A Personal README
Explanation — A new colleague joined my team at Dow Jones and introduced us to the personal README concept. I love giving anything this self-reflective a shot, so here it goes. This feels very vulnerable to publish, but you either ended up here through a direct link from me or some very thorough rummaging—either way, welcome.
First draft: September 15, 2025
Non(ish)-Work
I’ve been a citizen of the internet for a long time. I can fondly reminisce about the old days of spacer.gifs, table-based layouts, and the gymnastics of using sIFR to make nicer dynamic type on the web using both JavaScript and Flash. Truly a tinkerer who’s been in love with the web for a long time.
In short, curiosity and exploration tend to be the drivers of my ambition more than anything else. I naturally seek to put myself in a novice or beginner’s mindset, just to gain my own firsthand proficiencies and understanding. You can read even more on my about page.
At Work
I view design and my role as a deeply supportive player. As a designer, I get the privilege to look at experiences through the lens of so many people. Beyond meeting the needs of the end user, I want to make sure we’re highlighting the product’s best strengths and that developers are excited about the work they’re doing.
What that practically means is I listen a lot, ask a lot of questions, and most importantly, work really closely with my partners and product owners to help build products that solve real problems and brainstorm together to find creative solutions. With any luck, I hope the meetings we work in together are the most fun you have that day as we explore potential together.
Personality
I’ll use the metaphor of the duck. On the surface, I try to keep a (very) casual, calm demeanor, but just below the surface there’s a flurry of activity going on. After we build a little bit of trust, I’ll open that energy up more.
Since I frequently need to supply visuals or attempt to sound educated in an area, I work best with at least an agenda or plan—but not a strict schedule—so we can all adapt as information develops.
Receiving Feedback
Art school trained me how to take any form of critique. So I prefer direct, actionable feedback early and often. I also expect it to be a dialogue at some level, with explanations and justifications so I can learn how to adapt to transferable scenarios. I won’t take anything personally.
I’m not a very precious designer. I hold onto most concepts loosely and measure decisions against business impact and agility.
Recognition
I get very awkward around receiving recognition. I get more satisfaction from the team being in good spirits and helping raise the tide for everyone in any way I can. Respecting people’s time and effort is the most important thing—that’s worth more than any accolades. Relationships will last longer than any product.
Work Patterns
I’m usually online 9am–5pm EST. I try not to blow up anyone’s Slack until after 10am. At 5:30pm, my dog Mihra is usually hounding me for her evening walk. I usually go offline by 6pm and will only respond to absolute emergencies. I strive to be responsive but not reactive.
Communication Preferences
I’m chronically online but can sometimes be forgetful about responding. I love an agenda and try to set one when I can. I like a plan but hate a strict schedule. I do my best to do any preliminary searching and troubleshooting before reaching out, and I greatly appreciate the same. This tends to be a bit verbose at times, frequently with spelling errors.
How To Know I’ve Gone To The Dark Side
Warning Signs
As a self-preservation mechanism, I get distant and try to clearly define my responsibilities. My nature is to try and fix everything and assume way more responsibility than I can actually control. I get frustrated when I can’t find resolution, so I start defining boundaries.
How to Help
Clear, calm communication. Give me the space and time to recover. Forcing a reconciliation can quickly push me away. An earnest apology is all that’s needed, and an attempt to change the behavior together.
Me Being Me
I try to curb my sarcasm, but I can quickly tilt toward the absurd or dark humor. I try to be very mindful of it, but when pushed I can get punchy—and that’s the first barrier that will drop.
Pet Peeves
When work shifts to being purely reactionary as the only motivation over sustained periods of time. It’s disrespectful of people’s time and effort. I anticipate a lot of churn from pushing pixels in Figma, but frivolous tasks without a clear use or intended audience will gas me out quickly. It also makes it hard to communicate intent and keep team morale up over the long haul.
Career Goals & Future Interests
This is the toughest one for me. Most of my tech career has felt like a roller coaster of feast and famine. What I want more now than any title or recognition is sustainable, steady positive movement and security.
Areas for Development
I love the chance to experiment with new technologies and features. Lately I’ve been really enjoying slinging CSS again. I look for opportunities to acquire new skills, challenge normal thinking, and develop fresh ideas and perspectives.
Ask Me About
I’m an avid motorcyclist. I was deeply into roasting coffee—ask me about roaster analytics. Currently into learning more about smelting and casting.