Actually, a skateboarder turned musician turned photographer that is now a UX Designer, who also managed an Ecommerce Studio for a Fortune 500 company for 5 years, after a 15 year detour as a bartender. How did I end up switching to UX Design? I thought you might ask. Turns out that each turn in my life taught me skills that directly correlate to areas of user centered design.

Skating taught me that you’ll fail (or fall) a lot and that it's essential to learning. Collaborating in bands helped me check my ego at the door and recognize that sometimes you have to let things go in order to benefit the whole. Photography not only gave me an eye for composition and lighting, but also problem solving skills and an understanding of time constraints and working under pressure. Bartending taught me how to mix varying components into something new, while keeping flavor profiles clear and distinct. 

Those skill sets set me up for managing a team of 20+ photographers, retouchers, copywriters and warehouse personnel, which is where I learned one of the most important aspects of UX Design, empathy. My team wouldn’t have been able to get 1,000’s of products live on the site every week if I didn’t take the time to research processes, understand individual pain points and enact solutions that fit my worker’s needs.

Empathize - Define - Design - Test - Repeat

I wasn’t aware of it, but my past endeavors were guiding me to a career in UX Design. And now, I’m hoping to share these skills to help you design products that elevate the user experience and strengthen your brand. 

Let's talk.