I’m a professional writer and artist committed to achieving ever-more unreasonable creative goals through disciplined craft, focused curiosity, and a naturally unrelenting joy.
A creative who gets sh*t done
Pisces sun, Taurus moon, Capricorn rising — if you’re into that kind of thing.
Translation: Big heart with a dreamy creative disposition grounded in reality. I think big and take ideas to a level that might feel weird at first but makes so much sense by the time we’re done. Just hang on and enjoy the ride with me. And I do what I say I’m going to do. Follow-through is kind of my thing.
I have a workhorse-style work ethic forged while growing up on a dairy farm. (If you hire a former farm kid in a job, any job, they will always execute. Count on it.) I’m also very easy to work with and love creative collaboration across disciplines and departments. On that note, I am pro-Oxford comma but don’t really care and will follow your style guide without complaint.
See also: DISC profile = CSI (conscientious, steady, influential); Myers Briggs personality type = INFP (~the mediator~); Harry Potter house = Ravenclaw (smart but also probably definitely smoked cigarettes in high school).
I grew up in Marion, Ohio. Got a journalism degree from Kent State University. Worked as a reporter in Columbus, Ohio, for a while before eventually moving on to marketing and then Chicago, where I lived for six years. Today I live in Cleveland with my super cute family (one hot husband, one adorable kid, two ridiculous cats).
My deciding factor for buying the 110-year-old house we live in was that it was within walking distance of not one but *two* libraries, which I think says a lot about me and also what I would like as a Christmas gift this year/ every year: books.
Writing is my sweet spot
I’ve worked as a professional writer and creative leader since 2008, after graduating from Kent State University with an honor’s degree in Magazine Journalism.
I’ve written about art, education, technology, and business for nearly two decades.
My professional writing has won awards that I like to humble brag about. I’ve been recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists and the Press Club of Cleveland’s Excellence in Journalism Awards, including Best in Ohio: Freelance Writer for my portfolio of work in 2014. And in 2020 I was a creative nonfiction finalist in Midwest Review’s Great Midwest Writing Contest.
In my marketing career, I’ve led content and creative teams (love designers… love ’em!) and crafted compelling messaging across various industries for agencies and organizations in Chicago, San Francisco, Columbus, and New York. My work includes spearheading content strategy and copywriting for high-profile projects, such as serving as the lead digital content strategist and writer for Lenovo Late Night IT Season 2. My leadership and creativity have been recognized with prestigious professional advertising award-givers, which I also like to humble brag about, including multiple Telly Awards and American Advertising Federation Addy Awards, which celebrate achievements in copywriting, creative writing, and content development.
My creative nonfiction has been published in books by Rustbelt Publishing and Reedy Press, as well as numerous news and creative media outlets including Chicago Magazine, Bitch Magazine, Intima Journal of Narrative Medicine, and The Columbus Dispatch, among others.
Artmaking is my home base
My art practice includes embroidery, painting, and mixed media collage. My visual art has been exhibited in solo and group shows at Slate Arts Gallery, Fulton Street Collective, and The Latent Space Gallery in Chicago, as well as Hubbell Street Galleries in San Francisco and Valley Art Center and Feinberg Art Gallery in Cleveland, Ohio. My art has also been published in Uppercase magazine and Lover’s Eye Press, among others.
