sorry for the terrible photo. Focus on the lovely tee.

My very exciting story, begins at the beginning. Not of time, just my life.

My mum often says, “You were born with a pencil in your hand!”. I can’t call her a fibber, but that would have been the strangest birth and I am sure the midwife would have reported it to the press if it was true. And rightfully so!

After spending many toddler years doodling on the walls of my home, I went to school, drew lots more pictures and loved it. I enjoyed how happy art made me and others. Because of this, it made me want to be an artist when I grew up. Or rather a creative human.

I studied hard at my local college, achieved an OND in Graphic Design and set off on my new career journey as a Graphic Designer. I was determined to be the best designer I could be and have the successful career I wanted. So, that’s what happened.

Disclaimer: Well … not really. I was young and I struggled in  my early life and career. I was easily distracted. Found it difficult to fit in and It wasn’t until I was 43 that I found my creative groove.

Now, 20 plus years later, I have the same number of years experience in Graphic Design behind me. I have created/designed everything from stickers to full ecommerce websites.

In 1993, as the internet began to grow and be part of everyone’s life, my passion for all things webby and cody began to grow. I swiftly transitioned from Graphic Design to Web Designer/Developer and began a 10 year love affair with code.

There was something missing from my creative world … I still had the same passion to draw, create characters, write stories and invent worlds, that I had when I was five years old. I knew I want to be part of something more emotionally engaging and would leave a lasting positive legacy to future generations to enjoy. So the tough decision to take a break from my career was made. I wanted to become a more informed creative.

In 2017 I completed an Illustration and Concept Art course where I majored in children’s book illustration and character development. I would like to take this opportunity to show off a little by saying that I have achieved a First Class honours degree, which I am extremely proud of. Not because I gained a degree, but because I survived a complete mental breakdown and still achieved something, I always thought I was capable of.

The last course project I worked on was; “The re-imagining of Around the world in 80 days by Jules Verne” . It gave me a glimpse into what it would be like to be a character designer and storyteller. From a blank piece of paper, so many amazing magical things can be created.

There isn’t anything else I would want to do, than use my new appreciation of being a creative and my past experience, to create visually inspiring characters and stories for others to enjoy.