I have always been drawn to art and visual communication. My story doesn’t read like most scientists or graphic design graduates. It is more twisty and full of adventure.
Going to the library for me as a kid was all about finding the books with the best images. I grew up thumbing through National Geographic, watching David Attenborough documentaries, and reading books through photos. School and I did not get along and teachers never knew what to do with me. Marked as a trouble maker I left school with no formal qualifications. In my final year at high school, an opportunity presented itself to travel to America as an AFS student. There I found support from an art teacher and a biology teacher and I finally saw the science and the visuals connect.
This fueled my interest in photography and the natural environment.
After a couple of years of travelling, I ventured into the world of science as an adult student.
I wanted to learn about mountain gorillas, help save the whales and take photos of far-away animals and environments.
The advice I received at the time was 'if you want to get into conservation, you need to go to university'.
I completed my Bachelor of Science (BSc) with a double major in Zoology and Ecology but the ocean and its inhabitants still intrigued me, so I ventured into a Postgraduate Diploma in Science (PGDipSci) - Marine Science. The job I wanted was to save the whales, but after some study I realised that it was the fish and the ecosystem that needed help. So, I became a fisheries observer. I travelled to New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) on commercial trawlers and longliners on and off for eight years, and I travelled to the Ross Sea for two months. This took me to far-away places and was one heck of an adventure. I was paid to watch, count, and photograph the marine mammal and ocean birdlife. I saw the weird and wonderful creatures from the deep ocean. A trip was usually between four to six weeks at sea.
During one of my last trips, my downtime was filled with watching The Blue Planet and after spending so many years studying the science, I had lost sight of the art and I was reminded of my childhood dream of working as a photographer for National Geographic. I decided to dry my feet off for the summer and see if I could make it so.
As it turned out, my feet stayed wet for another 10 years as a pool lifeguard and supervisor. During this time, I completed a PGDipSci - Science Communication and experienced two wonderful trips of a lifetime to Vienna to help in the European Geosciences Union – General Assembly (EGU-GA) as a media assistant.
A digital design paper I studied as part of my Science Communication allowed me to connect my photography and science into a communication project. As a result, graphic design entered my life. This was also about the time that I was formally tested for dyslexia. Now I understood why I couldn't read all those science journals, why I couldn’t write those long reports, and why I had loved all those visuals as a kid.
Of all the courses, papers and learning I have undertaken, graphic design and exhibition design have been hands-down the most fun, rewarding and liberating for me. My skill set now also includes Adobe Creative Cloud, Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, book design, web code/design, and exhibition design.
My true power is in seeing things others do not, solving problems, working with others to get the job done, and finding comfort outside of the box.
This portfolio will grow as I find and add more of my work.
My bucket list still contains a trip to see the mountain gorillas in the wild.