Welcome to the new Digital Heat, an ever-evolving experiment in pixellated alchemy. When I was fresh out of school, excited to embark on my career-journey of design, I’d met with a mentor who was the owner/Creative director of an established agency in Pasadena who asked me which I wanted to be- an artist or designer, since he felt strongly that, “You have to choose one because they are not the same- there can be no ‘self’ in design, especially for clients”

As you may imagine, my starry-eyed 21 year old self didn’t want to accept this or take it at face-value. Why can’t art and design be the same thing? What makes them mutually exclusive? And what’s wrong with putting yourself into your work? Isn’t that what sets it apart? I spent the next 8 years looking for these answers and exploring what it meant to be a modern day creative. The conclusion that I’ve come to is this:

First and foremost, I’m an artist. The design that follows as a result of this is intrinsically linked what I am, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I want to find beauty and meaning in everything I do- for myself as well as my clients because if I don’t care about it, why should anyone else?

And thus far, thinking this way has worked out pretty well. It’s given me a point of difference that has earned me opportunities everywhere from big agencies to publication companies to nonprofits with in-house design teams, working with some of the most amazingly talented individuals I’d ever met.

What I’ve learned is that you can create your own reality, and if you’re passionate about what you do- if it means something to you, then you can make a difference for other people as well- you can help them see and feel things- and be more connected and present in the world around us…and at end of the day and isn’t that what art is?

I think so, and that’s what Digital Heat is all about. It’s creativity, passion, evolution, and alchemy. So with that said, I encourage everyone to find what moves them, what makes them think, and to never stop exploring. I know I won’t.