Over the past decade, I have taken many courses to deepen my knowledge of art, design, and entrepreneurship. Here’s a recap of some of the things I’ve learned:
Set & Production Design
I attended Food Styling classes with the team at Food52, which proved helpful when I worked on the set of an all-female cast and crew lifestyle and cooking show. It was the best job ever! Food styling also proved quite handy when I decided to focus my career on graphic design and worked with lots of food and beverage companies that needed cool content. That was a lucky coincidence.In addition, I took Production and Set Design with Simona Migliotti, an incredible teacher who has worked on projects such as The Life Aquatic with Wes Anderson and HBO's Rome. I even took an additional woodworking workshop to become a better set designer, although it was the only class I've ever had to retire from because I simply didn't enjoy it.
User Experience
I have taken courses from the Interaction Design Foundation, focusing on their teachings on Emotional Design and how to create products that people will love. Their class on Accessibility is also excellent and highly recommended for anyone in any field. Additionally, I have studied the Fundamentals of Online Retailing at the Fashion Institute of Technology, which has expanded my knowledge of the e-commerce industry. Furthermore, I received an Enterprise Thinking Practitioner certificate from IBM, which has helped me develop my business skills. I enjoy reading and learning about anything related to Design Sprints.
Fine Arts & Writing
I have taken several art-related courses to improve my skills too. For example, I took Figure Drawing classes at the School of Visual Arts in NYC, which helped me improve my drawing and perspective. This course led me to create my first 100 day project: 100 Days of Line Portraits. In addition, I participated in Creative Writing and Children's Book Writing workshops, which allowed me to express my creativity and improve my writing skills. Recently, at Sotheby's, I learned about The Art of Collecting, which taught me to be more intentional about the way I consider and collect art
Overall, these side courses have been an incredibly enriching experience for me. I'm grateful for the opportunity to have learned so much and to have been challenged in new ways. I feel that the knowledge and skills I've gained will serve me well in my future endeavors. I'm looking forward to continuing my education and expanding my horizons even further, exploring new subjects and delving deeper into topics that interest me. I'm excited to see where this journey will take me and what new experiences and opportunities lie ahead.
