There's a pattern I've noticed over the years: I'll walk into a workout with a design problem rattling around in my head, and somewhere between the warm-up and the cooldown, something clicks. A name. A direction. A solution I'd been circling for days.

If you read the tribute post I wrote for Vinz Clortho, you already know the shape of the last two years. A loss, then another, then another. The first domino, and everything that followed. What I didn't fully explore there — because that post belonged to him, not to the work — is what grief actually does to a creative person. Not metaphorically. Biologically. And why, eventually, it makes the work better.

His name was Vinz Clortho. Named after the demon dog from Ghostbusters, which felt appropriately dramatic for a cat I didn't yet know would become the great love of my life.

Somewhere in my attic storage, in a plastic storage box, in jewel cases, were a stack of 100mb and 250mb Zip discs I burned in the late 1990s. And in a separate wooden box, some CD-Rs also burned in the 1990s. I knew they existed. I just hadn't thought about what was actually on them — until now.

Some projects find you. Others you find yourself coming back to — not because you have to, but because the work mattered enough the first time that walking away from the second chapter wasn't really an option.

For years, my portfolio homepage was a clean grid of client logos. No context. No story. Just names — and the assumption that visitors would connect the dots between a recognizable brand and what I actually did for them.

This past week has been interesting. Not really because I changed my routine or landed a new client or anything really exciting, but I had trouble adhering to my day to day routine.

I felt unmotivated and while I did a little bit of work, it was nice to feel like I could step away from my desk if I wasn't feeling creative.

While working within FloCo's website (which is still in progress), one of my primary contacts lamented about not finding any worthy interns for another project. Learning how to speak up for myself, I quickly said, I'm on the hunt for an internship that is required for my degree at PCC.

I'm still doing design work for PDXWIT, but things have changed for the better.

How, you may ask... well.

ANOTHER VOLUNTEER GIG!

Recently, I responded to a post in a FaceBook group I belong to. Within this post, there was a call to action and I immediately responded for multiple reasons (which I will illustrate later.) The call to action was to create a brand guide for PDX Women In Tech.

Fonts.

In relation to Brand Identity.

They can make you squeamish, the perfect typography can make or break a brand + identity system.

A talk about CSS hosted + Presented by developer Andrew Hedges

Recently, I attended a talk at the Epicodus code school by successful web developer, Andrew Hedges. He is most known for work at a certain "Cupertino based Fruit Company" and a company that specializes in Animation and Princesses.

I must like stress. During my last go around at school, I took very demanding Multimedia courses at Bradley. I did it again during the last few terms at PCC.

Volunteer as a Designer for a Good Cause? Sure!

I recently accepted a Volunteer position doing design projects for the non-profit: Community Cycling Center. I had a wonderful conversation with them over the phone.

When you can't find the perfect guestbook, you make one. And when your wedding theme is Star Wars meets Assassin's Creed, "the perfect guestbook" is definitely not something you'll find at a store.