Second to being a mom and a wife, I’m a presentation designer and artist, working from Queen City in Charlotte, North Carolina. Some people call me Slide Queen. My journey began in 2012 when I graduated from Arizona State University with degrees in Mandarin Chinese and Finance. Before that, I had wanted to be an artist… but some people don’t chase their dreams, so my dreams decided to chase me.
Looking for work after the financial crisis was hard. With some luck, I landed a job as a consultant at Deloitte in Washington, D.C. It took me a while to figure out that although I was building presentations, I really loved visual storytelling and inspiring people to showcase their ideas with confidence. On evenings and weekends, I would work long hours to perfect proposals and business cases using simple PowerPoint tools and applications. Over time, my work was noticed by senior executives, and I began to realize just how valuable my art skills could be in such a setting.
Several years later, I quit and worked as an independent consultant, where I had the opportunity to flex my design skills in more formal corporate settings. In other industries, I worked on designing presentations and other interactive mediums that supported the brands of significant programs, organizations, and individuals. After several years of doing this, I realized that my passion lies with teaching others how to infuse art into their work and showcase their ideas in their best light.
In my free time, I began to develop curricula for adults and children, teaching, and writing this book, Creative Slideware, to share with others how to give powerful and engaging presentations.
My work includes web-based self-study curricula and this book, which uses design principles and elements to describe fundamental ideas about the practice of visual design, and how it can be applied to creating an awesome presentation. Years ago, I had apprenticed a portraitist who told me: “Painting the portrait of the Queen of England is no different than painting a still life bowl of fruit; the same art principles still apply.”
Preparing a presentation is also no different than painting a picture – it still requires a specific body of knowledge regarding visual standards and a deep understanding of how to convey a message that will be appealing to your audience.
Today, I still really enjoy designing presentations—something that you wouldn’t mind sharing with the board, using for your next big pitch, or inspiring an audience to learn or take action. I also like to explore the world of infographics and helping with branding or marketing materials. Besides creating engaging visual presentations, I love to encourage and help others present their ideas by speaking at meetups and conferences.
If you’re interested in my work, please feel free to contact me to find out how we might work together!