Graphic Designer.
Production Artist.
Photographer.
Illustrator.
Creative Consultant.
Artist.
Communication Designer.
Copy Writer.
Presentation Designer.
Over the course of my two decade career working in the world of design I've had to wear many hats. Respond to many titles, on many teams. I've had roles in production that were familiar and fit neatly within my skill-set, and I've had positions that felt completely foreign. Regardless, I would with faith in the process, myself, and my peers, find the wiliness and creative solutions necessary to still execute with the flawless precision my work ethic demands.
Over my career...from my very first job as a prop maker on an indie movie, to the juggernaut agencies I have had the great privilege of working with for the last two decades, a set of qualities has emerged from the darkness of that self-doubt that eats at the confidence of all designers.
They are the value I add to each production,
they shape the solutions to the problems my
teams face. They define my strengths.
One is willingness. Willingness to wrestle good design from PowerPoint and other presentation software when other designers are often less inclined, showing these programs to be on par with any of the more flexible and robust programs often used for layout, like InDesign or Illustrator. Willingness to fail in order to learn. Willingness to adapt in the face of a changing design landscape.
One is creative problem solving. Finding solutions to problems that often surface in the final stages of production...on-the-fly solutions in tight crunches. Having a perspective honed over time, that gives me a unique perspective that can help me see answers where a teammate might have not.
One is remaining constantly curious. Fearless in the face of change and uncertainty. Open to new ideas and novelty, and malleable enough to change as the project demands, and along with the landscape of our trade.
I began my career teaching art at a Catholic school in Baton Rouge. Without question one of the most gratifying jobs I've had in hindsight, at the time I longed for something more. Not long after leaving that school, I landed a contract design job laying out and fabricating props for an indie film shot in Baton Rouge. Once wrapped, my calling was clearer than crystal. Finding work after the movie was a challenge but I was young and willing to work almost anywhere that would let me exercise the right side of my brain. That turned into a two year stint working at a small sign shop not far from the halls I'd studied design in at LSU. Not quite sure how to move my nascent career trajectory up, I decided to head west.
The design opportunities of a larger market, social acceptance, and a burning desire to find my place in the world were chords in the siren song that lead me to San Francisco.
Within a week I began my career in earnest, initially freelancing, but soon signing on full time, at a then small, visionary firm going by Stone Yamashita Partners. I knew them from the legendary logo design they'd done for the HRC, and though I never felt like I deserved the seat I had at that table, I worked tirelessly to be near the energy and optimism that radiated through each of my early cohorts. Over nearly 15 years I followed them through countless cities, 3 offices, two states, and a million adventures.
At SYP I was privileged to work on teams who collaborated with leaders in the c-suite of the
most recognizable brands in the world.
Apple. IBM. Gap. Coca-Cola. Starbucks.
I traveled the world helping our clients solve problems with design thinking.
We built experiences in small board rooms.
We transformed massive conference spaces around the country into curated experiences with immersive environments and curriculums catered to the problems and possibilities at hand.
When I love what I do, my perception of time distorts. One day I was a man in my mid 20's, and suddenly I was 40. My gut said if I was ever going to leap out of the cradle and see what opportunities lay beyond SYPartners, that time was then.
Mid-life cliche's abounded. I wanted to paint my masterpiece still. Freelancing seemed to pose the possibility of paying my rising rent in San Francisco while giving me the time to focus on my first love, art. Painting and photography.
So at 40 I decided to jump out of the nest and
see what lay beyond the safety of my professional home at SYPartners. The feeling was not unlike the one I had when I’d taken my first bet on myself 20 years prior after packing my life into my car and driving westward to seek my fortune far across an unfamiliar country and what then was my home.
The life of a freelance creative can be turbulent, but I've been lucky to navigate the differences and disruptions that came along by having a small but dependable stable of partner agencies: KYU holdings sister company and kindred agency IDEO, SYP-alumni founded IDW in Oakland, and in key moments, SYP as well.
Currently while working remotely with clients both new and old, I've started the hunt for a new full-time or part-time creative home.
This is my story. How can I help you tell yours?