A Decade of Crafting Digital Experiences
Design & Impact
A Holistic Approach to Creating Value
Running a business has taught me to see beyond isolated design tasks and focus on the entire product lifecycle. This approach is not only about creating beautiful designs; it's about understanding how every design choice aligns with people's needs, business objectives, and technical requirements.
By considering the entire product, choices become more apparent, actions prioritized, and the design process becomes a tool for achieving specific goals.
Expansion & Innovation
From Print to Presence
My career began at Zinka, where I designed Print and Digital Media—ranging from magazine adverts and packaging to their website.
This experience set the stage for a decade-long journey, during which I collaborated with an incredibly diverse range of industries and talents, including directors such as PYTKA, who created the IBM Watson and numerous Superbowl ads, healthcare providers such as Access Healthcare Associates, non-profits, Ad Agencies, artists, politicians, night clubs, and restaurants.
In my mid-20s, I became fascinated with VR, captivated by its strange yet profound sense of presence. Venturing deeper into how that sense of presence could build empathy, I learned Unreal Engine, Unity, C++, and C#.
Designing experiences in an immersive, non-physical 3D space expanded my perspective on how we interact with systems in our environment.
Empathy & Insight
Understanding Human Interaction
Making sense of human interaction and our nature has always been a central theme in my life. Since high school, practicing Chinese and Japanese martial arts has given me a deep understanding of the relationship between our body, mind, and the externalization of our intentions.
Later, in my 20s, my desire to explore the many ways we navigate and resolve conflict drove me to study non-violent conflict resolution, sociology, and psychology. I immersed myself in various mediation trainings, growing my skills in empathy and communication.
Soon after, I began mediating at a juvenile restorative justice program, giving kids an alternative to courtroom justice through building empathy between them and those they offended.
This experience enriched my perspective on human connection and reinforced the importance of empathy in all aspects of life, including design. It reinforced my belief that the best solutions begin with a deep understanding of people and their needs.
Systems & Solutions
Navigating Complexity and Embracing Friction
In recent years, I began providing IT services. My responsibilities ranged from building and managing computers and network systems to resolving various technical issues.
What emerged from this experience was a better understanding of how people interact with complex systems and a broader perspective on the nature of conflict.
Friction is inevitable, be it physical or emotional, between people, ourselves, our environment, or the systems we interact with. Our approach to resolving the problems arising from this friction determines what we learn and how we grow, in business and life.
Expression & Creation
A Lifelong Journey of Artistic Exploration
I always loved to create and design. I'm grateful to have been surrounded by talented artists and musicians who encouraged me to embrace creativity from a young age.
That environment had a profound impact on shaping my approach to problem-solving in life and as a designer. Specifically, it taught me to embrace failure as an opportunity for growth. Through trying out new ideas and letting go of what didn't work, you'll discover that magic moment when you know you've got it right.
My enthusiasm for learning new technologies and my creativity to explore new ideas has recently led to creating AI art and 3D-printed Sculptures.
The sculptures, called Kodama, are inspired by tree spirits from Japanese Folklore. I design them in Blender, 3D Print, paint them myself, and collaborate with other artists. These collaborations lead to unique and exciting pieces while still sharing a commonality.
The AI artwork I've been creating consists of hyper-realistic portraits of mystical creatures in human form. There's something magical to being able to manifest an idea through words and iterate on it instantly.
Focus & Direction
I'm eager to collaborate on larger projects and look forward to working with a team where we can build something exceptional.