A new Job, and Labor Day Thanks

I don’t post much on this site. But on this Labo(u)r Day, I figure I’d write something work-related.

This is going to be one of those gratitude posts. One full of shout-outs and acknowledgements, some of which are well overdue. Perhaps I should be posting this more frequently, but, y’know, life is hectic and social media is weird lately.

Four months ago, I left my previous role and started a new position at a new company. It’s been a whirlwind summer, filled with emotions and observations and yearnings and, again, gratitude.

So, if you’ll bear with me for a moment, below are some overdue thanks to people who showed me network love and other work-related affection over these strange last years. In no particular order. …

Thanks to my closest pals in Design, Josh Miles and Nick Spriggs , who seem to always be in my corner and have, repeatedly, done those small things to help open doors for me. Thanks for letting me rant about fonts, and whatnot.

Thanks to those who helped me during my job search by offering portfolio and résumé reviews with wisdom for that bumpy road. Specifically, folks like Mike Joosse , Evelyn Vega , Kirsten Modestow , ?? Jamie Roberts , Stephen Gates , Bob Case , and Lindsay Kinkade all left me with plenty to ponder, in the best way.

I want to give a shout out to a small-but-specific group of folks who helped me network to begin an interview process, even though it didn’t work out in these specific cases. Those referrals are gold, and the worlds needs more of that. So thanks again to Sarah Gaugler , Natalie Cowan , Rusty Cook , Brent West , Kirsten Hill Anderson , Rebecca Foley , Frankie Margotta , Zachary Semke , and certainly a few more, for making those moves.

This may seem odd, but I appreciate some of the conversations I had with design leaders and business owners during those same interviews. Thank you again for your time, David Lecours , Jami Pomponi Alire , Dan Ledman , Ellen (El) McDevitt-Stredney , Jennifer Myers , Christopher Alt , Laura Ruberto , Nicole Bane — again, I’m sure I missed a few —?stay in touch and share your wins!

I don’t think I would’ve survived this past year without the support of my colleagues —?past and present?— who understand that great minds overthink alike and that we live in interesting times. Shout out to my “work sisters” from GIT, Jessica Barnett , Kassidy Breaux , and Christina Carrasquilla , and brothers-in-arms Chad Westover and John Hentges . I’ll include Aaron Almendarez , Amon-Ra Macbeth , and Allan S. Manzano, MFA , by extension — I wish I still saw you all daily and that you could follow me back into industry. (Imagine how much butt we’d kick in a studio together!?) And in the new gig, thanks to Steven Caldwell , Gina Arrufat Batista, Leonardo Caballero , Claudia Robiou , Micah Abalos, UXC , Bailey Appleby, M.S. , Julie M. Epperson - SSM, CSM, LSSGB , Mike Calabrese , Emily Alder-Venturella and the NLS folks who have helped me feel welcomed and supported from the start.

Obviously, I taught too many students to thank individually for five years of experiences — including those masked-up covid days and improvised Zoom sessions —?but I want to give a special shout out to my graders and teaching assistants over the years who, as I’ve said before, often felt like my “real” colleagues (no offense ??) simply for how much time we actually spent together. So thank you to those brave souls Madison Greenlee , Michael Rodriguez , Joshua Y. , Alyssa Thornhill , Katie Stains , Alexandra Benke , Madisen Stanley , Shannon Sagehorn , Merritt Zamboni , Dallin Darger , Cam Michael Tompkins , and Kay Gardner. Let’s amplify that for the bravest of the brave, Marissa Turnage , Amy Hector , Cathy Abarca , and Daniel R Bynum , for your help recording videos, proofreading lessons, and helping steer me back from the brink on those particularly mad days. You all have “infinite office hours” privileges — just reach out.

Lastly, thanks for Katherine Engel, UXC. for being open-minded enough to even entertain the idea of hiring your own former professor and ex-boss! I continue to appreciate your help — past and present — when I get weird and inside my own head. I know it can be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero. ??

I’ll leave it there for now. This is long, but needed. I’ve half-joked over the past few months that I’ve got several blog posts brewing in me, just about ready to explode! Keep an eye peeled for notes on higher ed, and a report on the modern state of job-hunting —?at least as I’ve experienced both of those.

Now, get back to enjoying your Labor Day!