So...what do you actually do?
I create the key visuals campaigns are built around, from concept to completion.
Are you an Art Director or a Digital Artist?
Yes.
I'm a better Art Director because I know exactly what it takes to make an idea real.
I'm a better Digital Artist because I understand why the idea matters in the first place.
How long have you been doing this?
15 years. Two agencies. Seven job titles. One brief freelance chapter.
I've worked my way from Junior Production Artist to Senior Art Director, picking up retouching, compositing, design, concept development, mechanical production, versioning, and creative leadership along the way.
My move into Art Direction coincided with the rise of AI. Initially, it freaked me out so I thought I had to pivot, but it's given me a unique opportunity to help shape how new tools fit into a modern creative workflow.
Speaking of, What's your take on AI?
I'm up to speed on where AI fits into professional creative work and where it doesn't.
I've helped educate my creative team on emerging AI workflows and continue to explore new tools as they evolve, but I don't see AI as a replacement for creative thinking or craftsmanship.
When it makes sense, it can be an effective way to explore ideas, prototype concepts, or help clients achieve a photographic look when the budget doesn't support a custom shoot. But when the work calls for photography, illustration, compositing, or retouching, that's still the work I prefer to create the old fashioned way.
What are you doing when you're not working?
Family first, always, and prioritizing my own wellbeing. But when I do have time to create for myself, you'll usually find me designing alternative movie and TV posters.
It started as a creative test back in 2019. I wanted to see if I could catch a social buzz in realtime in a way that I had seen other designers do. A new trailer for Handmade's Tale had come out and that same day, I made 3 posters to promote the show. It was successfully shared on a bunch of other social channels. A week or so later, I did it again for the movie Shazam! After that, I realized the value in creating such work and it became something more. It's where I get to practice the full craft, from concept and typography to compositing and finishing, with no client, no brief, and no safety net. Every poster is an excuse to keep learning and bettering myself.