Designing for the human on the other side
I’m a design leader based in Brooklyn. For the past decade I’ve worked with companies like Verizon and American Eagle, mostly trying to make complicated things feel simple. A lot of what helps me do that, I learned away from a desk.
The Stage & Studio
I'm a songwriter and producer, and I play gigs and open mics around NYC whenever I get the chance. Performing live is a weird, humbling thing. You get completely unfiltered feedback from a room full of people who aren't going to lie to you about it. You figure out fast what's landing and what isn't, and you adjust mid-song.
Production is the quieter side of the same coin. Taking a voice memo and building it into a full arrangement means making a thousand small calls about what belongs and what doesn't. I've probably learned more about editing from music than from anything else.
Film Photography
I shoot on 35mm film. Partly because I love how it looks, but mostly because it forces me to slow down. You get 36 frames, maybe fewer, and there's no preview, no delete button. You have to think before you shoot, or you burn the frame.
Most of my rolls end up being city stuff. Strangers on the subway, weird light on a building, something I've walked past a hundred times and finally actually noticed. It's a good reminder that paying attention is a skill you have to keep practicing.
