In October 2019, I moved from Portland, Oregon, back to my hometown of Monclova, Ohio, and change was certainly in the air. a few months after this, in February 2020, I met my partner, Jerrod, at a nightclub in downtown Toledo. a couple weeks after that, covid-19 spread to America, and then things really took an unexpected turn.

for major retailers like target, however, the pandemic was big business, and that meant more work for the product development team. lots more work. the Print & pattern team changed shape, and by the time quarantine took effect, the kates had moved on from their roles and I was now in the fabulous company of Joy Byrum, Danielle Wolf and Melanie Gaudet.

It was a busy and stressful period of my career, but it takes pressure to make a diamond dazzle. Oh and honey, we were dazzling...