I have a visceral memory from grade school of playing with a parachute. We all stood in a circle with an edge in our hands and brought the colorful fabric, billowing above and around us, to life. As we worked together to manipulate the parachute in infinite ways, we communicated through movement and were transported to other worlds. Instinctively, we all knew we could only achieve this feeling together.
I have been chasing the experience of the parachute -- communal, playful, participatory, generative -- throughout my creative life. From my music to my small business to my more recent work in digital media, I have sought to foster immersive experiences that build -- and are built by -- community, a social practice that is informed by folk and DIY/street art.
By utilizing physical space, emerging technology, and data, I am also interested in creating art that builds on the euphoria of the parachute and functions as a lens through which to view our world from new perspectives, in ways that are accessible and equitable. In experiencing data through sound, movement, and visualization, I hope to offer new ways for us to understand our interconnectedness. I believe this kind of artistic experience is a tool for societal change.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Graphic Designer, L.A. CO-OP Lab Los Angeles, CA 2021-present
Designing a variety of print and digital assets for socially minded initiatives promoting cooperative business development in Los Angeles.
Production Artist, BOSCO Production Services, LLC , Los Angeles, CA 2020-present
● Rendered 50-60 original sketches to decorate the main character’s prison cell in a feature film
production in order to further illustrate his character development.
Background Artist & Assistant Animator, Sneakout Studios , Berkeley, CA 2020-present
● Created backgrounds and props with Illustrator and Photoshop in accordance with the aesthetic of
the film and design requirements of the production.
Freelance Designer, Dylan Ricards Design , Los Angeles, CA 2019-present
● Creating design solutions for a variety of clients, including logo design, animation, graphic design.
● Key projects include: illustrating “Wrong Magnetic Poles,” a comic anthology project; redesigning
the branding for Fourth Media, a live music video production company; creating original
infographics for sales collateral for Signet Education, a tutoring and educational consulting firm.
Instructor, Skate Like a Girl, Seattle, WA 2018
● Instructed youth on skateboarding fundamentals with this inclusive organization.
● Worked with very young children with no skating experience through self esteem building
exercises, repetition, and group encouragement.
Founder and General Manager, Bed-Stuy Fresh & Local, Brooklyn, NY 2013-2017
● Established a worker-owned cooperative grocery store in the Bed-Stuy neighborhood of Brooklyn as
an equitable way to meet the needs of a community.
● Hired staff locally, created space for community needs aside from food access. Highlighted products
created in the community.
● Contributed to the neighborhood by creating a space that was owned and operated by community
members.
EDUCATION
Pasadena City College, Pasadena, CA 2019-present
Certificate in Design Media Art
● Emphasis on digital media, physical computing, 3D rendering
San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 2003
Bachelor of Arts, Cinema
● Emphasis on film theory, production, animation, writing
SOFTWARE, LANGUAGES, and STRENGTHS
Software: Adobe Creative Cloud, Autodesk Maya, Fusion 360
Languages: Beginning Spanish
Strengths: Graphic design, illustration, UX, strong visual eye