Chapter 1
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Once upon a time...
there was a little girl, a girl named Michelle. She was a girl who empathized with others as much as she loved creating art. If she wasn’t feeding the poor starving backyard ants with her leftover graham crackers, she’d run inside to paint, draw, or do whatever creative thing her little hands can get into.
She always knew what others were feeling and understood people’s struggles. One time at the ripe age of 6, she wrote a heartfelt letter to both her parents how much they sacrificed for her – crying of course as she wrote this. After signing her name, she put in one of her hard earned dollar to help with the bills.
Her design ability was a contestant to her empathy ability! In the 4th grade, her parents asked her to help decorate their home to sell. She’d win art contests and her greatest achievement? She won 2 impressive free movie tickets! How cheeky.
Chapter 2
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Then she grew ...
This little girl’s empathy for others grew and grew that she saw the world climate crisis as her problem to solve. When she went to college she decided to make changes. She wanted to solve PROBLEMS! She designed and xeriscaped her parents’ front lawn, she volunteered abroad in impoverished villages in Panama, then she dipped her toes in the big girl world, interning at the Department of Natural Resources. She was prepared to take on the environmental problems.
Chapter 3
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But she grew conflicted...
Michelle was finally working to protect the environment! One problem is, she didn’t quite enjoy it as much as she thought she would. She knew she wasn’t putting her true skills to use. Is this what being a big girl in the big girl world means? One day, she received a project to design the environmental education brochure. Even with the limited knowledge using a design software she LOVED it! It’s been years since she did anything design related. She hadn’t felt so much joy in work, it felt like a breath of fresh air! Could she switch career even when she just started working? She spent thousands on a science degree, all her experience were environmental related… was there a place for her in the design world? However, she also knew she was still young. Her fate was not sealed. Does she jump ship or keep cruising? She jumped ship.
Chapter 4
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The designer she was born to be
After she left her job, Michelle was driven. She was restless to make up for lost time so she started learning design software programs and design theories to level up her design skills. But what’s funemployment without a little diversity? At the same time she also took interest in human psychology and mental health. She leveled up.
She soon volunteered to create flyer designs, design/create websites, retouch photos, and even led a week long graphic design camp! On her free time, she took up photography and digital art. This design world is so vast!
Michelle didn’t want to only be a design junkie, she also wanted to expand her understanding of herself and others. As an extrovert, she loved people so she began reading up psychology and mental health books on breaks. These helped her already empathetic self able to process and articulate her own and others’ thoughts and feelings more precisely. Her friends soon sought her as their amateur therapy!
This little design fledgling was definitely growing her wings, but what to do about her career? Michelle researched and researched for weeks. One day she came across an unfamiliar term… UX/UI design. After googling and watching videos, this career path spoke to her. From design to technology to psychology…this was everything she was meant to be!
Chapter 5
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What is she up to now?
After Michelle finished her UX/UI bootcamp, she’s been taking on probono projects while searching for a suitable job. She’s also expanding her artistic skills for fun – creating LINE stickers, playing around with concept landscape art. Besides that? She still has an itch for nature, so she gets her fix by going on hikes and traveling. At home, she enjoys spoiling her husband, dog, and two chinchillas. She’s happy with where she is and will continue to live happily as long as she follows where her heart leads her. The end!