Nice to meet you.
There’s a certain pressure that comes with writing your own About section. Be a little funny. Be professional and impressive. Don’t use too many exclamation points. Leave a lasting impression. So as this cursor keeps blinking back at me and I try to think of something clever to say, it all comes down to this: I love all things creative.
My mother fostered a wildly creative environment for my siblings and me. She homeschooled us for a few years and brought us along to fabric stores, design shops, museums, homeless shelters, and food pantries. She taught us to be colorists, entrepreneurs, and designers. More importantly, she taught us compassion, empathy, awareness, and kindness. Whether I was making home movies in the backyard, renovating yet another dollhouse, or cooking dinner for people in need, I was always creating something. Creativity still follows me everywhere I go.
My career began at Sardis Media (now Ansera), a creative live event production company, where I worked as a production designer and art director on a wide range of corporate and creative projects, while also taking on freelance work. From there, I moved into graphic design, motion graphics, and video editing. In 2020, I stepped into project management and post-production supervision, and soon after, became head of the department, Sardis Creative.
Leading Sardis Creative, I was given the freedom to run the department as if it were my own business. I learned leadership, team development, budgeting, financial tracking, proposals, pitching creative, and so much more. Working in both creative and management roles shaped my core strengths: problem solving, future thinking, and empathy.
In early 2023, I moved into a company-wide role as Director of People & Culture, where I was responsible for processes and structure across Sardis Media, as well as the health and happiness of our culture.
Most recently, I worked for Novo Mere, a wellness and community destination for mothers on Chicago’s North Shore, and served as its Chief Marketing Officer. I named the brand (novo: to make new; mere: mother), designed its identity, and wrote its brand guidelines, then led every part of how it showed up in the world: voice and messaging, website, email, social, and launch strategy. In our first season, I designed, wrote, and printed a 64-page editorial magazine, the Novo Mere Summer Journal, marketed a retreat for mothers at Elawa Farm, ran weekly campaigns for our farmers market, and built the investor materials and membership framework for our flagship location. Building a brand from nothing was the fullest expression of what I love to do: telling a story clearly and beautifully, and making every detail feel authentic.
What the future holds is anyone’s guess, but one thing is certain: I will always be creating.