Ever since I was little I have always had need to exercise my creative outlet. I signed up for as many art classes as possible in high school and took drawing and painting classes in my spare time. I was always drawing, creating games, and building 3D objects with paper and glue. I knew I wanted to have a career in the arts, but wasn't sure which medium I would go with. In my junior year of high school, I went half-day to a tech program. One of the classes I took was for graphic design, using the Adobe Creative Suite. I didn't know it then, but that was the start of what would become my career path in life.

After graduation, I moved to Boston and attended classes at the New England Institute of Art. I received an excellent education and was taught heavily on the technical side of Graphic Design, learning the ins and outs of the Adobe Creative Suite. After four years I graduated with a Bachelor Degree of Science in Graphic Design and moved to the small town of Plymouth, NH. Almost immediately I got a job at a print shop, where I stayed for about 5 years, eventually being promoted to Senior Graphic Designer.

I never knew how much I could love the art of print design. Of course, there is the creative aspect of it all, but it's the technical side that I love the most. In my position, I learned a lot about print production. Besides the artistic component, you have to understand the equipment that will be used to produce the finished product. You have to figure out the best, most economical way, to print each project. It can be a challenge, but it is so very satisfying when you get it right.

In the summer of 2015, I married my husband and we decided it was time for a change of location. We had always wanted to live on the West Coast, so we drove across country on one of the most amazing trips of my life. After about a month, we settled into South Lake Tahoe, CA. If you have never been, GO. The natural beauty of the lake and surrounding landscape cannot be described in words.

About two weeks in, I landed a job at a local sign shop: Dollar Signs & Graphics. Although the job entailed many of the same elements of my previous job (graphic design and print production) that was only about a small fraction of what I did. I was promoted within the first 6 months to Manager. My duties included project management, scheduling, ordering supplies, job estimates and collecting payments, hands on experience in production and installations, and permitting large monument and building signs.

I stayed in that position for almost 6 years, until my husband and I decided it was time to move back to the East Coast; the place where we were born and raised. Whether it be working at another local print shop or finding remote work, I am eager to see where my career path will take me next.