Daughter to loving parents, she grew up in a coastal town of eastern Florida. This funny, kind-hearted, compassionate, and open-minded dog mom enjoys walking her pup Allie as much as she did back in her days as the neighborhood’s prime teenage dog sitter.
«I have a fur daughter Allison, AKA Allie. ☺ She is part Border Collie, Blue Heeler, and Diva.«
Carly also loves refurbishing furniture, because there is nothing like that sense of accomplishment from creating something with your own hands.
«Except for the time when Allie ate my mother’s wooden buffet, not an easy fix!«
While she enjoys a good laugh — this quirky young woman lacks no determination to get after what she wants, just like Allie with that buffet. As a burgeoning graphic designer and art director, Carly entered corporate America’s marketing world with her keen eye, fully equipped to rock it and work her magic.
She knows exactly what she brings to the table, and it is marvelous.
«I am a graphic designer and art director. I use design to solve problems!«
People love to work with her. Who wouldn’t appreciate a collaborative and supportive teammate? Knowing this inspires her to keep doing what she does best. As humble and grounded as she is, it is nice to know that her efforts are recognized and appreciated — even more so when her clients, leaders and colleagues will pass this forward about her without hesitation.
«I work hard. I like to be challenged. I don’t like being bored, but I don’t stretch myself too thin. I enjoy working in truly collaborative environments.«
Lately, she has been doing some modern and relevant work interacting heavily with copywriters while art directing a full-on campaign. From store displays, ads for streaming services (like Hulu) to social media pieces, her portfolio has taken a new dimension these days. While print design and layout have been a huge part of her career, she is loving more and more working with digital assets.
Fueled by that collaborative spirit, she has worked closely with key allies in the creative field to put out compelling and engaging print and digital designs. However, she reveals that navigating politics and bias in the workplace has strengthened her from early on. Realizing what she has gone through and conquered to this day, she moves forward sharing her journey to resilience.
«Shockingly my age is an obstacle! I’ve noticed that my age is a big deal to a lot of people in the corporate entourage.«
While she is enjoying her late 20s, she still hears people slipping comments about her age, “What are you, eighteen?” or “Oh, you are practically a baby” or worst, “A baby designer”. The taste of passive aggressiveness can be bittersweet. She consoles thinking those aren’t the worst things to be called. Why should well-rounded and prepared professionals put up with something so patronizing?
«I feel that I have had to be careful of how I am perceived in a corporate environment because I am typically younger than my coworkers at my same level. I feel a pressure to ‘prove myself’ at this stage in my career.«
Yes, she is young but that shouldn’t be an obstacle in her career. She has worked hard to get to be where she is. Heck, she can do things other designers are not necessarily equipped to do, and she certainly provides an enriching perspective to real teamwork. To overcome this, she has opted to measure her reaction and shake it off gracefully with laughter. She thinks most times people do this out of habit, and not out of maliciousness. It’s just one more preconception to deal with and she ultimately has — with a relentless will, practicing self-worth and, at times, even shedding a tear or two in private.
«I have in the back of my mind that if I react a certain way, it will be construed that it is because of my age or that I’m a woman.«
She has had to work emotionally smarter because she is a woman. Learning to surpass being spoken to inappropriately from both men and women in the workplace didn’t come easy. Facing objectifying comments to being talked down to and being treated with cattiness, she feels an extra pressure to avoid displaying emotion as a woman in the workplace. She feels like she can’t express distaste in certain situations because it could be construed as “she’s too emotional” or “being crazy”. But that pales down in comparison to what she feels is even more frustrating.
«The biggest disappointment as a woman in a corporate setting is being mistreated by another woman.«
This takes a whole ‘nother level, as it is hard to feel any different than disheartened, when another woman speaks down to you or to another female coworker because they feel threatened, entitled by their position, they hold “political power” or, in the end, their own insecurities.
«We as women need to support each other. No excuses. I absolutely love women who build other women up.«
Dealing with these challenges presented a huge growth opportunity for her. When she feels something is wrong, she is compelled to go fix it. That plays a central role into the type of person and professional she is proud to be. Largely, since she knows firsthand what she would never want to be like. She could never act that way.
«If I’m being completely honest, I’ve had to switch to think less about how I am perceived by others and focus more on how I perceive myself.«
As she realizes she has also been hard on herself regarding career and independence, she understands now that people often rely on what they think they know, their biases, and issue judgements based on their limited experiences. None of that stops her from bringing her designer wits and hard-earned experience combined with a kind and collaborative attitude to shake their perspectives.
«I am pretty damn happy with myself. That is not always an easy place to be.«
Breaking deep rooted social notions and understanding how they impair our ability to engage, collaborate and progress, is a tough race to win alone. It is an individual, yet a collective endeavor.
As she contemplates her future, she would love to dedicate more time to learning another language and studying psychology. No surprise there, she wants to learn new ways to connect to more people and understand better the human mind and our social interactions. Having herself a strong support system, starting with her family, and continuing with her friends, she knows how valuable it is to be surrounded with driven, smart, and encouraging individuals.
«They are the best part of me.«
While she keeps annihilating stereotypes with her art, kindness, and maturity, she is certainly building a name for herself among her generation. That’s how a ‘design badass’ is born.
Recuenta 