Current job: Chief Creative and Founder of Reed Creative, LLC and current President of Camas Washougal Chamber of Commerce
Proudest professional moment: Recently winning ‘Best in Event Marketing’ from the American Marketing Association PDX chapter for our campaign created for the Emeril Lagasse Foundation Carnival du Vin event. Even though the event went virtual, we were still able to collaborate with the Foundation and produce aesthetically pleasing, award-winning materials. This was a proud moment for our boutique graphic design studio going up against the big boy agencies in our region during one of the most challenging years of our 24-year history.
First job, and what age you were: In high school when I was 15, I was hired to hand letter a sign for a local shop owner in exchange for some of the goods they sold. My love for design and typography began then and has been going strong ever since!
Fun fact: When not racing against client deadlines, I can be found racing across a finish line at any of the ‘Why Racing Events’, including running half marathons, or competing in Olympic distance triathlon swimming, biking, and running!
Favorite way to spend a Saturday night pre-COVID: Having friends and family over to enjoy an evening of good food, good drink and good company—and hopefully soaking up a sunset in the hot tub before the evening was over.
Favorite way to spend a Saturday night during COVID: Escaping to the nearby wilderness to camp and breathe in fresh air while being socially distanced by s’mores sticks around a fire.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, local businesses that you have been trying to give some extra love/business to: I did my best to support fellow business owners—from purchasing local goods/services, to brainstorming ideas about keeping a business afloat during a pandemic, to lending graphic design support to help communicate ever changing conditions with customers. I collaborated with the Camas Farmers Market, Downtown Camas Association, and the Camas Washougal Chamber of Commerce to create materials and serve as a resource to the local community. In addition, my tastebuds enjoyed supporting Washougal Coffee Company and Caffe Piccolo, Taberna, 5440 Brewing, and Salud, as well as an occasional sip at Birch Street Uptown Lounge.
Additionally, I was thrilled to recently be included in the Pivot Project by Lara Blair Photography celebrating Camas business owners who have survived the pandemic. In return, I was able to support her passion and business by purchasing the photo she captured of me, which is one of my headshots.
Favorite movie: Rock of Ages—love the soundtrack and creative way they wove 80s music into the storyline.
Music of choice: When working on design projects for our New Orleans clientele, I live stream WWOZ, so I can be in the right cultural mindset and hear what’s going on in that fine city. Other times, I enjoy listening to Pink Martini (originally from Portland, OR) or turning on instrumental chill on Pandora as background music to get into the creative zone.
Current favorite place to get takeout/delivery: La Bottega in downtown Vancouver—we’ve been known to take one of their prepared frozen meals and a bottle of wine from their extensive collection camping with us to enjoy a gourmet dinner al fresco!
Motto/inspirational quote: “We adore chaos because we love to produce order.” ― M.C. Escher
