Art has been a part of me and my family for my entire life. As a child whose parents are both deeply affiliated with the art industry, in one way or another, I have always found myself to be a creative person through the hobbies and interests that I associated myself with.

Studying graphic design at Suffolk University became a jumping off point in my realization of what I wanted to get out of the pieces of work that I have been creating. I honestly felt that I had no design direction as well as no ambition to really develop a style within my pieces. This was, up until I decided to study abroad at Regent’s University in London during my Fall semester of Junior year in 2012. As a person who has never left the East Coast of America, traveling to a completely foreign land was exactly the thing that I needed, both as an person and as a designer. Being introduced into this area really opened my eyes to what was out there in the world and just how massive it really is. Because I took a photojournalism course at the host university, I had access to a really nice DSLR camera for the first time. This camera really became a part of me as I studied in London through those 4 months. I not only documented my own experiences for personal memories, but took photos as a form of self-expression and it was almost therapy for me in a way.

The art of photography really helped me pull a direction in my graphic design pieces back at Suffolk University as I try to art direct my own photography within all my design pieces to add another personal creative element to that whole process. Discovering this passion in photography helped push my graphic design pieces to a whole new level, in my eyes, as well as nurtured a new form of self-expression for myself.