Image Alumni ’05 Education BFA in Advertising Design Current Career Art Director; Senior Graphic Designer at e10 Location Minneapolis, Minnesota In a couple sentences, describe what you do for work and how you feel about it. I'm an art director/senior graphic designer. I work at a small creative agency called e10 downtown Minneapolis in the now lively North Loop with some great people! Our specialties are strategy, brand development, advertising, and design. My favorite projects are when we get to start from scratch and really being able to oversee the project from beginning to end. What was your major and how did you choose it? Was it the right choice? I was majoring in graphic design when Nancy Rice had just come on to teach advertising, so I decided to switch and be a part of her guinea pig class. Yes, it was the right choice. I partially joined because I wanted more collaboration but it turned out to be more competition and real-world experience. Almost like an episode of Project Runway, we had clients and they would pick their favorite designs. Who was your favorite teacher and why? Jan Jancourt. Okay, imagine sitting in a critique one day. He walks up to someone's piece and goes, "Was this person on LSD?" Really, he was a tough teacher and he made me push myself harder just because I wanted to get a good critique. Tell us about your internship. At that time in my life, I needed to work. I was doing some creative temping at the time and was able to find a place that was willing to do the paperwork and hire me and call it an internship. It was a non-profit too, so I got to see what that was like on top of working with their marketing department. Name your one biggest takeaway from MCAD? I loved the 3D Shop. I ended up taking a furniture design class against my advisor's advice, but it was the best time ever. I wanted to learn to use all of the machines and loved welding. Something even now that I'm trying to reintroduce back into my life. What inspires you/your work? Everyday life. I feel I'm very intuitive, I see everything. I often use it as an excuse for why I smile so much . . . because I see everything. Especially things that the person wondering why I'm smiling didn't see or missed. To be able to capture those things—the subtle way the wind blows—pushes me to try new ways to show the world what I see through words or drawings. And hopefully, it will make them smile or cry, evoke an emotion. Something! What advice do you have for current MCAD students? Try everything; you never know where your passion will lie. Even if it means going to the dark side. Sometimes that's just who you are. Current obsession? Wooden spoons. Facebook Instagram LinkedIn