When my age was in the single digits, my best friend and I spent many afternoons hunched over our sketch pads. She would come up with drawings that were spookily reminiscent of a young Da Vinci, while mine more resembled the work of an inebriated chimpanzee. She went on to do great things in the world of sculpture and illustration (go see), while I took a series of detours, none of which point to what I now do to pay my mortgage.

An obstacle course of markedly dissimilar career moves, including secretary at a bank, office manager at a hair transplantation chain (yes, that one), department head for a national television association, and production coordinator for a commercial director led to co-founding a non-profit media group which produced national media campaigns for environmental groups and NGOs.

The arrival of a daughter inspired me to rethink my working life, which until then was spent almost entirely in places that didn’t involve being at home. I packed my bags, strapped my baby in a car seat and headed home to Lyons, Colorado. To support my goal of being a full-time, on-duty mother, I found work with renowned Photoshop Guru, Ben Willmore. That twelve-year association has allowed me to work from home, managing Ben’s guru activities (seminars, conferences, etc.), as well as editing and illustrating his best-selling Photoshop books. My work has been featured on the covers of many Adobe Press and Peachpit Press titles including the Studio Techniques series (for Photoshop, After Effects, Flash, and Professional Video), the Up to Speed series, and Real World Camera Raw.

Most of my days are spent in front of a 27" iMac, which sits in my home office overlooking the North Saint Vrain River. I continue to work for Ben, as well as taking on the odd moonlighting job for clients, primarily book publishers and small businesses. Oh, and there's that one cowboy singer. I am also an unpaid servant to my lazy dog, Captain, and on Saturday mornings, just as the sun rises, you can find me tending to a tiny herd of goats who live just down the road. If you're wondering, that includes being a milkmaid.