Over 20 years of Graphic Design and I still love it!

I’ve been a graphic designer for over 20 years, and somehow, I still wake up excited to create.

Design has never felt like “just a job” to me. It’s been a constant companion—shaping the way I see the world, how I solve problems, and how I tell stories. From early sketches to polished final pieces, I’ve always loved the process just as much as the finished result.

Earlier in my career, I had the opportunity to teach graphic design, which remains one of the most meaningful chapters of my journey. Guiding young designers, watching ideas click, and helping students realize their creative potential was incredibly rewarding. There’s something powerful about inspiring curiosity and confidence in someone who’s just beginning to find their voice. Teaching reminded me why I fell in love with design in the first place.

Professionally, I’ve been fortunate to work on a wide range of projects, including designing for video games through work connected with Sony PlayStation. Being part of that world—where storytelling, interaction, and visual impact collide—was exhilarating. Designing for games challenged me creatively and technically, and it pushed me to think beyond static visuals into immersive experiences. It’s work I’m deeply proud of and still genuinely excited about.

Alongside client and studio work, personal projects have always been essential to me. They’re where I experiment, play, and create without limits. These projects keep my creativity sharp and my passion alive, reminding me that design doesn’t have to be perfect to be meaningful—it just has to be honest.

Now, after decades of experience, I find myself looking toward the future with the same excitement I had at the beginning. I hope to continue growing, creating, and eventually thriving in my own business—building something that reflects not just my skills, but my values, curiosity, and love for design.

Twenty-plus years in, and I can say this with confidence: I still love what I do. And I can’t wait to see where it takes me next.

Here are some of my favorite pieces...

Nightmare Before Christmas Tray

 Have you ever done one of those diamond art pictures? You know, where you place individual tiny jewels on a sticky mat to create a picture? They are fun to do but they take forever. And then when you are done what are you supposed to do with them? Well, I decided to buy a simple black tray from amazon. I trimmed away the excess sticky paper to fit the tray and then I poured resin over the top. Permanently preserved and now has a use. It turned out great and I'm so glad I did it. 

Nightmare Before Christmas Matching Shirts

 I recently went to the Oogie Boogie Halloween Party at Disneyland and wanted matching shirts to wear for me and my boyfriend. I love Nightmare before Christmas so of course I had to do Jack Skellington. I just got black t-shirts and used a stencil I cut from my silhouette machine. Then I just used bleach. They came out awesome! I would just caution to not use too much bleach or it will eat holes in the shirt. I ended up doing a painted version.

Oogie Boogie shoulder bag

 Have you ever been to the Halloween Oogie Boogie Bash at Disneyland? Well technically it takes place at California Adventure. Anyway, it is a lot of fun! My boyfriend and I dressed up as Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin. We got so many compliments and we had the best time. I have found that a small shoulder bag is a great item to bring when doing a Disneyland trip. You can keep a wallet and keys, hand sanitizer and snacks in there. I found this greenish bag at target and immediately saw potential to transform it into a themed Oogie Boogie bag. So here is the before and after. I had bought boogie boogie dice and didnt want to ruin them by putting in a screw so I made a mold and cast some new ones. It was a simple little project. Just mostly sewed some stitching along the edges. Made the dice keychains and ironed on the boogie boogie patch. 

Wicked Witch Makeup

 This year we settled on doing this witch makeup. I think it turned out pretty good. She's mean and green and has quite the snarl and hairy warts. Her eyes are dead as if she's ready to cast a spell on you. One can only wonder how many children she's ate. 

 Mummy Makeup

We finally got around to doing a makeup this halloween season. We usually start by searching the internet for inspiration. Mainly pins on Pinterest. We came across this one that we loved. We loved the cartoon style and the bright colors. I had some wigs I got and we knew this would be a fun one. We were short on time but it came together pretty quickly. 

Vampire Silhouette T-shirt

 I saw this vampire design online somewhere but they were sold out. So I decided to make my own. I modified the image slightly and made some adjustments. Mainly his body in a more creeping stance and his arms too. I really love him. I decided to turn them into T-shirts. I cut out a stencil on my vinyl cutting machine and then just used acrylic paint to fill it in. Then I've always wanted to do a bleach design and thought this might be a good opportunity. So I went for it. I love how it turned out.