Early life & school

I was born in London in the summer of 1992. As a child my passions were for maths, pizza, my Dreamcast, and anything Japanese.

I did well at school, and completed my secondary education at The Blandford School, in Dorset, leaving with nine GCSEs and three A Levels in 2010.

One such A Level was Product/Graphic design, which I was crazy about. Not only did I enjoy my coursework so much I spent every free period in the workshop and got myself a perfect grade, I also tutored the Year 11 GCSE students, and assisted teaching Year 7/8 Graphics, Product Design and Electronics.

I also studied IT and Business Studies, without which I don’t think my business would be where it is today!

In September 2011, after a year of working at a petrol station and a health food shop, I left Blandford for Plymouth University.

University

I studied for a BSc in Psychology and achieved a high 2:1 for my first year of study. This however was not the right subject for me.

I took up Digital Art and Technology in 2012, and excelled in many areas – graphic design, web design, written works such as essays and dissertations, and Python (although I’ll be honest I’ve largely forgotten that!). I completed a number of creative projects and received high praise for thinking outside the box and creating thought provoking, clever pieces. Most specifically an art installation (left) and an electronic seating system for a cinema.

During my time at university I worked a number of part time jobs, including a team member at Empire Cinema, Domino’s, and HMV, and acted as a student ambassador for the university. I left Plymouth University in 2016, three modules away from graduating, due to health issues that I had been fighting for years.

Freelancing

I started Famous Last Cards in 2016 so I could work from home while I was recovering. It was featured in a Buzzfeed article the day after I opened the online shop, and has been thriving ever since. I design, print, package and post the cards myself, and have enjoyed over 7,000 orders on Etsy alone, and have had my cards featured in articles and on TV!

My lifelong best friend and I set up Beauty Markdown in 2016, so we could write about a shared passion of ours – the beauty industry, but with a focus on money saving tips and tricks. This is where I really honed my web design skills, learned about affiliate marketing and SEO, newsletters and social media advertising.

I freelance as a graphic and web designer, and somewhat of a brand consultant – primarily for local businesses such as Hairsway, Hair on The Cliffe, Fancy That Dress, and Cassin Scott. I have designed some exam papers for the latter that cannot be shown here for confidentiality reasons, but trust me when I say they are beautifully designed, and received no criticism.

In my free time I enjoy films (my husband and I were both named after characters from Star Wars and I feel that has heavily influenced my life), video games, spending time with dogs and cats (equally), sketching politicians, embroidery, acrylic painting, and doing makeup and nails.

Here’s some bonus things I can do – I can drive, I can communicate in very basic Japanese, I have an NVQ in Dressmaking (don’t ask!), and I’m pretty good at guessing the twist in films.

I’m considering looking for part time work now as I want something with more structure to it, and I am in desperate need of some co-workers. I have three dogs at home with me but they offer little to no creative input, and always try to steal my lunch.