Chris helps mission-driven organizations and visionary leaders craft stories in print and online through design, illustration, and marketing consultation. Considering himself a life-long artist, he's been in love with creating art and writing since he was old enough to pick up a crayon. When he's not working, you can probably find him unearthing hidden gems in Atlanta, learning more about its growing tech and start-up scenes, getting involved in the community, attending a concert, reading a book, or trying a new restaurant for brunch.
Are companies ready to actually hear what they have to say and involve them in major decisions? Or are they just there to fill a quota and make the company look good? Many people would agree that diversity is needed, but what about inclusion?
As a freelance designer and solo entrepreneur, I wear a lot of different hats. I’m constantly looking for tools that help me to work smarter and not harder.
My tool of choice for handling my business’s finances is FreshBooks—a web-based application designed for service-based entrepreneurs that generates invoices, tracks my working time, and accepts online payments. Its user-friendliness, intuitiveness, and ease of use make it a winner in my book. FreshBooks helps me to manage accounting tasks efficiently so I can get back to the activities I’d rather spend my time on.
Not convinced? If you’re struggling with keeping track of your invoices, here are some reasons why you should use FreshBooks.
Student Perspectives is our new interview series with students at HBCUs and some of the nation’s top art and design schools. Learn about their goals, their fears, and their plans for the future! We’re kicking things off with Cydney Ahlberg, a sophomore at Savannah College of Art and Design’s Atlanta campus.
When I moved to Atlanta a few years ago, I decided to level-up my skills by enrolling in a coding school. To test what was learned, instructors suggested that students in my cohort consider signing up for a hackathon. This introduced me to a concept I had heard of before, but had not given much thought to — hacking. That experience thrust me into Atlanta’s rising entrepreneurial and tech ecosystem, and changed the trajectory of my career.
The first hackathon I ever participated in was Goodie Hack — a hackathon designed to solve problems for underserved communities. Teams were challenged to come up with tech-based solutions to address issues for local non-profit organizations. Another hackathon I’ve participated in is 48 in 48, a two-day event where designers and developers build websites for nonprofits in need of a website or online presence makeover to further their missions.
Since then, I have been hooked on hackathons. However, after attending several of these events now, I have not seen a lot of black and brown designers, in particular, compared to other technical talent. I find this to be somewhat perplexing, considering that several of these events are focused on issues affecting the very communities in which we live, and they’re always looking for diverse perspectives to inform the conversations. Yet, there are not that many of us sitting at these tables that have chairs with our names on them.
Here are some reasons why more black designers should consider participating in hackathons.
I’ve learned to see the world through the eyes of a designer — in shapes, colors, composition, and typography. I also see it through a set of eyes which yearns for the opportunity to say more: the eyes of a black man.
