I never wanted to be a graphic designer.

I come from the world of art, and as a visual artist, I was always more struck by material rather than the specific medium. The feel of paint. The rough chalkiness of charcoal. Shaping clay. Moving about in performance. I was so attached to those sensations that I didn't see the appeal of graphic design. Suddenly I was removed from the material, missing that physical connection I had correlated with the joy of artmaking.

Then I lied my way into my first design job.

Back when I was a grant-writing intern, bored of paper pushing, I got an opportunity to do graphic design because our new Communications Director assumed I knew how (since I was an art major). I claimed I could and immediately enrolled in a class to learn the skills.

That class was eye-opening. I finally understood how I could make art for my career, how working with digital media could bring about the same joy I felt when experiencing physical materials.

Print design was my first translation. Posters, brochures, newsletters, flyers. I took what I'd learned in 2D Design, Printmaking, and Monotype and applied it to convey information, commemorate events, and reach audiences. My printing presses became multifunction laser printers, plotters, and digital presses. I got lost in the art of typography, immersing myself in the history of typefaces, the importance of kerning, leading, and tracking. Although I was creating digitally, there was still a physical output. I was still getting that tactile feedback I craved.

Web design changed that. No longer was there any physical translation. Nothing to hang, hand, or feel. But what I discovered was something else entirely: the interactivity—the way users move through digital spaces—became its own kind of material to shape. That shift opened up everything.

From there, my path kept expanding. Government work introduced me to new mediums. Freelancing brought clients from solo entrepreneurs to major companies. The nonprofit world pushed me beyond designing into curating experiences, creating content, and building curricula. Every challenge added another tool, another perspective.

These days, I'm running Vuvzkara while consulting on multidisciplinary design projects across government and private sectors. This blend keeps the work fresh, bringing an artistic eye to everything from print pieces that command attention to digital experiences that feel intuitive.