Always learning. That’s my philosophy in work, but also in life. I started this site as a portfolio and as a place to explore and document the things that I love, including design, retouching, writing, reading, travel, food, bees, and, yes, NYC.

I taught myself HTML at the age of 12 and my first jobs were designing sites for a local artist and an oboe supply store. I worked as a designer and writer at magazines and newspapers throughout college as a journalism major at the University of Missouri-Columbia. In addition to my projects on campus, I interned in the copy department of Family Circle and took on freelance projects, like designing and maintaining the official web site for the band Azure Ray.

Towards the end of my degree, I began to focus on magazine design. I worked for a while as an art director of a trade publication before going on to continue my design education at Pratt Institute in NYC, where I received my Master’s of Science in Packaging and Communication design and interned in the art department of Harper’s Bazaar. I completed my thesis paper and project on sustainable methods in packaging design and post-consumer upcycling.

Since graduating, I’ve worked for Macy’s Merchandising Group, where I manage a retouching department that edits images and animations for packaging, signage, social media, and marketing.

Though retouching and design may seem very different, I see a common ground. I view my job as a designer, retoucher, and production artist as putting together a puzzle. How can I create a brand identity that embodies the product it represents? What colors, textures, and typography is the right fit for a project? Out of all of the tools, techniques, and adjustment options available in Photoshop, which will give me the result I want? Are my files meticulously put together to ensure a flawless end product? Both design and production are all about the details and the big picture. I love piecing everything together and seeing the finished project.

I’m constantly taking classes of all kinds to continue to push myself. In recent years I’ve taken courses in mobile application design, beauty retouching, advanced Photoshop, animated GIFs, and After Effects. Currently I’m in a certificate program in Creative Writing at NYU.