Sometime at the turn of the century, deep in the uni computer labs, I realised that I could bring together pictures, words, movement, sound and wait, oh wow, interactivity?!
A career in ‘digital’ wasn’t even a thing yet, and yet, I pursued it.
[INSERT ROM-COM STYLE MONTAGE HERE]
~~ Montage starts with young Michelle heading off to London to study at St Martin’s. Very short pixie hair cut and very large backpack. ~~ Tall Michelle wearing super high heels. Striding through the streets of Hong Kong to her big agency jobs. ~~ Blogger mum Michelle on the steep streets of San Francisco. Holding giant pink balloons. ~~ Montage slows to rest on ‘Apparent’ Michelle, leading one of Sydney’s fastest growing agencies. Considering Anna Wintour haircut and wearing sunglasses inside. ~~
[END MONTAGE]
Fast forward 20 years later and here I am doing what I love: using the latest technology to connect with people on an emotional level. It’s a delightful combination of rational brain and primal lizard-brain. (Probably too much ‘brain’ in that sentence, sorry.)
There’s lots of different names for what I do: Creative Direction, Art Direction, Human Centred Design, Experience Design, Graphic Design, Copywriting, UX, UI, CX…so forth. It will probably have another name in the future. I just see it as making beautiful, emotional experiences that make sense. And I love working with talented people who can help make that happen too.