Erika Alvarez | design + developement

Designing is like a Vegas buffet...

...analyze your surroundings, try everything, start small and build up as you go. I study the environment, strategize where I want to start, and come back to repeat the process until I'm satisfied.

I'm a strong believer in the idea that we're always learning. No matter what life stage you're in, there's always room to learn, grow, and learn some more. With every project I tackle, I'm always open to the reality I won't know every answer to every question, but I will learn as I go.

Designing is like a Vegas buffet...

...analyze your surroundings, try everything, start small and build up as you go. I study the environment, strategize where I want to start, and come back to repeat the process until I'm satisfied.

It all starts in Anaheim, CA...

I was in 5th grade when my parents bought me my first computer. It started off innocent, I'd log on and spend hours on disneychannel.com playing online games (I had a particular fondness over the Stitch sandwich stacking game). Soon enough, like every child does, I eventually discovered the wholesome world of community forums and Internet blogging.

I'd talk to people online (don't tell my mom), build a community, and teach myself how to create themes for my blog and graphics to add to my feed. Learning how to read HTML or use Photoshop was never something 12-year-old me thought, "this would be useful when I have a job one day!" It was all just one big hobby for me. I enjoyed every minute of sitting there for hours trying to troubleshoot bugs in my Tumblr theme and follow tutorials on how to use certain tools on Photoshop to create a graphic I could be proud of.

As I grew older, I never realized the hobby I picked up in my preteens would guide me as an adult into an industry I felt like I belonged to. If only 12-year-old me knew where she'd be a decade from now.