It’s more important to understand someone than to judge them. We think the first step to understanding someone is asking them the fundamental questions about who they are and how they became the person they are today. Understanding and empathy are essential building blocks for a better, more compassionate world. We’re incredibly fortunate to be able to ask these questions each week through our interview series. Below you’ll find inspiring interviews from in and around Savannah.
Yolanni Atkinson
To be quite honest, I always knew how to do hair. I was relaxing hair and doing roller sets back when I was still in high school. I learned a lot from my mom, who put 3 kids through college doing hair. She use to always tell me,” Yan, you do so good with hair.” She use to pray over me and say, “I stir up the gift inside of you”. It came so natural to me. I never visioned myself doing hair; I ran from my talent for a long time. I worked every job you could think of. Back in 2018, while I was working as a nursing assistant, I started doing kids’ hair. People would see my daughter’s hair and would ask me to do their daughter’s hair the same way. I never figured out how I went from doing kids’ hair to adults’ hair. Read more>>
Kayla Foster
Hey there! I’m Kayla Foster, and I am a mother of one from Texas, now living in Georgia. I’ve always had an attraction towards weddings and love. I cannot survive without my weekly planner and to-do lists. I’m that friend that needs to know ALL the details for simply going out to dinner. Ever since I can remember, I was planning out everything out on paper! Detailed Christmas lists to give to my mom, planning fake themed parties (You should have seen the way a created a floor plan and a spreadsheet for my food tables at my Sweet 16!), and having a theknot.com account at way to young of an age, so I could plan weddings. Either I was crazy or destined for a career in event planning. Read more>>
Ashley Armstrong
As a little girl, I would always watch HGTV with my mom and flip through her home design books; those beautiful houses would ultimately stay in the back of my mind, leading me to wanting a career in Real Estate. As I grew up, instead of driving around bored, I would rather drive around the neighborhoods with the most expensive homes, always saying to myself, “That’s gonna be me one day,” or “I wish I could tour that home.” Now that I’m officially a REALTOR®, I can make those things happen in my life. Not only did I pursue real estate because it was a childhood amusement, but I can now help someone purchase their dream home; I can be the reason some else’s dreams come true. With perseverance and dedication, we can accomplish anything we want in life. Nothing is impossible; shoot for the stars! Read more>>
Erin Beadle
After working in corporate America for many years, I became a SAHM with the birth of my 2nd son. When my 3rd son was entering middle school, I decided I wanted to become a yoga teacher and ultimately went on to get my professional yoga therapy certification. I began teaching in yoga studios and working with private clients for many years. As my youngest son headed off to college and I was heading into my 50’s I felt a bit overwhelmed and excited with the idea of getting to reinvent myself at this stage in my life. In October of 2021, I launched my podcast – Midlife State of Mind – focusing on all the challenges and opportunities facing women at this time in their lives. Read more>>
Kate Zills
I am a professional engineer turned beauty business owner and lifestyle photographer. In 2019, I took a leap of faith, left my environmental engineering career, and started Made Simple Living (Made) and my photography business. Made is an online clean beauty shop made up of the best-selling products in clean skincare and makeup. In 2019, we brought the best of clean beauty to Alabama, and in 2021, we launched our handmade skincare line under the Made label. Think of us as your BFF in beauty and made is a collection of our tried-and-true recommendations in the clean, green, and natural beauty world. Read more>>
Cameron Cietek
12 years old on vacation with my family, and we’re in the hot tub. I’m too young to stay in so I dangle my legs in and start rubbing my mom’s neck and shoulders since I know she loves massages, but she can’t afford them often. I realize how simple it is to feel which muscles are tight, loose, and she says it feels amazing. The next week she buys me a foot reflexology book, and I practice on her feet. She gets in a car wreck and has a bulging disc in neck and herniated disc in low back. She came home from the physical therapist and chiropractor one day in so much pain. I asked if she’d lay down and let me try to help. She laid on the living room carpet while I felt along her spine, feeling her sacrum, the swelling in the low back, and the swelling in the neck. Read more>>
Julia Groza
Around the time I was 24, I felt a stirring that was prompting me to do “something more.” At the time, I had no idea what that was. I started writing and getting involved with real estate investments in hope of quenching that stirring but to no avail. And then, one day, it hit me…you should start your own business. So, in 2020 I legally established SimplyHealthyHome. SHH was a dropshipping company that focused on providing customers with easy-to-use products that would promote the health of themselves and their pets (a pretty big 180 from what SHH does today). Over the next year, I went through a series of unfortunate events related to my health and was in and out of the doctor’s office for most of the year. Read more>>
Auriel Kelley
I started out as a hustler. It sounds cliché, but I was always thinking of ways to make money. I remember applying for a cashier position at the age of 10 and writing “no experience “but willing to learn” on the application. Ambition at an early age. It’s been proven that our early years really mold us into who we’ll be in life, so let’s revisit. Being the only child for close to a decade kind of had me used to a lot me “me” thinking. Growing up, my mom was not the type to be overbearing in parenting. She recognized my independence and treated me accordingly. I can recall being eight or nine, getting myself to cheer competition tryouts, and making captain of the team my first year cheering. Read more>>
Lauren Schroeder
I am a South Carolina girl through and through. I was raised in Manning, SC, and a graduate of Clemson University. In 2001, I spread my wings and flew to California, where I met my husband and had my three amazing sons. In 2017, we moved the family back to South Carolina and have been so happy! I have been in the interior design industry since 2003. It actually started as a second career as a need to fuel a passion that I think I secretly knew I had as a child but only realized as an adult. After working in a large Design Center in San Diego, CA as a kitchen and bath designer for a few years, I had my first child. Read more>>
Liz Holt
I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember. During the final semester of my Art Studio bachelor’s program at Coastal Carolina University, I needed one more upper-level art class to graduate, so I signed up for what was available: an experimental fiber arts class. Embroidery quickly became my new favorite medium. I love the tactile nature of fiber art, and there’s something so accessible about making an artistic statement from materials people interact with every day. Read more>>
Mike and Jime Wimmer
As an artist all my life, I gained my first recognition at the age of 11 when I won a contest in Hot Rod Cartoon Magazine, “Draw the Hottest 18-Wheeler” contest, and received a check for $50.00. I began selling my art in galleries and art shows at the age of 14 and started my professional illustration career while working my way through college at the University of Oklahoma. I have had the honor of working for some of the largest companies in the world, including Disney, Proctor and Gamble, RJR Nabisco, Kimberly Clark, Celestial Seasons, Hasbro, Milton Bradley, Smuckers, American Airlines, and have painted over 300 covers for almost every major publisher in the United States, as well as creating more than 13 Children’s Books. Read more>>
Wayne Chambers
For the past six decades, I have enjoyed art – music, dance, and especially painting! I was born and raised in Virginia, discovering that I would much rather draw and engage in creative activities rather than work on the farm. I studied art at the New York Arts Students League and at Virginia Commonwealth University. Having a passion for teaching, I later taught at the Georgian Continuing Education Program, as well as private art lessons. As a young man, I painted several cityscapes and skyline views of Richmond, Virginia. I was the Retail Merchants Resident Artist for 15 years, where many of my works are displayed in the Boardrooms and Galleries. Read more>>
Sierra Evans
Story of Embrace Grace Mama When my oldest daughter was 4 years old, she was slamming doors in our faces and yelling, I didn’t know how to process or handle it gently without breaking her spirit. That started me down a long, many-year journey of discovering my parenting style. Along the way, my relationship with Jesus was reignited, and He is the one who led to grace-based parenting. I was ready book after book, the changes were apparent in my life, through my children, and soon other moms started reaching out for advice. Read more>>
Kristin Yoder
Hi, I’m Kristin – Owner of Kristin Yoder Photography! I’m a Savannah & Bluffton-based photographer specializing in family, couples, newborn, and maternity photography. Ever since I was little, I’ve always had a deep connection to and a love of all things photography related. I remember a moment where my dad took out his camera and showed me how to find the light through the lens to capture these incredible bursts of light shining through the trees. That memory stuck with me and, looking back, was the beginning of my love for photography. Read more>>
Monasha Francis
As the daughter of an entrepreneurs, I realized early on that I wanted to own my own business. The question then became where I was going to find my niche. It was the year before that my mom decided to retire her daycare business that I was managing. I began exploring ideas revolved around children’s shoes. I found shoes that I, as a mother of three, would like for my kids to wear. From my bedroom, I utilized social media to put the word out that I was in the children’s. shoes business. The response was overwhelming, and I knew then that I had found my calling. Read more>>
Alicja Colon
In the early ‘90s, my father owned a vinyl sign shop. He would design logos, have a plotter cut it out, then apply it to windows, vans, or magnetic sheets. This was my introduction to design and business. At 12, I helped to clean up logos and apply them to business windows during the nights and weekends. Since then, creative career has certainly had many twists and turns. The driver was rarely me but instead curiosity. Read more>>
Shirish Bhakare
My name is Shirish Bhakare. My journey on wild side started when I saw my first tiger at age of 4. It was at Kanha National Park and Tiger Reserve in India. The image of the male tiger is fresh in my mind. This was layered by fact that my father used to take me to nearby forest on at least 1 or 2 weekends in month to track tiger as hobby. This engrained my mind with thrill of tracking tigers in dense forests of India, and my love for wildlife and nature knew no boundaries. As with most of us for making a career, I focused on education in teenage years completed my engineering in Mechanical and MBA in marketing from Mumbai. Read more>>
Chasady Golden
My name is Chasady Golden born and raised in Midway, Ga. I graduated from Liberty go high school in 2005. Growing up, I’ve always love to write books, so I turn that into a hobby… I became a published author in 2018, signing my first deal with true glory my first book betrayed went number one on Amazon. I now have 8 books on Amazon. I have my last and final book coming out in March called Mr.305 (everything that Glitters ain’t gold). In 2019 I got into the dental field, which lead me to doing Resin Composite Veneers in 2022. I love giving people a new smile. Being confident in who you are is amazing. My support system (my mom) and family have been amazing. I’m excited for all the new things that Prettysveneers will be doing for the community. Read more>>
King Hollywood
Charleston’s first and only innovative cigar weekend. Catering to all lovers of the cigar culture while spotlighting cigar influencers, brands, clubs, and much more. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic with 600 attendees, not knowing that the following year we would double that number. This year will be unlike any other! With live performances, vendors, cigar brand owners, and lots of other activities to look forward to. Read more>>
Teneka Miles
As early as I can remember, I have been fascinated with relationships. I married very early, at the age of 18. This was due to extensive family trauma. Somehow, I found refuge in a relationship at a very young age. I did not understand at the time, we both would have our own journey of healing that would be taken. After trying several careers (cosmetologist, phlebotomist, banker, teacher’s assistant), I decided I was going to school for psychology. With my own marital problems, loving relationships, and wanting to know who they truly work, I knew this was the right path. Read more>>
Siyi Tang
From the time I was a little child, I loved to take pictures everywhere with my camera, even though I could only use the fully automatic gear and didn’t know what the buttons meant. However, my mom, an enlightened parent unlike most Chinese parents, raved about the landscape photos I took during my trip to Tibet. This definitely inspired me and got me into photography. Growing up, I was always interested in literature and art; I wrote poetry, wrote fan fiction, did voiceovers, took photos, and made short films. While pursuing my BA in Media Studies and Media Production at the University of Colorado at Boulder, I slowly discovered that photography was the perfect medium for me. It can be a still poem or a moment of reflection, it can be digital or textured prints, it can be enjoyed in conjunction with a particular short poem, and it can even be a philosophical process of research. Read more>>
Brittney Smith
I started off braiding hair at 13, ventured into doing my own sew-in installs on myself, & then on others. I’ve built a lot of clients over the years; even when I was working manufacturing Jobs, I would do hair on the side. I had gotten to a point where I hated working in manufacturing; I prayed To God about how I wanted out of just being stagnant in that line of work. By lunch break, I trusted that prayer & I walked out. Posted that I would be doing hair full time. God has covered me every since, complete overflow. I went to school in 2016 to get my license, graduated in 2017, and got my first Salon in 2018. The Shear Suite. We’re going on 5 years strong come April! Read more>>
Natalie Goodman
I started singing in the middle school choir at the Savannah Country Day School, although I had major stage fright growing up. With a little push from my faculty and peers, I started singing for our jazz band in high school. While music was always an important outlet for me, my main focus growing up was on soccer. I received a soccer scholarship and played all four years on the varsity University of Georgia soccer team. I also was in the u18 US National Team player pool and spent a majority of my childhood traveling for club soccer and the Olympic Development Team. My college soccer experience was something I would not trade for the world, but it certainly did not go as planned. Read more>>
Cherie Trice
I began my career in the legal and corporate worlds, in the fields of estate administration, trust administration, and eventually wealth management. I was doing a lot of document interpretation and number crunching. What always appealed to me, however, was the relationship side of my career…working with my clients and learning how to listen to their needs. This motivated me to pursue my M.A. in counseling. Along the way, I also received my Certified Trust and Financial Advisor designation. While I loved my clients and the work was always interesting, I wanted to find a way to perhaps do something which I felt “mattered.” I was recruited to become the head of the “Giving Group” at a large regional food bank in New England by a friend. That was my first foray into the non-profit world. I LOVED my work meeting people from all walks of life and from all backgrounds. Read more>>
Bec Gombar
I began dancing at the age of 3, in Vancouver, Canada, with a creative movement-style ballet class. As I matured, I started dancing more intensely and said goodbye to other hobbies, such as gymnastics and soccer. It grew apparent that I wanted to make dance my career and wanted to move to a big city to make it possible. Shortly after high school, I moved to New York City to pursue my dreams. I enrolled in a rigorous 2-year training program, and upon graduation from the program, I embarked on my professional career as a dancer. I have successfully fulfilled where I hoped I’d be in this stage of life and am constantly inspired by the art form. Read more>>
Aqila Norris
My name is Aqila, and it all started with an unexpected heart-tugging event that led me to the practice of hot yoga, suggested by a friend who owned the yoga studio. My children’s father was killed by the NYC subway, and we didn’t receive so much as a sorry. The practice allowed me to deal with serious emotions and to go to the depths of my soul for inner strength and resolve. Later that same friend opened another studio called Sacred and encouraged me to take yoga teacher training. During that journey, I grew tremendously and realized the same power of healing it had for me it could have for others. Along with learning how to guide yoga, I also benefited and learn the practice of healing emotional blockages with flower essences, Read more>>
Empress Makalani
Empress Makalani, FOUNDER & CEO of iCport Savannah, is inspired, motivated, and “CPORT’D” by her Husband and Best friend Siwatu Makalani, FOUNDER &CEO of MakalaniTribe, Local Artist, Poet, Lyricists and handyman; Her Brothers, God Imaj (Yusuf Major), Local Artist, West African Drummer and Craftsman, XNXX Timmy (Timothy Scott), Local Artist; iCport Savannah’s Lock’dN made up of Cliqu’dUp, LyteLyfe, SOSOSOLID, Tre Singleton, Paulie Sharelle and The Cporters of iCport Savannah’s CPORT’D. She takes her hat off to the hard workers of their crafts and is doing her due diligence to get them noticed and utilized by The People of Savannah. Read more>>
Jennifer Huff
Early on, I knew I wanted to be a teacher. In fact, I never really considered any other careers. I worked my way through my bachelor’s and master’s degrees, spent 12 years in the classroom, and 5 years as an assistant principal. When my mom became diagnosed with dementia, I needed to find something where the schedule was more flexible, but I didn’t want to lose the opportunity to teach. Real estate seemed like a good fit – all of the teaching skills I learned definitely apply to this role! I can educate first-time buyers throughout the process, I can work with all kinds of people, and there’s always a need to exercise my problem-solving abilities. Read more>>
Jeff Caplinger
I am a former educator. In 2004, I began working for a group travel company (American Destinations, Inc.). In 2010, I moved to Charleston, SC, and started a private tour company (All About Charleston). In 2015, I returned to my roots in the travel industry by starting All About Destinations, which is a group travel company. I continued to operate All About Charleston as well. During the pandemic, I moved my family back to my hometown of Elkins, WV. where I expanded All About Destinations to include selling our own excursions and working with various groups. I continue to run All About Charleston as well. Read more>>
Sedona Baldaccini
My senior year at SCAD, my best friend and I had a fun idea for a photoshoot and editorial, so we gathered up some of our friends to help, and we just went and did it. The photos and editorial got noticed by a local business, which then turned into my first freelance opportunity. I graduated from SCAD in the middle of covid, working on my first freelance project, and the projects kept flowing in. Graduating in the middle of covid, where finding an “industry job” was nearly impossible, I really leaned into the jobs I was getting being a freelance designer, and I officially took the next step and started a business. My thought process was, “Well, I can do this for now, keep making money, and if the offers stop rolling in, and the industry starts hiring again, I’ll stop my business and go work in corporate.” Read more>>
Cullen Peck
I grew up in Atlanta but moved to New York for college. I started studying painting at New York University and ended up finishing my degree in Florence, Italy at one of the school’s satellite campuses. Though visual art was not my first love — I had gone to school to study creative writing — I was drawn to the Rennaissance methods of drawing and painting and ended up pursuing a second degree at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze, where I focused on contemporary portraiture. After school, however, my other passion took over: I had worked as a cook in restaurants around Florence to support myself, and in that time, I found I had a knack for the restaurant industry. Read more>>
Bryson Custer
I began my journey by thinking that running a copious number of miles sounded like fun. Indeed, it was, as joining the cross country and track teams in high school brought me a large amount of joy. Unfortunately, a variety of injuries caught me before the finish line. A fellow injured teammate of mine discovered a chiropractor a few towns over who practiced a cool new muscle treatment, and we both found his expertise to be just what we needed to continue running our best. As I graduated high school, I knew I didn’t want to see any young athletes struggle with their bodies falling apart the way I did. This made it easy to choose the preventative side of health and wellness as my focus. Read more>>
Ryan Whyte-Buck
I am a native of Ojai, CA, an idyllic faming community set back in the mountains just south of Santa Barbara’s world renown wine country. I inherited a love of cooking and baking from my grandparents, who showed me that farm-fresh ingredients and just the right amount of sweetness can always bring people together. I would watch Emeril Lagasse and Ming Tsai with my grandma and Pa and marvel at their outsized personalities and seemingly mystical knowledge of how to transform the gifts of the earth into delicious and beautiful dishes. Read more>>
Beth Fontaine
Ever since I was a child, I’ve had a fascination with the paranormal. The occurrences I had were normal to me, and it wasn’t until around high school that I realized not everyone had conversations with ghosts. Throughout the years, I’ve chased after the things that go bump in the night and have enjoyed telling others about these adventures. After a while, people would ask me how I found locations to investigate and if they could come with me. 15 years ago, I started a paranormal tourism company as a hobby. For about 5 years, I organized group travel and took guests all over the place creating haunted and wacky itineraries. It was a wild ride. Read more>>
Cody Glenn
I was born and raised in Long Island, NY. Since I can remember, I have always been an artist. I treated art only as a pastime until I was twenty years old when I was accepted to begin my apprenticeship at Wyld Chyld Tattoo in Merrick, NY. I chose to become a tattooer when I felt that I wasn’t getting what I wanted out of my academic studies in college. After finishing out my creative writing degree at a local community college, I took my portfolio around to some tattoo shops in the hopes of being accepted as an apprentice. Read more>>
Jonathan Fackler
I have been fascinated with the world of cartoons since the age of three. One of my favorite cartoons growing up was SpongeBob SquarePants. I wanted watch that show all the time, and if I wasn’t watching it, I was drawing the characters to fuel my SpongeBob addiction. One day my mother and grandma noticed me drawing and were amazed at the detail and accuracy for a three-year-old. After seeing my drawings, my mother knew I was going to be an artist. My father also knew that I would probably become an artist when I wouldn’t stop drawing on his walls. My Grandmother, who is also an artist, was a huge supporter of mine growing up. She always made sure that I had all the materials or supplies I needed to succeed. Read more>>
Chelsea Elizabeth
Writing has always been my passion, even before I knew it was. From my first story at five years old about playing PowerRangers to the novels I write today, putting words onto the page has carried me through everything. Strangely, I didn’t realize I wanted to be an author professionally until after college, and that’s how I ended up becoming a Physical Therapist. Even during grad school, I found time to write, letting it relieve my exam stress. Now, I work at the clinic treating patients during the week and write at night or on the weekends. So far, I’ve written seven books, and that doesn’t mean they’re all revised, edited, and ready to go! The few that I have polished up, I’ll be working toward traditional publishing through a publishing house, and I’ll keep working on other writing and writing-related projects in the meantime. Read more>>
Anita Rodriguez
My earliest childhood memories are of me drawing and painting. The older I got, the more I started to explore different artistic media. My dad initially taught me how to hand sew so I would always be able to do minor repairs on my clothes but eventually, that became another medium for me to use. I was customizing my clothes and making arm warmers in high school not realizing years later my drawings and my sewing/crafting skills would meet in the middle. I now design and create my cosplay costumes as well as upcycling clothing that I customize and silk screen my art onto. Last year I started a shop through Instagram called Little Wolf Shoppe to give the upcycled clothes a second life with someone other than myself. Read more>>
Danielle Zito
We met working on cruise ships back in 2017. We started our Instagram in 2019 during a 6-week trip to South America, bought a professional camera and drone, and started creating content. For a year, it was just our side gig while working on ships, but then we started to get serious with everything when the pandemic hit in 2020. We started our website of travel guides, and after 8 months apart we took a two-month trip to Mexico, where we started to do our first collaborations, grow our social following, and become focused on building our brand. Read more>>
Randall Kenneth Jones
Modern-day renaissance man Randall Kenneth Jones has built a marketing and public relations portfolio that includes respected household names from the IT, healthcare, entertainment, publishing, retail, and consumer products & services industries. Though he wears many hats, Randy’s expertise in the art of storytelling has garnered the most notice. Every human being and every business have a story to tell — and an audience they need to hear that story. Jones helps individuals and businesses develop their most compelling stories for the online or traditional media best suited to deliver their message. Read more>>
Khadijah Bryant
Growing up, I wanted to either be a neurosurgeon or a veterinarian. The older I became I realized I didn’t really like animals and I did not want to work on brains, so I decided becoming a nurse would better suit me. While pursuing my dream to become a nurse, I started doing hair, but I didn’t really take it serious until my freshman year of college. I was taking classes at Armstrong while doing hair on the side so that I wouldn’t be the typical broke college student. At first, it was just a hobby, but then I started to really love it, so I dropped out and went to hair school. While there I learned everything there is to know about hair, skincare and so much more. I graduated April of 2021 and have been doing hair full-time ever since. Read more>>
Sydney Becraft
My name is Sydney Becraft, and I am a junior illustration major at the Savannah College of Art and Design and originally from Scottsdale, Arizona. My art journey started when I was eleven years old, struggling with anxiety and depression as a young girl and looking for an outlet to express myself. Although I have been drawing my whole life, I found my love for art in the seventh grade as I found that it could be a possible career path later on. From eleven to around sixteen years old, I made it my personal mission to constantly explore new mediums, such as acrylic painting to digital art, to further my knowledge of the art world and find my niche. Read more>>
Kenna Porter
When I was a young girl, I craved creativity. I would bounce from thing to thing, interest to interest. I searched for creativity in many different aspects of my life. However, it wasn’t until I picked up a camera that I felt truly fulfilled. It was an interest that has never left me to this day. Growing up, my grandma would often times lend me her camera, and I’d run off to go shoot the plants in my yard, my home, or the family members inside. I remember a trip my grandma took me on to Calloway Gardens, where I took along my first ever camera and shot every and any detail I could. I always believed that everything in life was photo-worthy if you could find its potential. I felt that unlike most, I was able to find the potential in everything. Read more>>
Brittany Eagans
Well, I guess my story isn’t much different than some other wedding planners. I planned my own wedding and loved it so much that I knew it was something I wanted to keep doing. I guess the biggest difference for me from others though, is that I was only 19. Starting a business at 19 with very limited knowledge and experience is a rough undertaking, so to “put in my dues,” I worked for another wedding company in my area for a few years before they changed ownership. The new owner ran the company into the ground, and I had friends/ clients at that point that had signed on to work with me specifically, so they came with me when the other company failed, and that was how Be Wed was born, out of necessity more than anything. Read more>>
Sean Hussey
I grew up in rural Oxford, Connecticut. The son of an engineer and a nurse, I found a love of the arts from an early age, performing on stage and working on crew. In high school, I began to explore filmmaking and video content creation, always motivated by films that inspired me as a child: the original ‘Star Wars,’ ‘Toy Story,’ and Christopher Nolan’s ‘Interstellar.’ This love of filmmaking led me to pursuing it professionally, and I found myself falling in love with the city of Savannah, its budding film market, and the Savannah College of Art and Design. Read more>>
Sarah Wright of House of Wright Design
Since I was young, I knew that I would be a creative professional. I spent all my free time at school in the art room drawing, painting, or throwing clay. I attended Columbus College of Art & Design on scholarship, majoring in Advertising & Graphic Design. Read more>>
Ellie Copeland
I grew up in a very creative household. By having two artistic parents, I was quickly introduced to the wonders of art, which developed my passion for it. Since elementary school, I experimented with all sorts of mediums like paint, clay, markers, pencil, metal, and more. As I grew, I honed my skills in high school and found passion with illustration on both paper and digitally. On a whim, I took an animation course at my local art school, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, or MCAD. It was here that I fell in love with animation and knew it was something that I wanted to do. Now, as a junior at Savannah College of Art and Design, I have found my passion. Read more>>
