From the Studio
Thoughts on design, process, and the work in between.
A running log of ideas, experiments, and lessons learned — from freelance life and code deep dives to design thinking and the occasional creative block. Written in real time, mostly for myself, but maybe useful to you too.
Featured Posts
7/6/2026
Taking the Pivot — And Why It's Not What You Think
A year after a layoff, three rounds of interviews, and a phone call from John — the pivot worked. Just not the way I expected.
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6/16/2026
The Best 404 Page I've Ever Built Involved a Cat Named Dr. Pete and Zero Regrets
A five-minute task, a medium sized and confident brown tabby, and one reused component later — here's how a utility closet became one of my favorite things on my portfolio site.
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5/29/2026
Two Years Without Vinz Clortho
Two years ago today, I said goodbye to my soul/heart cat, Vinz Clortho. This is for him.
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2026 Posts
7/28/2026
Your Body Is Not the Problem
Movement, perimenopause, and what the science actually says about your brain right now. A designer approaching 50 makes the case for lifting weights.
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7/17/2026
AI at Every Level: A Designer's Guide
AI isn't one thing — it shows up differently depending on where you sit in the design process. Here's how I think about it at every level, from concept to production.
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7/10/2026
Forty Years After Pretty in Pink & The Purple Karmann Ghia Named Dragonfly
A cider, a phone, Facebook Marketplace, and a 1971 purple Karmann Ghia named Dragonfly. Forty years after seeing Pretty in Pink, I think I'm about to drive one home.
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7/8/2026
One Year Later: What Six Years at Vernier Taught Me
A year ago today I was laid off after six and a half years. Here's what I actually learned — about design, about work, and about what happens when a job ends and the rest of your life doesn't.
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7/6/2026
Taking the Pivot — And Why It's Not What You Think
A year after a layoff, three rounds of interviews, and a phone call from John — the pivot worked. Just not the way I expected.
Read more →
7/3/2026
Why I Built a Collection Page (And Why Your Portfolio Might Need One Too)
Individual case studies tell project stories. A collection page tells a career story. Here's why I built one — and why yours might need one too.
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6/26/2026
Print Is a Craft — And It's Rarer Than You Think
Six years of prepress work taught me something most designers never learn. Print isn't just a deliverable — it's a discipline, and it's disappearing.
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6/16/2026
The Best 404 Page I've Ever Built Involved a Cat Named Dr. Pete and Zero Regrets
A five-minute task, a medium-sized confident brown tabby, and one reused component later — here's how a utility closet became one of my favorite things on my portfolio site.
Read more →
6/12/2026
How I Use AI as a Design Tool (Without Losing My Voice)
Where AI fits into my process, where it doesn't, and how I've kept my own voice intact while using it as a tool rather than a crutch.
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6/11/2026
From Interview High to Blinking Question Mark — The Day My iMac Died
A good interview, a cup of coffee, and then a blinking folder with a question mark. How a Tuesday turned into a Mac Studio M4 Max order.
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6/5/2026
Why My Best Ideas Happen at the Gym
It's not coincidence — it's chemistry. On BDNF, the Default Mode Network, and why stepping away from the screen is sometimes the most productive thing you can do.
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6/1/2026
The Ball Is Smaller Now: Grief, the Brain, and the Work That Comes After
Grief doesn't shrink. The world just grows around it. On loss, the brain, and finding your way back to the work.
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5/29/2026
Two Years Without Vinz Clortho
Two years ago today, I said goodbye to my soul/heart cat, Vinz Clortho. This is for him.
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5/27/2026
I Found My 1990s Design Portfolio on a Zip Disc
Getting 25-year-old files off vintage Zip discs — a hardware adventure and the start of a time capsule series.
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5/21/2026
The PDXWIT Website Rebrand & Website Refresh
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.
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4/27/2026
What I Learned Rebuilding My Portfolio from a Logo Grid to Case Studies
A logo grid wasn't telling the right story. What happened when I rebuilt from scratch. 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.
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2016
What makes a good designer portfolio (and what doesn't)
A designer portfolio isn't a gallery. It's not an archive. It's not proof that you've been busy. It's a pitch.
Why I Built a Collection Page (And Why Your Portfolio Might Need One Too)
My case studies were good. They were detailed, well-structured, and told the story of each project clearly. The problem was they didn't talk to each other — and nobody could see the thread connecting them.
Print Is a Craft — And It's Rarer Than You Think
Most designers today learned on a screen. They've built beautiful things — websites, apps, interfaces — and never once held a physical proof in their hands. That's not a criticism. It's just the shape of the industry over the last decade.
What I learned rebuilding my portfolio from a logo grid to case studies
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.