I developed an ecstatic, creative urge in my youngest years that pulled me from one visual medium to the next. Constantly experimenting with mediums, I didn’t find much success in applied art classes. I grew to realize my fascination wasn’t in the mastering of one particular art form but in finding the right tools for me to bring alive some grand narrative that had found its way into my head and onto paper, pen or the viewfinder of my camera (which I eventually settled on). Communication is my passion. You can see it—not just hear it—when I’m speaking to someone about their interest and proficiencies. Studying Advertising and Marketing Communications felt natural, and applying myself to Visual Design and Design Theory was akin to discovering some secret language—one that I will never fall out of love with.After being hired on at Durham College’s Communications and Marketing, I turned those passions into pragmatic hard skills. Constantly planning, shooting and editing both my own work and my peers, I learned to pitch my ideas in a clearer, concise way. Communicating to department heads the realistic limitations of their grand video promo idea was difficult at first, but shifting to a confidence that “we can fulfill a new vision in a way that reflects well on your original idea while also still working within the means of a one- or two-person crew” became natural.Those same customer service skills piggy-backed me into WLKN Boutique. Sales, and my promotion to Product Manager and Merchandiser, was the fast-paced, “front-lines” sort of growth I was expecting—the visual design in merchandising a welcome creative challenge, as was the branded photography. Leaving on my terms to pursue photography and graphic design independently was the necessary ‘kick in the pants’ to launch me into starting my career in Communication Media—which is precisely my goal!