“I’m a designer, which applies to a lot of things. Our studio, LightBox, specializes in visual identity and branding. Logos, primarily, but branding encompasses all kinds of services including graphic design and web design.
What I love about design is that it’s so collaborative. Each project is pretty unique. The scope also changes quite a bit. Who the client is changes what the experience is like. There have been some that are more passion projects, others that feel more just like hard work. But it’s always a unique experience, which makes it really exciting and fun.
I think working with the mayor on his campaigns has been something we really enjoy. This past month, we were working with the Community Foundation to help them produce their annual report. Obviously, because of COVID this year, they couldn’t have an in-person meeting. We helped them to conceptualize what it might look like to create an experience for their constituents. So we put together a box of goodies that kind of was highlighting different businesses in the county. We also worked with local manufacturers to make a really beautiful presentation both in terms of the annual report but also just for people receiving a box to highlight the many businesses and the good work being done in our community despite the challenges COVID has brought.
I have been in and out of Goshen since the early ’90s. The last time I left, I was swearing it off – I didn’t think I would come back. But when we did, it was to be near family. My wife and I were having kids, and we came with this idea of being here three to five years, kind of get through the early kid stage with some help and then move to a bigger city. That’s what we wanted to do, but I think Goshen has been such a great place – I’ve done a complete 180. It’s been very supportive of the arts, very supportive of small business and entrepreneurship. I’ve had opportunities open up for me that I did not imagine at all, including even just being a business owner. It was not something that I ever grew up with aspirations of being. I was just encouraged so much to try out, try freelancing, see how it goes. I was working first just at home and for a while at Launchpad before having our own space here.
I love the artist community here. I’ve been fortunate enough to participate on the Mayor’s Arts Council. We have these great events like Arts on the Millrace. You see it everywhere, especially downtown and also some of the artwork you see around town, like some of John Mishler’s sculpture works. I feel like it’s a really vibrant community. New artists continue to be attracted to our community. We have initiatives like The Hawks that also work toward that end. I feel like it brings a lot of life and vitality to our town. It’s always fun to even just be out at a market and kind of run into different artistic expressions that vendors have there. It’s a great place to live and work as an artist.”
