So far, the core of my career has been as a graphic designer, primarily product design - creating physical products that started as ideas and then were designed, sourced, and mass-produced for sale to national retailers. 

I spent a few years traveling to China to source a jewelry line. I was the primary contact between the jewelry designer we partnered with, my company, and the Chinese factories. I oversaw the development process and approved all samples before mass production. 

That experience led to my next role as product development manager for a company called BasicGrey. There, I oversaw a team of 4 designers and was in charge of the research and development of new products, improving existing products, and overseeing every aspect of the design process from the idea, to creation, to the marketing of the final product. 

During my time at BasicGrey, I experienced my most significant career challenge. The owner started a new company because she had an idea for a web-based art editor. She relied on her existing team, with me as the lead, to help her create it from the ground up. Working for this startup was my first experience with user experience design, and I had to learn quickly. Once we had the product designed, I was the key contact for the dev team. I constantly tested the site and communicated with the engineers. The process took over two years and was done simultaneously with my existing workload (please see the Modify Ink case study for the whole process).

After leaving BasicGrey/Modify Ink, I spent a few more years doing graphic design, which is what I’m doing now. My goal is to transition careers to User Experience design. UX is where my strengths and interests meet. I love problem-solving and collaborating with others, and my background and previous experience have given me the skill set to be a valuable member of any UX team.