I used to introduce myself as a designer. Or a creative. Now, I hesitate and default to something vague: I work in marketing.
Which, sure technically true. But marketing is a huge umbrella that covers ecommerce, strategy, brand, design, coordination, management, and problem solving. And the truth is, I’m not just a designer anymore. I haven’t been for a while.
I still love design. I still love being creative. But working in corporate America turned me into more of a doer. An execution machine. Over time, I realized I actually thrive in strategy, structure, and performance.
I was a designer who could also understand marketing and sales. I could work my way through a spreadsheet. I got curious about results. I wanted to know what actually worked.
How did people react?
Why did they react that way?
What could I tweak to make it better?
“Make it pretty” wasn’t enough for me anymore. I wanted to know how it worked.
I think the biggest reason I’ve grown in my career is because I wasn’t afraid to be curious. I’d poke around in Shopify, WordPress, back-end data tools—whatever I could get into—and start making changes. Slowly improving the experience, cleaning up what felt off, looking for small ways to fix friction.
It felt natural. I could apply my problem solving brain and get real results. That kind of feedback loop was addictive. It was validating in a way that pure design execution wasn’t anymore.
That said, there are things I carry with me from design that set me apart from someone who’s purely analytical.
I have visual logic.
I see hierarchy.
I understand how people read, scroll, pause.
I have deep empathy—how does this make someone feel?
I won’t fall into marketing traps like clickbait, but I still know how to drive performance.
I take creative risks, especially with copy and interaction, because I don’t want the work to feel templated or lifeless.
And when things get messy, I stay clear under pressure. I don’t fold.
These days, I lead ecommerce strategy. I oversee site performance, promotional calendars, and email marketing. I’ve learned how to zoom out, lead cross-functional teams, and see things from a wider lens.
But I still think like a designer. Just in a more systematic way.
I don’t need the title anymore. And honestly, it was scary to let it go.
But what I do now is make things click. Strategically, visually, and structurally.
And so far, it’s working.