About me
I’ve done graphic design as my paid work since 2006, but I’ve been a designer for a lot longer than that.
As a child, I would rearrange the posters and photos on my walls in careful layouts, aligning edges and creating groupings. I was introduced to Pagemaker in my early teens, and quickly became intrigued with page layout. I began volunteering as newsletter editor for several nonprofits at age 14 (back when the printed paper newsletter was a vital, ubiquitous form of communication).
In my late teens, I transferred those skills to the world of the small-town newspaper, where I worked for the next seven years. I honed my skill against unmovable press deadlines, the constraints of tiny black-and-white advertisements, and the neat consistency of newspaper layout. I then spent five years as the communications person for a small nonprofit, where I was a storyteller of all trades — writer, editor, photographer, and designer rolled into one.
My experience has given me speed and efficiency, creativity within constraint, and an eye for perfect detail. I am attuned to language consistency, punctuation, and logical organization of text. I know what it’s like to be the lone storyteller or communications person or writer in your organization or business, and I know that you probably wear several other hats as well.
Graphic design is work that I love to do. It’s all about creating beauty through organization, telling a story with more than words — and supporting clients who are doing good work in the world.
Some other neat stuff I like that you are also welcome to talk to me about:
Contra dancing. I help organize the Montpelier contra dance, and I also call for contra dances. (For booking inquiries, please contact me via this email address.)
Learning and sharing skills. I help organize Epic Skill Swap, a weekend festival focused on skill sharing and community building.
Governance and home ownership. I serve on the board of my low-income condo association in downtown Montpelier, with 18 owners and six historic buildings.
Singing. I sing in the Montpelier Community Gospel Choir, and co-facilitate the Northern Lights singing circle for women and non-binary folks.
Climate justice. Direct action in community brings together my simultaneous love and grief for our planet and gives it power. I am currently working on No Coal No Gas, a campaign to shut down the coal-burning Merrimack Generating Station in Bow, NH.
Hiking. I am at home in the mountains and scrambling on rocks, and I am working on completing my Long Trail end-to-end hike.
Animal friends. I live with Sappho, an elderly cat who loves to sit on the porch all day, and Petra, a young rescue dog who is made out of rubber bands and a desire to snuggle.