of time and presenting information.
Tools
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Photoshop
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Illustrator
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InDesign
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Figma
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Clip Studio
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Notion
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Microsoft Office
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Google Suite
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Wacom Tablet