As a creative director, I love the process of connecting people with great ideas. Whether that’s mentoring a designer in the development of a concept, walking a client through a new strategy, or diving into the work itself hands on, I thrive on intentional thinking and coaxing the best out of everyone involved. I believe in building collaborative relationships and fostering curiosity to achieve sound creative work that drives results.
I attended the University of Georgia and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design, but I was as an English major, originally, and communication has always played a big part in my creative thought process. While I was in college, I lead a touring music group across North America and beyond. That experience taught me a lot about how to manage people for a shared purpose. I love music, still play guitar and sing, on occasion, and I see live music whenever I can. I have a record collection in the neighborhood of 2,500 LPs. I am an avid golfer and traveler and make an annual trip to Scotland, tracing the routes of my ancestors. I lack any fear of talking up new people and make friends wherever I go – in turn, I've been very lucky to play some incredible golf courses (HCEG Muirfield, North Berwick, The Old Course – to name a few). I'm a bit of a scotch nerd, and my travels have afforded me the opportunity to saturate myself in that world of storytelling and provenance. My amazingly talented and beautiful wife Maggie is a world-renowned painter, so our home is overflowing with creativity. We have two small, black dogs – Dizzy and Lucy.
Over the years, I've been lucky to have worked with a diverse range of companies and brands.
Here's a glance at my more recent work experience:
Discover, be curious and intentional. Before I begin to dive into creative work, I think it's important to gather as much information as possible – things that are relevant to the goals of the project, of course, but also dig a little deeper into the journey and motivations of the client. I often find there are details hidden in plain sight that could spark an interesting and, often, more meaningful concept.
It starts with necessities of community and empathy. Regardless of what level you're at, creatives improve and grow by being open to listening and understanding different points of view – that could be working with a junior designer or a client. Applying my experience to those things allows me to communicate clearly and serve others, equipped to navigate any scenario.
It comes down to understanding the project objectives and being able to communicate openly and clearly. I prefer to start by asking relevant questions about details or intentions (giving), or asking for more insights on why things may not align (receiving). I'm able to interpret that information and guide or apply a more appropriate solution.
Sadly, not yet.
