For the past two years, I’ve had the privilege of dedicating my creative energy to elevating three of Oregon’s most recognized wine brands—A to Z Wineworks, Erath, and the luxury label REX HILL—under the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates portfolio. Each brand required a distinct creative overhaul, from visual identity and tone of voice to email design and digital storytelling.

In a region where Pinot Noir dominates the narrative, developing unique and authentic visual strategies for multiple brands in the same category demands more than just good design—it requires deep listening, thoughtful research, and a commitment to creative differentiation. Watching these brands evolve and carve out their own space has been a journey.

I began my professional journey as a print production designer at Road Scholar (formerly Elderhostel). It didn’t take long for all of us to realize that my true medium was the camera. While I’m a formally trained graphic designer, visual storytelling has always come naturally to me—and fortunately, my Creative Team believed in that.

They sent me around the world to capture the essence of Road Scholar’s trips, documenting experiences that would fuel our marketing materials. Starting in print was steady; swimming with whale sharks with a GoPro strapped to my chest was exhilarating.

I learned to navigate social media in real time as it emerged as a powerful storytelling tool—launching live social content for the world’s largest travel-based nonprofit was equal parts terrifying and thrilling. Road Scholar didn’t just introduce me to video production; it launched me into art direction and shaped the foundation of the creative career I have today.

Want to master your craft? Do the same thing a billion times—watch it oscillate between boring and fascinating (20,000 times over) until it becomes second nature. For me, that craft has been portraiture.

I started by documenting the messy, beautiful reality of early family life, working exclusively with children. Then I moved into weddings, which, as it turns out, have the same high-energy intensity as sports photography—stressful as hell but a masterclass in staying Zen under pressure. Eventually, I began to offer my documentary-style of portraits to local small businesses, building website and marketing collateral for a variety of folks.

After a decade of practice, you learn to handle lighting, locations, and people so seamlessly that by the time your client even realizes you’ve started, you’re already saying, “We’re done!”