Mistress

What are some of your earliest creative memories and what lead you into design?

Growing up in New Hampshire - my mother who was a graphic designer as well, often did identity work for The Yellow Pages. I remember we had a studio and darkroom in our house and this huge Stat Camera (this is before computers) and she use to encourage me to make logos or blow up skateboard graphics out of magazines so I could redraw them. Slap Magazine was a huge influence on me during this time.

Where did you study and what were some of your first jobs?

I studied at Pratt but my first job / internship actually came prior to school. I took a year off after high school cause I knew I wasn’t ready to commit myself to college life, nor was I sure I knew what I wanted to do. My parents were supportive in this and in 2001 I moved to San Diego to intern with Shepard Fairey. After seeing that “drawnig skateboard graphics” was an thing you got paid to do I applied to Pratt and took off to Brooklyn.

What does a typical working day include for you right now?

I try to manage a life that blurs “working days”. I know a lot of people say you need a work life balance but for me I try and find a “work, my work” balance. I’m a strong believer in personal projects or hobbies and developing skills that make you grow. Being a designer has helped me think a bit more orderly and entrepreneurly. Since co-founding my agency Mistress six year ago my role has changed a bit. From being in start-up mode in the beginning by doing everything design related for our clients, to now where design hours are rare.

Are you involved in any teaching and if and how it shapes your practice?

I’m a professor at Otis College of Art and Design. I teach Interactive Branding and a Content Concept Production. I’ve always had a strong point of view on design and creative, but teaching has helped me reach back and explain or articulate why certain design works. I work hard on developing a vocabulary with the students that eliminates subjectivity in their work - without compromising the complexity of the creative. The misconception of design is that it is just a pretty picture - and often it when done wrong or poorly considered the context. May be the difference between art direction and design.