As a child, sitting in an art classroom; there I sat with no particular expectations of my life. One afternoon, my art teacher took me to the side to speak with me about how I have a natural ability to draw. He said to me: “If you want to make money in art, you need to be a graphic designer.” I had no idea what that meant exactly as a 12-year-old in 7th grade, but I was intrigued, to say the least. 

I took his words to heart throughout high school when I signed up for art classes every semester. In addition to drawing and painting, I learned how to type and took photography. Do you remember the days of the floppy disks and typing on bulky typewriters? My photography class was in the days before digital cameras. I shot photos of mostly nature and developed them in a dark room. I won a Finalist certificate from a college-level photography contest held by the Photographer’s Forum Magazine in 1996. 

Next, I obtained a diploma in Advanced Office Technologies immediately after high school graduation. I was a Journalist for the Student Government Association that gave me experience in interviewing and writing articles along with setting up the layout of the school’s Newsletter. Soon after graduation, I found a well-paying job to support myself through an art college part-time. 

In 1998 a friend referred me to an entry-level Assistant Graphic Designer position available at her work. I was hired based on my high school art portfolio and was given a stack of tutorial books for Photoshop, Quark, Corel Draw, and Illustrator using a Macintosh computer. As I went through every exercise, my boss also taught me the importance of speed and accuracy. After a year, I was able to find a job through a staffing agency to work as a Graphic Artist for a boutique ad agency in Atlanta, GA.