How did Young Guns get on your radar?

I honestly can’t remember when I first heard about Young Guns, but I do remember when my coworker Claudia Rubin (YG19) won, and being so impressed by it. That year, I really began looking at many of the winners previous and feeling so inspired by all the work that I saw.

And since then, I’ve realized that so many designers I look up to — and have learned from — were also past winners. It’s been something I’ve had as a dream/goal of mine for a long time now, so this win was very special.

How did you end up in the creative field?

I actually knew at a pretty young age that I wanted to be an artist/designer. I was always drawing and painting as a child, and that took me down the track of attending an art magnet high school that had several different design “majors.” At the end of your freshman year, you were made to pick one, and I chose graphic design.

I spent the next three years studying it pretty seriously — almost like a mini–art school. By the time I graduated, I knew I wanted to pursue it as a career, and ended up going to the Maryland Institute College of Art for graphic design.

In my last semester, I took an incredible publication design class with the amazing designer Jeff Glendenning and just loved it — it combined art direction, layout, web, branding, illustration, all of it. Jeff brought in Gail Bichler, the Creative Director of The New York Times Magazine, to speak to our class, and I remember thinking, that’s the dream job.

Toward the end of the semester, I took a chance and emailed her asking for feedback on my portfolio (after lots of encouragement and belief from Jeff) — and maybe, hopefully, a freelance opportunity. It ended up being the best chance I had ever taken. A few weeks later she offered me a two-month gig, which turned into a year-long gig, which eventually became a full-time job. And that’s where I still am today, doing work I absolutely love.

Why did you decide to enter this year?

Thank you! I actually wasn’t planning on entering this year. I was scrolling through the Young Guns site one afternoon — after getting a reminder email at work — and Caleb Bennett (YG10) walked by my desk and told me I should apply.

I started thinking about it more seriously and realized I’m still five years away from the age cut-off, so if I didn’t win, I’d still have plenty of time to try again with completely new work. That took all the pressure off and made it feel like, why not just take a chance?

You only get to submit six projects. How did you decide what made the cut?

When thinking about what I wanted to submit, I knew I wanted to show a large range of projects. Though I have only worked at The New York Times Magazine in my professional career, I have gotten the chance to work on so many different projects that have allowed me to tap into different skillsets, so I took a close look at everything and picked the 6 that showed that range.

“If I didn’t win, I’d still have plenty of time to try again—that took all the pressure off.”

What was your reaction when you found out you won?

I was completely shocked! I randomly checked my personal email one day in bed (which I’m really bad about doing regularly) and couldn’t believe it. I then shared the news with loved ones, and celebrated by getting my favorite meal in NYC.

In what ways does where you’re living right now inspire your creativity?

I’m really grateful to live in such a creative city like NYC. It feels like there’s inspiration everywhere I turn, whether I’m actively looking for it or just going about my day.

I’ve also found so many hobbies and creative spaces here that exist outside of “art and design,” which has been such a gift. Having those outlets lets me step away from design when I need to and explore creativity in different ways.

I think it’s helped my practice a ton — I rarely feel burnt out because I can take real breaks and come back to my work feeling inspired and excited.

Now that you’re a part of the Young Guns community, are there any past winners you look up to and admire?

There are so many Young Guns winners I admire, but I especially want to shout out the ones I’ve had the pleasure of working with personally: Claudia Rubín (YG19), Ben Grandgenett (YG15), and Caleb Bennett (YG10).

I admire their work so much and so grateful to learn from each of them. I’m inspired every day by their talent and by their uniquely individual ways of viewing and thinking about design.

Name a creative/professional dream project that you have yet to fulfill.

One of my dream jobs growing up was to be a graphic designer for a famous film — but one of the cool famous ones. That dream started after touring the Harry Potter studios and seeing the tiny section dedicated to the graphic design department that created all the packaging, posters, newspapers, and every other little printed detail used in the films.

It’s such a niche corner of graphic design, and probably incredibly rare to land a role where you get to be that creative, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to be a part of. I love the idea of designing something that becomes part of such a creative world like that.

Alternatively, it would be absolutely amazing to work with one of my favorite musical artists in any capacity — a book, magazine, cover art, tour posters, anything. (Currently, Karol G would be my #1 manifestation.)

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