Me in a nutshell.

About me.

From a young age, I was always the creative type.

I grew up in Ottawa playing piano and flute, while also learning to tap dance and do ballet. I was homeschooled, so I had the freedom to try different things and see what I enjoyed doing. I took lots of art classes, learning about art history and different types of art mediums. For a while I really enjoyed drawing and creative writing - it was a great way to express myself.

In high school, I attended an arts high school and chose to partake in their Dance Program. Even though dance was my passion at the time, I still joined the school band in Grade 9, and took Media Arts, Yearbook, and Communications Technology classes. Other than my dance classes, these artistic classes were by far my favourite. I learned all about digital media and design, and decided that after I graduated, I would either pursue dance or graphic design.

After high school, I chose to pursue dance at George Brown College in Toronto in their Dance Performance Studies program. I figured that the only time to pursue my dance career was when I was young, and graphic design could always wait until I was older - dance couldn't wait.

During my graduating year, we were given a project to create a solo choreographic composition. I decided to step above and beyond and use my skills that I always enjoyed. I created a video to be projected behind my solo composition, to really portray and bring my theme to life. It was a huge success, and it was then that I realized how much I enjoyed making art in different types of mediums.

After I graduated college, I decided to leave Toronto, and wasn't sure I wanted to continue dancing professionally. I soon found a job doing door-to-door sales. I was great at it and really enjoyed talking to all the different types of people I met. I learned so much from my time there, but soon decided it was time to move onto something else. I moved to London, Ontario, and found a job doing phone sales and B2B sales for a small digital advertising network company, Goat Getter Media. The owner of the company also owned a startup 3D printing company in the same building. I soon got recruited to do sales for the 3D printing company to get it off its feet.

During one meeting, I got asked "Can you draw?" and I responded with "Yes I can". From there on, I started drawing out concepts for clients to show them what their custom 3D printed products would look like. I became a great asset to the company, and soon transitioned to just doing a design role. I designed all of the company's custom products for clients to see, before the design was sent off to the 3D modeller. Not long after, Goat Getter Media was starting to pick up again, so I was asked to become the designer for there too. My job was to create 30 second motion advertisements for clients so they could advertise on the digital network. At this time, Goat Getter Media was also in the midst of being bought by a tech company, Zomaron. Once the company was fully bought and transitioned over, I moved over to Zomaron and became a designer in the design team.

At this point, I didn't really have any experience working with other designers, but I quickly learned how to work within a team to create various mediums while continuing to make motion advertisements for the digital network. Zomaron was going through a rebrand, so as a design team, we had to create new logos, new marketing material, new banners, new business cards, and a new brand. We were also creating a new product, which needed a new website, and a new Client Management System for our clients to take care of all their back-end needs and keep track of their customers.

I continued working with the design team as it grew bigger, but I realized that what I really enjoyed doing was making videos. An opening for creating a training system came up and I jumped at the opportunity. The job involved creating training modules for new employees, and also creating training videos on how to use products. I piloted the training program by myself, gathering information from managers in the company, and creating content and design for the modules. It was a big task, but I thrive when I'm challenged.

I have worked at a variety of both large and small companies including startups - helping them build a brand up from the ground. I currently do a lot of freelance work, helping clients refresh their websites, assisting with social media to increase brand exposure and sales, and design a lot of marketing material and video editing.

What are my hobbies?

I am a competitive curler, so during the winter months, I curl about 3-4 nights a week along with teaching curling whenever I can.

Over the last couple years I taught myself how to play guitar and ukelele, so I enjoy playing while singing, and sometimes jamming with friends. I don't know that I could ever live without music as I grew up with it being such a big part of my life.

Do I regret going to school for dance rather than design, since I'm not even dancing anymore?

A lot of people ask me this (or something similar along those same lines), and the answer is no. When you go to school for dance and dance every day, you learn a lot more than just steps and how to be graceful. You learn discipline, you learn what hard work truly is, and you learn how to get over challenges. I have always been a hard worker, but I think I get a lot of my work ethic from being a dancer for so many years. Another thing that I can thank dancing for is picking things up so quickly. Though I never went to school for design, I can pick up how to use programs, or theories behind certain elements very quickly. I am a quick learner, and I can also thank dancing for teaching me that.