My work begins where the unknown opens, driven by a curiosity about what is possible when looking past the obvious. I see design as a quiet duty to find and restore a beauty that is forgotten or often dismissed into one that is honest, genuine, and exists to serve the people using it. To me, design is truly successful when it feels like an inevitable solution, as if it was always meant to be. Through my projects, I seek to create designs that "just work" and prove to be worth the space it occupies.
My design process, from an idea from conception into reality, requires a constant push for wonder. Through the process, I strive to design things that show a level of care that people can feel. My goal is for someone to interact with my work and realize that it was designed with them in mind—that I made certain decisions not because I had to, but because they deserved the extra moment. For me, design is a form of stewardship; it is about taking the gift of creation and using it with a sense of responsibility to help others experience more ease and a sense of joy. I want my work to simply stand as a companion to the people who find it, making the everyday feel a little more intentional.
Looking back, what advice would you give yourself?
Trust the process.
What's your favorite A+D memory?
Too many. However, one sticks out. Standing in the Chick fil A line late one evening, Mateo and Kenzi told me they were headed off to their locations they had for branding the next morning and asked if I had wanted to come. I had plans for the next day, but decided what the heck, and off I was for a very full day. A mini Walter Mitty moment for real.
What was your favorite A+D class?
Definitely Advanced 2—it really allowed me to explore and discover interests I had, things about myself, and what I believe as a designer.
What moment, project, and/or critique in your Art + Design career at AU has been pivotal to who you are as an artist or creator?
It was a lecture from History of Graphic Design. During that lecture I saw that as designers we have a responsibility and a duty to fullfill. It instilled in me a purpose to create for good, and for people. A purpose that would define why I do what I do, and a large part of who I am as a designer.
What's next for you?
To be honest, I'm not all sure. I have goals, ideas, and things that I want to do, but how I get there is still a mystery to be. It's the in between that I am unsure of—what is next for me. If I had learned anything in this program and life, it is to trust the process. The Lord will deliver me where I need to be at exactly the right moment. I have no idea what the coming months, weeks, or days will bring—and how exiciting is that. So, perhaps the next thing for me is to trust God, and to go wherever and do whatever He calls me to do next.
How do you hope your work makes an impact?
I hope my work brings a timeless beauty into the world.