I was born on a Portuguese island called Madeira. It is a small tourist island. (Yes, we have nice beaches and breathtaking views of the mountains.) We are known worldwide for our New Years Fireworks.
My dad is a “Stralya” man – Yes, I’m half Aussie – who traveled all over so naturally that’s how I got my gypsy genes. When I turned 17, I came over here to the U.S. as an exchange student. I wasn’t really expecting to come to Minnesota, but I adjusted as I learned English, made friends and adapted to my host-family.
I graduated from high school in 2009 and decide it was time to see what the world has to offer. I decided to move to England and enrolled college in Bristol, a city in western England, known for its suspension bridge (and for you artistic folks, Banksy was born here).
My first year of college went by pretty fast and when second year came, I realized I would need to find a job soon, so I decided to move to London. I enrolled in University of Greenwich, which is often a location for big Hollywood movies – Yes, I used to be late for classes because I was watching live movies.
At Greenwich, I had the pleasure of being taught by one of Britain’s greatest graphic designers, Vaughn Oliver. Vaughan truly inspired me. I’ll never forget telling him about a designer who told me: “In a design company, you can never give your client three things: quality, time and money. If they want quality work, they need to pay for it … ”. Vaughan bluntly interrupted me: “I’ve done good work for no money.” Wow, it really hit me: always deliver good, quality work and always try your best.
Last day of classes came and I was already on a plane heading to New York. Likeable Media hired me as a graphic intern, and I had a fantastic time with them. The summer of 2012 was the best. I explored every single bit of New York and got to network with a lot of people from the creative industry.
It had been three years since I left Minnesota, and I was missing my host-family and friends, so I had to come back. I decided to get an internship around the area to get more experience. I contacted Gaslight asking for an internship in web design, and two months after interning, they hired me.
From Portugal (with an Australian dad) to Minnesota to Bristol and London to New York and back to Minnesota – now, you know my story and why I have such a funky accent!
Cheers,