I am originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan and currently reside in Washington, DC. I was on the field hockey team while at Wellesley, majored in Political Science, and graduated in 2009.
As a self employed artist, I wear many hats. I can trace the beginning of my career as an artist to five years ago, when I started my blog, My Closet in Sketches, on a lark in response to a creative drought. Now, I work primarily as a fashion illustrator and author, (my first book, 50 Ways to Wear a Scarf, came out in February 2014, and I am currently working on my next book, due in Fall 2016), in addition to acting as art teacher, stylist, closet consultant, and chalk artist, creating murals and menus for local DC shops, restaurants, and cafes.
How has your career changed since you originally envisioned it at Wellesley? What other careers did you consider as a student?
I would have been truly shocked at Wellesley if someone told me that this is what my career would look like. As a Political Science major, I applied to the Wellesley in Washington internship program for the summer after my junior year, and was crushed when I didn’t receive a position. I was fortunate, however, to be awarded a fellowship through the CWS American Cities Program – I worked as a television production assistant at Chicago Tonight. My favorite aspect of the job was the creative element of story writing, and I ended up taking a job as a Desk Assistant at the PBS Newshour in Washington DC upon graduation. I’ve now lived in DC for six years.
Truthfully, I had no idea what career I really wanted at Wellesley, and I think it’s important to acknowledge that here. I’ve held many, many positions professionally – in a variety of career paths – before becoming fully self employed, and each one of those, in their own unique way, gave me an important experience that informs what I do today. For instance, I worked as an Operations Manager at a small non-profit after my time at the PBS Newshour, and that taught me how to manage a business (in addition, this was when I began my blog, drawing in my free time after work). After that, I spent a year working in financial education, teaching financial literacy classes to a variety of people across DC. From that, I learned not only about money management but also how to speak in front of an audience.
I felt so much pressure my senior year at Wellesley to get the right job, but the thing I know now is that the job itself doesn’t really matter. It’s just an experience that you can parlay towards the path of discovering what you really want to do.
How has Wellesley contributed to your career?
At Wellesley I learned to recognize my value. This informs my life in myriad ways: from literally determining my financial worth when I’m quoting a client for a job, to knowing, if someone gives me a bad review, that my merit belongs in a deep acceptance of my true inner self and not the external opinions of others.
Also, playing field hockey at Wellesley showed me the importance of both playing hard and working hard. We all know Wellesley is difficult enough as it is, but I found that the student athletes tended to be the best at keeping priorities in line while still having a sense of perspective. Nothing was ever as stressful as it seemed, nothing was ever as terrible as it sounded, and everything was always, always, made better when we took time out to have fun. I think I can balance many pressures and responsibilities today because of my time at Wellesley.
What is a typical work day or work week like for you?
There is no typical work day for me! There are a few constants to my day, of course, that I’ve come to recognize as priorities for my well being: I start most mornings with meditation, and I always try to get some exercise in, whether it’s yoga, a swim, or a walk around the block. Beyond that, some days I may be on a ladder for 8 hours working on a chalk menu, or I could be elbow deep in sweaters while helping someone organize their closet. Since I’m working on my second book right now, I’m frequently reminded of cram sessions at Wellesley trying to finish a paper – I really learned how to efficiently eke out a paper in a short amount of time! Apologies to my professors…
What piece of advice would you offer students looking to get into your area of interest and expertise?
I know for a fact that my success as an artist is directly tied to the fact that I started out just doing it for fun. If you love it, you’d do it even if you weren’t getting paid. Hold onto that.
Also – be original. Don’t spend too much time paying attention to what other people are doing. I lose the clarity and originality of my ideas if I watch other artists or bloggers too much.
What do you wish you had known as a student?
That Wellesley is the most amazing place on earth! It was so easy to get wrapped up in the pressures of performing, getting good grades, finding an impressive internship, comparing yourself to everyone else’s accomplishments, etc. At the end of the day, Wellesley is the best thing that ever happened to me, and sometimes I wish I had been more present while I was on campus. Like, honestly – my room in Severance overlooking Lake Waban junior year? Heaven on earth.
Also, don’t stress about your major and how it will apply to your future. You chose a liberal arts school for a reason. I took a ton of classes about weapons and war strategy, which obviously have no bearing on my day-to-day life now, but I get a kick out of knowing there is a corner of my brain that is filled with knowledge on how, say, the invention of firearms changed warfare.
If you could come back and take one class at Wellesley what would it be?
All the studio art classes!