I was always a kid who itched to express themselves creatively, at any and all capacities. I spent my time drawing, writing stories, choreographing gymnastics routines, and doing crafts (some might even say I collected creative pursuits the way other kids collected Pokemon cards). However, being from a small town, I lacked a community and resources to amplify this gift. I began to feel isolated as I grew older, causing me to burn out and lose my muse. After a few years of aimlessly creating and falling out of love with art, I started to slowly gain my spark back in college. I was part of a unique degree program at my university called Digital Media Innovations, the only STEM degree within the college of fine arts. The curriculum was aimed at bridging the gap between creativity and technology, offering classes that ranged from coding, design, video production, digital storytelling and multimedia journalism. I was finally “making stuff” again, and I realized that that was what I had been missing all along; making stuff is what makes me feel fulfilled.
I fell in love with product design the semester I took media design. I remember thinking that being able to do this as a career felt too good to be true. I had spent my previous years exploring the different possibilities of creative careers, but the second I was introduced to product design my search ended. I decided I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else for the rest of my life and that I was going to do whatever it took to get there.
Part of why design feels so fulfilling to me is that it shows up not only in my work but in every aspect of my life. It shows up in the way I aim to make my breakfast look visually appealing in the morning, the way I’m particular about the lighting in my room and the way I spend too much time perfecting my handwriting and selecting fonts for a powerpoint. I know that the younger version of me, surrounded by doodles and covered in paint, would be proud to know that I not only kept creating, but managed to build a life and career out of it.
