I started my advertising career in a role that I consider to be the toughest in the biz: account management. I’d always known I liked writing and that I was good at it, but it was difficult to imagine that was an actual job. I mean, I was still brainwashed by the tale they told us in high school algebra — that all grown-up jobs require math.

After balancing my last budget (and learning how to take unfiltered feedback like a champ), I followed what can only be described as a gravitational pull into the creative department and was lucky enough to be invited to stick around. Over the course of that slightly unconventional journey, my work has won multiple industry awards and has been featured in publications like Adweek, Ad Age, Mashable, and The Hollywood Reporter.

And yes, as for illustration and photography, I’m still just an art kid chasing the dream: approval and validation from Strangers on the Internet.