Duration: Approximately four years as an illustrator and designer.

Location: Brooklyn, New York.

Education: BFA in design and MFA in designer as author + entrepreneur at the School of Visual Arts, New York.

Career path: I discovered design in a purely digital world. I grew up creating collage art for websites I coded—since then, I have unwisely fallen off the coding wagon. Around the end of my BFA program, I began exploring how to use my hands as tools, rather than the mouse—using my hands enabled free-form thinking, which had often eluded me when I worked on the computer. Though a purely psychological reaction at first, my work has evolved to be less about communication and design and more about feeling and heart.

Cultural influences: Dance, music and poetry.

Favorite project: My first piece for the New York Times Book Review, for art director Matt Dorfman, opened up the world of commissioned art. My piece was created during a personally difficult time, so it became a reminder to always be creating, no matter how limited or paralyzed you might feel.

Work environment: I like to keep my personal studio, which is also my home, comfortable and light. I have an archive of organized chaos that I’ll refresh when I need to be inspired. In my active mode, I have baskets of magazines and a mess on my desk. In my passive mode, I have a clean desk. I also have a cat that makes a mess in every mode.

Approach: It’s my hand and my voice that interact with the content—and especially the emotion.

Aspirations: To still be making!

Philosophy: Stand behind integrity.