When approaching any new endeavor or project, I try my best to pivot from my values:
 

• Purpose

• Contribution

• Social Connection

• Beauty

• Environment

• Family

• Fun

• Adventure

• Creativity

• Intuition
   

Whether it's for a nonprofit, a small business, or a fellow artist, I have a knack for custom-crafted designs for people and places that are spreading a little light and beauty in this world.

My design training began in 1999 at a vocational high school. I thought it was super cool that, at age 15, I got to design an awesome little art shop’s logo. It felt amazing to do something that supported artists in my community in such a tangible way. Fast forward 25 years later—I'm still as excited as I ever was to partner with people in realizing their aesthetic and vision.

​

With over 15 years of experience in the nonprofit industry in program management and fundraising, I brought my passion for good design into newsletters, annual reports, and other communications before venturing on my own as a freelance designer and marketer. 

 

I’m a detail-oriented artist, inspired by intelligent design in nature. Think cell structure, slime molds, diatoms, or the way water veins across a landscape. I’m drawn to bold contrasts—the interplay of natural hues and colors that pop.

 

Some other fun things about me:

 

I crossed the Indian Ocean in 2010 aboard a 36-foot sailing vessel and apprenticed with a silversmith in Kathmandu.

 

In 2017, I embarked on an 18-month family sailing adventure with my partner and toddler, from British Columbia to the Sea of Cortez in Mexico.

 

You'll find me in coral red lipstick, a lot. Even while I’m on a hike or sailing the open seas.

 

I have a special love for handicrafts, from textiles to metalsmithing, and I own another business, Elise + Co Jewelry, where I design and create nautical and botanical-inspired jewelry. 

 

Interesting in honing on our values? I highly recommend The Live Your Values Deck, by Lisa Congden and Andreea Niculescu