An unconventional path to creative leadership.
I can develop meaningful moments because I understand how people move through them—and how those moments actually get made.
My path was not the traditional production artist to lead designer to art director trajectory. I came through signage, live events, creative management and teaching. That gives me a practical view of creative direction: the concept matters, but so do the wall, the material, the schedule, the budget, the labor plan and the person walking into the space.
Nearly unshakable calm
I bring a Midwestern work ethic, an efficiency-first approach to delivery and a knowledge base built for onsite problem solving. When conditions change, I tend to get quieter and more focused rather than louder.
How I lead
Designers
I act as the liaison between client intent and the internal creative team: here's what they're looking for, here's what I know about the environment, and here's how I think we can accomplish it. If the designer has the stronger answer, we use it. I push when experience tells me the solution will not work for the client, the space or the final result.
Production + Install
I came from labor jobs, so I do not approach crews with a management-versus-labor mentality. I am direct about the hard issues and what the client will notice, ask what the team needs, then let experienced people deliver.
Clients
If something will not work, I will say so. If it is not in the budget, I will find something that is. Long-term clients have learned to trust that directness, and some have used me as a sounding board to validate solutions beyond my own immediate scope.
Teaching
More than a decade teaching art, design, marketing, communications and management reinforced the same skills I use when directing junior designers: give context, critique the work clearly, explain why something matters, and leave enough room for someone else to develop the solution.
Maker mentality
The maker side does not stop at work. I build cars, fabricate things, and have taken the same professional capabilities I use in live environments and applied them to creating a tiki environment at home. Tiki combines design, storytelling, architecture and experience—which is probably why it fits.