About Alyn

At a Glance

I’m a self-taught visual designer, photographer and creative copywriter with over a decade of professional experience. I have a deep passion for interior design and product styling, art, branding, image curation, and a thirst to constantly learn and thrive in my craft and expand into art and design-adjacent fields. I’ve recently rebranded a 130-year-old company, shot product cover photos, worked with 3D artists, staged interior home shoots, and have lent my writing skills to executives, product blogs, social media and local non-profits to expand outreach.

Favorite Things

NMS
The OA 
Dorohedoro 
Sushi 
Crème Brûlée

Introduction

Garrett Watts once said, “complacency is where souls and creativity go to die,” and I couldn’t agree more. I strive to do fulfilling and purpose-led work. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Code for Good, small local business owners, philanthropic organizations and startups to some of the most influential tech companies in the Fortune 500.

I currently reside in Grand Rapids, MI, USA, in wild company with free-roaming deer, turkey, ducks and countless other wildlife with my partner and two Pomeranians, Dolce and Epyon.

It Began with Drawing

When I was about 4 years old in the 1990s, our TV only had a few local channels. YouTube didn’t exist and most households did not have a computer. PBS aired Pappyland, a sort of children’s version of Bob Ross.

Pappy Drewitt, the main host, would teach viewers how to draw animals and people beginning with very basic shapes that even the most drawing illiterate could mimic. From therein I was enamored, favoring it over other shows like Mr. Rogers and Sesame Street. Fast forward to my first foray into digital art.

2001:  First Computer

My parents purchased our first computer in 2001. I was 10 years old. Around the same time, my dad transitioned from film photography to digital cameras. A lot of the cameras came bundled with image editing software. It didn’t take me long to figure out that these programs were incredibly limiting. I eventually learned about PhotoShop and the rest was history.

Mind Collapse / Mind Bite Ver. (2010), Digitally Painted in PhotoShop with Intuos3

Forums & Tagging

Over the next few years, I involved myself in several online forums, typically offshoots from shared interests for various video games, but they usually had some creative sub-section for art.

After a time, I built a thick skin after putting up my work for strangers over the internet to critique. I grew more at this stage than probably all my years in college. I’ve been exploring my creativity since.

Electrifying (2009), Digitally Painted in PhotoShop with Intuos3

Hobbies & Interests

My other interests include remodeling the design of our current home, vintage thrifting for unique home décor pieces, fashion, traveling, and exploring all kinds of food. I have a fondness for minimalist interiors, an addiction to acquiring intriguing books, unique plants, and a love for discovering new places and experiences. To give you an idea of the books I like, check out the blog where I discuss this bit more in-depth:

sonder

n. the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and as complex as your own—populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries, and inherited craziness—an epic story that continues invisibly around you like an anthill sprawling deep underground, with elaborate passageways to thousands of other lives that you’ll never know exist, in which you might appear only once, as an extra sipping coffee in the background, as a blur of traffic passing on the highway, as a lighted window at dusk.

The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig

A Corner of Our Home feat. Flag Halyard Chair

Behind the Scenes Photography Setup feat. Tethered Shooting

Want to Collab?

Hey! You’re cool, I’m cool, and incredible things can come from artists collaborating. If it’s for a passion project, a good cause, or a business, I could be down to collaborate with whatever project you may have in mind.

Contact Me