A Peek at Michelle’s Corner of the Ship

• MY HUSBAND
For the past 11 years, my now husband, Russ has inspired me more than anything else. Almost every project I work on, I have come to him to talk out my ideas and get his insight, his perspective and his ideas on the topic. Often times he brings me to ideas I could never have imagined on my own.

• RUNNING SHOES
Next to my husband, I find clarity and inspiration while getting out and running. Whenever I am struggling with an idea, I find running allows my mind can to really be free to wander and sift through all of the information from my day to make sense of it all, and in turn make room for new ideas.

• MAGAZINES
When I am not working, I spend my free time reading through Interior Design, Architectural Digest, Do It Yourself, Decorating and Craft Magazines. I am a very hands on kind of person, so when I can find old or unused things lying around the house and turn them into pieces of art, furniture, or other useful items, I find I learn the most about myself and when I am most creative.

• FRANK GEHRY
Before I was a Graphic Design major, I majored in Architecture at Cal Poly Pomona. It was there that I was first exposed to Frank Gehry by my very first college professor. He had worked directly under Gehry, so he gave first hand accounts of how Gehry worked, his inspirations, his motivations, and even took us on a field trip to see his work in person at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Gehry's unique use of materials, organic shapes, and concepts are like nothing else I have ever seen in Architecture and continue to inspire me today.

• DANCE SHOWS
Aside from magazines, my other favorite thing to do is watch Dance Shows, particularly, So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With The Stars. For me, dance is the single most expressive art form. How the dancers are able to clearly create a story simply through their movement and costumes truly moves me.

• ADVERTISING
In addition to my Graphic Design degree, I also minored in advertising. Advertising gives me the opportunity to embrace my love for psychology. I am fascinated by society and what drives different people to act in the ways they do. I definitely recommend every designer take some advertising classes because it is through these classes that you really learn how to effectively communicate your visual to an audience.


• LISTS
I am a planner to the core. No matter what project I work on, whether it is work related, personal, or for fun, I find making lists gives me a strong foundation to start from. Once I can define my key points, I am able to strategize, streamline my thoughts and in turn make effective use of my time.

• STRENGTHS FINDER
I definitely recommend this book to everyone. As part of the experience, you are asked to take Gallup's online Strengths Finder 2.0 test, where you go through a series of questions designed to pinpoint your strengths. Upon finishing, a final report is created listing your top 5-6 biggest strengths as well as a course of action to fully capitalize on these talents. Furthermore, the authors insight coupled with the other real world examples really helped me define myself and my process for the first time ever.

• HOLLYWOOD MUSICALS COLLECTION
I had to add this one in. This was the first big project that I was the lead designer on. I learned a lot from it by way of brainstorming, new design skills, production techniques, efficiency and working strategically with the client. It was a really fun project to work on and equally as exciting to see it out on shelf. It's bright and reflective rainbow foil really shines and attracts your attention. Check it out on Amazon.com.