The Scenic Route

How I found my way to graphic design through observation, art, movement, and human experience.

I grew up drawing. In high school I drew on paper, and sometimes on people. Later I was printing and painting. When it came time for college, art school felt like the obvious path.

But when it came time to choose a major, I couldn’t do it. I didn’t want a fine art degree. I wanted something more specific. But not illustration. Not printmaking. And definitely not graphic design.

So I dropped out. I didn’t want to waste the money.

Little did I know that graphic design would eventually become my calling. If I could have told my stubborn 19 year old self that, maybe I would have gotten there sooner. But then my story wouldn’t be my story.

Years later I began to notice something: Design was woven into everything I did — my art, my interior spaces, my clothes, even my relationships.

Eventually I applied to art school in San Francisco, and to my surprise I was accepted. When I went to visit the school, I also visited another campus nearby that I immediately fell in love with. Not long after that, my California chapter began.

I moved across the country from Brewster, Massachusetts, to live with complete strangers. Looking back, I realize how lucky I was. I will always be grateful to the family who welcomed me and the people who helped make those connections possible.

The city peeled back my layers and began to reveal the person I was becoming. Graphic design was more expansive than I had imagined. Suddenly I could do everything — paint, draw, and render it digitally. I could experiment with printing on vellum and explore so many different mediums. My mind and body felt inspired and expanded.

During my third semester at the Academy, I was working at a yoga studio with several locations throughout the city. Yoga had been part of my life since I was 17, so when an opportunity came up to join a teacher training immersion, I decided to step away from school for a semester to do it.

The training ended, but something had shifted in me. I felt pulled toward something bigger — toward work that felt purposeful and intentional.

I couldn’t imagine going back to school and sitting at a desk simply to build a portfolio for a company job. I wanted to create something meaningful.

Being surrounded by yogis, I began noticing something else. At the time, many of the studios and teachers loved papyrus fonts, muted earthy tones, and portraits in front of trees. But after experiencing their classes, I knew those communications weren’t capturing who they honestly were. The designs didn’t reflect the clarity, strength, or unique voice each teacher brought into the room.

That realization changed everything for me.

I began helping teachers communicate more authentically through design — creating materials that reflected the true spirit of their work.

It was there that my freelance design career began — helping people communicate who they truly were.
And I’ve been designing ever since.