About me.
I'm a passionate and dedicated industrial designer, specializing in furniture and woodworking. After recently graduating from the University of Canberra, where I honed my skills and knowledge in the art of creating beautiful, purposeful furniture, I'm embarking on the next chapter of my journey as a designer, committed to lifelong learning and growth.
Throughout my academic journey, I've developed a strong commitment to the craft of woodworking. I find joy in bringing pieces of timber to life, transforming them into functional works of art. My focus on furniture design not only encompasses form and function but also the artistry of woodworking, allowing me to create pieces that seamlessly blend into the spaces they occupy.
Celebrating diversity and inclusivity is at the core of my identity, and as a trans woman myself I'm proud to be part of a community that values different perspectives and experiences. This portfolio is a reflection of my journey, my dedication to furniture creation, and my passion for design. I invite you to explore my work, and I'm excited to share my vision of the world through the lens of furniture and industrial design as I continue to learn and grow in my career. My commitment to learning and growth is a cornerstone of my journey, and I eagerly look forward to new design adventures.
Hard Skills
A huge part of my professional identity at this time is my interest in bespoke woodworking. This is something I could never have gotten into without university and the various classes I took that enabled me to pursue my interest in the area.
Alongside working with timber, I’ve become familiar with many materials and processes during my time at the University of Canberra. Things like 3D Printing, CNC Routing and Laser Cutting were all introduced to me and I used them heavily for prototyping and production of various designs throughout the years in the workshop. The ability to learn about and experiment with advanced materials was also incredible. Composites like Carbon Fiber were things I never expected to know much about, but now I would feel comfortable integrating them into my own designs.
On the software side, I’ve also gotten the chance to use a lot of products that will help me in the future. Chief among these is my familiarity with 3D CAD software such as CREO. This is used almost universally in industry so knowing how they work with the in-depth knowledge that I’ve gained over the last few years will be extremely valuable once I’m looking for a job.
Since leaving university I’ve taught myself how to use Fusion 360. At this time I use it mostly for 3D printing, which I like to do as a hobby. I also use it to digitally prototype various personal projects I have worked on since leaving university.
Also useful will be familiarity with the Adobe suite, the Microsoft Office apps, and various more specific tools like slicer software and pathfinding applications for manufacturing equipment. I draw most of my projects digitally, and I am able to produce well-defined drawings both in perspective and orthographic views.
Soft Skills
As for soft skills, I’ve done so many different projects it can be hard to know where to begin. I’ve focused on furniture the last year, so that has obviously made me think very critically about how people interact with their environment. Sustainable design is a constant focus, and making sure we are designing with the future in mind has been a big part of every project. Alongside this comes democratic design, the idea of designing for everyone and not discriminating through the products I make. The concept of emotional durability has been important to learn about, and is something I feel very strongly about. I want to ensure my designs last a lifetime, and UC has definitely prepared me for a career doing just that.
Working with clients has been a huge learning curve, especially over my last year. I was a part of a unit in my last semester where we worked closely with a client. Doing this was a hugely difficult thing to figure out, as up until that year I had pretty much only ever designed for myself. Suddenly thinking about my design from the perspective of a completely different person, with budgets and tastes so different to mine, was incredibly interesting and valuable to learn. The biggest challenge here by far, however, was finding ways to input my own personal stylistic touch to the design. The design was for a 3rd party client, yes, but it still must be my design.