I’m currently an associate director of experience design, which is a role I never anticipated having. But I’m not exactly surprised that I ended up here. Because when you graduate with a degree in magazine journalism right as the entire industry is up-ended, you quickly learn to get creative.

So I did just that, cutting my teeth as a writer and editor for small businesses before joining a startup that would soon boast the largest editorial department in the country. Groupon was a crash course in thinking fast and moving faster. When asked to pull double duty as an art director, I reflexively said yes—and fell in love with a whole new discipline.

This led to an opportunity at Trunk Club, a men’s styling service that had just been acquired by Nordstrom. They were expanding into women’s styling and needed a dedicated team to roll out creative strategy and campaigns. I helped build that team from the ground up, hiring and supporting an exceptional group of writers, designers, stylists, photographers, and producers. In addition to overseeing copy and design deliverables, I directed shoots almost daily, from small projects in our in-house studio to large-scale productions on location around the country.

During the pandemic, I freelanced while going to design school. That’s how I landed in experience design. While the agency and XD worlds are still relatively new to me, my multi-disciplinary experience gives me the perspective and confidence to make exceptional work for iconic brands. I’ve supported integral brand moments from the launch of Coke’s app, +one, to the ongoing redesign of Intel.com to the application of Hyatt’s rebrand to digital environments.

Lateral moves? Never heard of ‘em. Every new opportunity I’ve taken has been an expansion of my job description and skill set. My brain thinks holistically, whether I’m supporting multiple disciplines or not. So even if I’m working within a single channel, you can be sure I’m thinking about the bigger picture.