- Are you a techie person?
Yes. I am. My dad was an electronic technician. I guess you could say I was interested in all things electronic back when I was a kid. I used to sit next to my dad while he repaired televisions and radios and ask a lot of annoying questions. I’ll never forget the day he brought home the Atari 400. That was one of the first computers where you could type lines of code for hours to finally see an American Flag display on your TV screen. I believe the common term was RUN back then which is what I typed in when I finished typing all those lines of code. I bought the first laptop Apple released, the Powerbook 100, and I LOVED IT. Technology is not scary to me. It’s just another puzzle, and I love puzzles. If you’d like to hear more about my travel through time and how I feel about AI you might enjoy this article I wrote: “Artificial Intelligence and the Fear of Being Irrelevant.” - Weren’t you a fashion model?
Yes, I was. And no, I don’t model anymore. I started modeling in San Francisco at 18. I dropped out of college and flew to Paris at 19. I stayed in Paris for about two years. I also lived briefly in Milan, Barcelona, Sydney, Chicago, Miami Beach, and settled in New York City for a decade before moving to Silicon Valley. Why Silicon Valley you might ask? While I was still a model, I created designed and helped develop a software program for fashion models to manage their billings. Think of it as QuickBooks for Dummies except it was for models. I sold a few hundred copies and expanded to Hair & Makeup professionals. My first experience in software application development. It was also in the Bay Area where I returned to school and studied Web and Multimedia Design and Development at UC Santa Cruz Extension for two years. - Do you own Specto Design?
Yes. I founded the company. Specto Design has created many award-winning projects for various industries including retail, food service, financial services, biotech, fashion, hospitality, tourism and more. I am the “face” of the company and the one who attends client meetings including pitches to C-level executives and board members. At Specto Design, I have mentored and trained junior designers and worked with software and web developers both in-house and freelance to design and develop digital products including websites, software applications, web apps and more, from conception through launch and beyond.