Statement of Purpose

I had a clear vision beginning my college studies that I was meant to pursue an artistic path, but I kept my mind open to the many channels art could lead me through as I began my education and career choices. The best teachers I studied with did not draw constraining lines around or put strict definitions on career titles such as illustrator, graphic designer, creative director or fine artist. As an undergraduate art student, I felt strongly that blurring of these lines and combining multi-facetted assets from all of these artistic titles would only lead to more successful, fulfilling and cutting-edge work. I chose Illustration as a major because I did not feel compelled to expose my personal thoughts and struggles directly on a canvas. Instead, I am driven to tell other people’s stories of invention, struggle, discovery, humor, music and entertainment through multi-media drawings, collage and other mediums. Working with a team under a deadline to illustrate a compelling story by visually representing the emotions of all involved parties excites and inspires me.

I moved to Seattle after receiving my BA and scored a full-time job hand-drawing illustrations for six publications all day, every day. Along with quickly learning the fundamentals of creating art for publishing in a corporate workspace, I also learned to control the visual presentation of my art with graphic design and typography. I continued to illustrate my own side projects and eventually moved on to a full-time graphic design job at a hip weekly newspaper called The Stranger. I thrived in this editorial community of people who were charged with telling stories visually with a daring, risky and alternative twist.

Moving to New York City after five years of designing on the West Coast, I was thrilled with the faster-paced momentum and cut-throat attitude of the publishing world when landing my first design job at Time Inc. I pushed up the ladder and became an advertising design director for a team of eight people in my mid-20s. The pressure was intense—the industry demanding long hours of concepting, pitching, selling, designing, managing, delegating, negotiation, art directing, and finally around the time the team would head home, I would start designing features I assigned to myself. Producing artful and effective design was of equal importance to me as managing my team. I created an open studio workspace where the creativity could flow and we could bounce ideas off of each other in real time. I learned the importance of maintaining an environment where the team felt invested and there was focused attention on personal development.

I continued on this career path for the next 15 years, design directing for multiple fashion and art magazines such as Details, Glamour, ELLE and Architectural Digest. The tangible satisfaction I felt each month holding a magazine containing my work and experiencing the my team’s momentum created by pushing boundaries in the publishing industry, always renewed my ambition and drive to produce the next issue. A few indispensable mentors pushed me to adapt, transition and perform better with each challenge. I changed my tools and approaches as the industry morphed into a mainly digital platform. I continued to use a ‘hands-on’, fine art approach to graphic solutions while implementing integrated print and digital programs to suit the new needs of visual communication between clients and consumers. The loss of printed design to creating mostly digital content started to spur my thoughts towards a career change. Although I saw new potential and joy in digital creation I began to think about the development of art in young minds and the importance of equally exploring all artistic realms at a young age. I wanted to be a part this teaching and discovery process.

In 2013, I started a design and illustration studio in Brooklyn, freelancing for steady clients while also creating my personal art and participating in local fine art shows. Having my own child ignited a passion in me for children’s books and I have created two of my own, one that has been published and distributed widely. Developing a strong passion for visual language and communication, I began studying American Sign Language and the Deaf community.

Looking ahead, I would like to take this experience and knowledge from my past along with my personal drive to create art every day and focus on teaching children to develop their personal creativity. It has become clear to me that continuing to work for the fashion industry will not satisfy my building desire to give something of sustenance back to my community that has inspired my work for so long. I've been creating visual art my entire life and the next step is to learn the "art of education" so I can best nurture and educate young artists. A graduate degree in art education will give me the tools to teach, inspire and give confidence to kids, showing them art can be a true means of communication and self-understanding. My long-term career goal is to create a local art studio for young children (both hearing and Deaf) with fine art and digital classes focusing on art making as a outlet for personal expression.