Who are you interning under, what is your role?
I am interning under Julia Cole and Kirstina Kling as a digital design and communications intern. It’s a long title, but basically I work with digital graphic design. Kirstina is my primary boss, but Julia is the one I work under day-to-day.
How did you hear about Element?
Bryn Baldasaro and I went to school together, and my mom is also a graphic designer, so she knew about Pamela Foley from working with her. So I had multiple sources that told me about Element. I saw a job opening on their website and applied, and it worked out!
Have you interned with us before, if not, have you interned elsewhere? what drew you back? How has this year been different in terms of work, responsibility, knowledge, fun?
I have interned here before, in the summer of 2021 in the same position.
It was nice to stay in a place I knew about. But also, I really enjoyed the work I was doing here last year! It’s very clear there’s a lot of room to grow and continue to learn on my own time and implement that to what I do here. As I’m going into my senior year of college, I need to decide what I’m specializing in or what I’m going to do post-grad, and it’s great to be able to explore those opportunities while here.
Differences are mostly staff changes, the one that affects me most being Kirstina as the new Creative Director. It’s been great working with someone who shares the 3D experience that I do.
Where do you go to school? What year are you and what do you study? Any courses that prepared you for this internship?
I study game art and animation at Champlain College in Vermont. I’m going into my senior year this upcoming semester.
The class that was closely affiliated with what I do here is a motion graphics class I took last year. That was all about using After Effects, motion design, and graphic design principles. There’s a lot of overlap with graphic design in what I study, but all the programs I use in my classes are very 3D-focused. They’re largely meant for video games and not for what we do here. That motion graphics course covered much more graphic design principles that I can use here.
What drew you to your field?
I always knew I wanted to do something in digital arts. Because my mom’s a graphic designer, I grew up involved in that because she’s colorblind. She would have me and my sister come over and make sure the colors were right. It was always fun to get a window into that growing up. Plus, I’ve always been the kid that was drawing, so I knew I wanted to do something with it!
What are some goals that you wish to accomplish through this internship? Is there something that you are most excited to be working on/currently working on?
Last year I was talking with Nate about the idea of being able to explore SketchUp files in virtual reality (VR). That is something I’d like to continue to develop and return to. I think it’d be interesting to give clients a realistic view of what their spaces could like through VR. Nate’s also been talking a lot about co-op advertising. He really wants to get our screens into retail places, so I’ve been making the designs for that.
now for some Fun Questions!
Any pets?
I have a cat named Tangie who is the love of my life! He is so talkative. I remember my family and I went to Montreal for the weekend for only about four days. When we got back, he was nonstop meowing for an hour because he was so excited and happy!
Coffee, Tea, Other?
Both! I drink coffee every morning and that’s always been my go-to. I like my coffee really strong, so I only drink it with milk instead of cream. I’m also half-British so I kind-of have to like tea. Whenever I was over at my grandparents house, it would always be teatime around 2:00. English breakfast tea is my favorite, but I also love Chai tea.
“Weirdest” hobby?
Felting, but specifically with my cat’s fur. I’m making him a little hat out of his fur! Although that project is slow going, since the material is harder to work with than wool, I do also like regular felting. My sister and I ordered a kit and we’ve been felting consistently for the past month. I’ve done lots of stuff with regular wool, but this is the first thing I’ve done with fur.
Do you play a sport?
I’m a black belt in karate. I’ve done that for about 13 years consistently and it took about 11 of those years to get a black belt. I haven’t been doing that as of late as I’ve been doing more rock-climbing; specifically, bouldering right now, but I also like harness climbing. I like to run and hike as well!
Recently read, listened to, or watched etc.? What stood out?
Recently I’ve been reading a graphic novel I got from the library. I’m a big fan of reading heavy novels, but I need graphic novels in between to offset really dense books. Right now, I’m reading Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World. It’s a biography of different women throughout history who did trailblazing things. And obviously being an artist, I’m a stickler for the art of graphic design books. The art is beautiful, so I’m enjoying it.
Give me one additional fun fact about you!
I am a dual citizen. I’m a British citizen and an American citizen. My mom was born in England, so I got citizenship through her. Although I’ve never lived in England, I’ve gone to Britain a couple of times throughout my childhood. I did also live in Canada, in Montreal studying abroad for about three months this past semester!
