Tree Hugger

For starters, this title isn't totally accurate. I am not only a tree hugger, but a plant hugger. A shrub hugger. A flower hugger. A soil hugger. Pretty much anything that has to do with nature, God's beautifully created Earth, and anything that has to do with my career, I want to hug it. Heck, I probably even want to hug you!

But I used to not always be this way. Don't get me wrong, I've always wondered at the beauty at the world and have always loved being out in nature. I love camping and being in the woods, but I also gained a great appreciation for flowers and other residential/landscape plants, as my mother kept a very beautiful yard at our home.  But it never occurred to me that I could have a career working with things like this. I didn't really care about 'going green' (partially because my father was pretty strongly against it, partially because I was ignorant, and partially because I just didn't care). But when I came to college, I was taking my General Education classes and signed up for a class called Environmental Science. If I didn't know anything about being 'environmentally friendly' when I arrived at college, I certainly knew a big amount of something after my first term. I learned right then and there that I think very differently than my parents do when it comes to things like this, and I felt strongly about it! I wanted to change my life for the environment. After I took that class, I even thought about going into to law school of environmental law. But then I realized I would probably make a horrible lawyer...

I kept taking my GEs and the following semester I took two similar classes - The Cultural History of Medicinal Plant, and Living with Plants. Both awesome classes. When I finished medicinal plants, I decided I wanted to work with my professor on doing research on plants' medicinal qualities in China and Tonga. It was also in this class where I discovered my favorite tree - the Ginkgo biloba tree. Seriously, it's probably the coolest tree you will ever know about - but don't even get me started on that because I could really go on forever about it. Anyway, I soon realized that I actually didn't really want to do all the sciencey research stuff...and then I finished Living with Plants. This class was the ultimate push into my major - confirming to me what I wanted to do.  My professor for this class was truly inspired, in every sense of the word, and he just has a passion for what he does. He's passionate about the earth, the trees and plants, and he's passionate about taking care of it. Apparently passion rubs off because it was because of him that I got really into this stuff too. But I still knew I wasn't good at sciencey stuff so I looked into the major and saw that if I did Landscape Management instead of Environmental Science, then I could emphasize in landscape design.

Hey, that sounds cool! I can draw, and I love plants, so that sounds like a match made in heaven to me!

And boy was it! I love this major. I love my classes and I love how everyone in this major is here because they share the same passions. We're just like one big nature lovin', tree huggin', soil smellin' family!

 I actually don't know about the soil smelling but hey, I don't doubt it!

So that's how I got started in landscape design. From there, it kind of just transitioned over to a love of floral design. I love flowers I mean come on, who doesn't?  and this snowball really got rollin' when I did my own flowers for my wedding. I used silk flowers because I wanted to be able to keep my bouquet. I was going to use real ones for the centerpieces but it just got so expensive that we just stuck to silk flowers all the way through. So this is what I did for my flowers for our wonderfully perfect July wedding. Oh, and did I mention that my husband is an incredible graphic designer? We're just full of design!

like the addition of the cake there? I don't mind sharing it because it was literally exactly what I wanted

Now my plan is to do an internship with a flower company to get experience, but ultimately, I want to have my own consulting/design business (independently) and do flower arrangements for other people! When I have the chance to settle in a home I will be in for a while, I'm going to have my own studio/design room with all my supplies and even a greenhouse or two. The future looks bright. :) 

Oh, I guess it also says I do interior design - I'm actually in an introduction course right now, but it's been pretty easy for me. I'm not as professionally educated as I am in the other two subjects, but hey, maybe it just comes naturally with the design mind. Again, I would never call myself a professional on the subject, but I think I have a good enough eye and know the basics enough to at least provide some advice on a room or two. 

So there you have it! Now you probably more about me and where I'm coming from than you ever wanted to! Unless you already know me, then you just got lucky enough to hear the story again :) To end with the words of one of my favorite bumper stickers from Bartlett Tree Company:

Trees are the Answer 

Just Some Fun Pages

These are some random pages I found from my class last Winter as well as the one I am in now. 

My first experience with architectural lettering

 I think this was just a practice assignment to get us started- we were given the design
and we were to add in the hardscapes, planting areas, and plant material

This was an in-class assignment to do when our teacher was gone. 15 Feb 2013

Assignment 5

For this assignment, we were given a chance to design. We were to create a concept plan with specific elements to include in it, but we got to put it together how we wanted. This was an assignment to practice using active symbols, passive symbols, non-lineal symbols, and focal point symbols. The first page is a collage of such symbols, and the second page is our design using those practiced symbols and the required elements given for the design. 

Active, Passive, Non-Lineal, and Focal Point symbols

Concept Plan using required elements and practiced symbols

This was a quick and fun assignment to put together, and it was great to do a little designing with it. I received a 46/50 on this assignment with the following comments: 

Fantastic page of graphics! Very well done!

Divide functions of diagram into distinct areas.

Keep graphics neat- keep lineal symbols from overlapping with the forest too much or often so that the plan is easy to read

Nice legend! 

When connecting two lines, use a gap

Assignment 4

This was a fun assignment because now we were to add color to our graphics. This was the first time I had used color with my graphics, so that was a fun thing to experience. I have found that using color makes me go a lot faster while maintaining neatness and certainly adds a new favorable look to the design that I had not experienced before. We used the same 2 pages of graphics from assignment two but with color. The third page was supposed to be a simple design or collage put together in color using the graphics you had practiced. 

My three pages 

Individual trees and groupings of deciduous and coniferous trees

Tropical trees, groupings of shrubs, desert plants, and ground cover

My simple design using practiced graphics - it was supposed to be on 11x17....

I really enjoyed doing this assignment and using the color in it. I received a 45/50 for this assignment with the following comments:

Excellent job! Great color gradation and style! 

Keep line work loose- especially on your foliage texture trees

Even out internal line work on blue ground cover

Nice composition of plant symbols 

Great shadowing too!

Last page needs to be on 11x17

Assignment 3

For this assignment, we were to do 4 sets of a North arrow, a scale, and a gradient.  The first two were done with a ruler, in pencil and in pen, and the other two were done free-hand. We were told to use a North arrow that had some line work involved, so this is what I came up with. 

I received a 37/40 on this assignment with the comments:

Great job! All I can say is to keep line direction consistent on your scales. 

Assignment 2

For this second assignment, we got to practice our basic landscape graphics and lettering, while adding color into block lettering. This was my first time using color in any of my landscaping. 

5 pages of the assignment

There was also letting in pencil, but this is the ink one

Teal colored block lettering

Individual and groupings of deciduous and coniferous trees

Tropical trees, groupings of bushes, desert plants, and ground cover

This was the first time I used tropical and desert graphics too so that was a fun time to play around with them.  I received a 29/30 on this assignment with the comments:

Fantastic work! I love your lettering - loosen up your line work on the foliage textured trees, but maintain neatness. Great tropics and desert plants as well.  Lettering nearly perfect. 

Assignment 1

A year later, I find myself in the next design class, specifically involving landscape graphics and adding color. For this first assignment, we were to choose two landscape pictures and sketch them, taking no longer than about an hour to complete the final draft of each sketch. Here are my sketches.  

A close-up view of a gerber daisy

A photo I found online of a bench under a tree

It was fun to sketch again for this assignment, as it had been a while since I had just sketched for fun.  I received a 20/20 for this assignment with the comments:
Fantastic work! Two different but great styles! 

Project #1 - Johnson Residence

Okay, so it has taken me a little while to get these pictures taken, but this is the first project I ever did with landscape design. I took a class at BYU and we needed to find ourselves a property to design, so I did my sister's house in St. George, Utah.  

Base Plan

Site Measurements

Site Inventory

Site Analysis

Functional Diagram

Refined Functional Diagram

Form Composition A - Curvilinear 

Form Composition B - Rectangular

Preliminary Design

Master Plan - this class did not cover using color in designs so this is only with Sharpie

My sister was really pleased with the Master Plan but her family ended up moving to Las Vegas for a job opportunity so the plan was never implemented. Either way, it was fun to work with her and complete every step of my first design. 

This project was done Winter 2012 (January-April). 

Resume

KAITLIN LETICIA LEWIS

   kate.leticia@gmail.com  - kaitlinleticialewis.blogspot.com  


WORK HISTORY
School of Music Admissions Assistant                                                                                  Provo, UT. 
Brigham Young University School of Music                                                         April 2013 - April 2014
    - Provides customer service by answering questions about our Major program and the requirements for auditions.
     - Prepare for and attend audition day when new students arrive to audition for the program, making sure faculty    members and students have all they need.
     - Interpersonal work with supervisor and website designer to keep information current and updated.
Contact: Mark Ammons -School of Music Assistant Director, mark_ammons@byu.edu 

Secretary/ Receptionist/ Runner                                                                                  Provo, UT.
Brigham Young University School of Music                                                          June 2010- April 2013
     - Provides customer service by answering questions to those who come into the office or call on the telephone.
     - Enhance marketability by creating and posting advertisements for the School of Music events.
     - Hand-deliver documents and tests to offices around campus, making sure they are given to the correct people.
Contact: Laura Holt -School of Music Office Manager, lauraholt@byu.edu

Summer Intern                                                                                                           Spokane, WA.
Lukins & Annis, Attorneys at Law                                                                          May 2011- Aug 2011
       - Work with two other college students in going through old attorney files in storage.
       - Determine if each file should be kept or destroyed based on its contents.
       - Fill in at the front desk if needed due to previous experience in secretarial work.
Contact: Patrice Fritsch - HR/Marketing Director, pfritsch@lukins.com

After-Hours Janitor                                                                                                   Spokane, WA.
Spokane Valley Pet Vet Hospital                                                                            Feb 2010 – Jun 2010
     - Come into the office after hours and clean the office and medical rooms in preparation for the next day.
     - Be responsible in coming in after hours to clean and take care of the animals in such a way to make the office
       presentable for work.
Contact: Shelly Clark - Office Manager, (509) 928-7387

EDUCATION
Brigham Young University                                                                                        Provo, UT.
Landscape Management Program, Emphasis in Design - Junior          
 Environmental Biology           Intermediate French               Living with Plants         Principles of Accounting
   Science of Biology     The Cultural History of Medicinal Plants         College Algebra              Field Botany
Residential Landscape Design                 Science of Plant Pest Control                      Intro to General Chemistry  
               

Central Valley High School                                                                                      Spokane Valley, WA.     
High School Diploma  - Class of 2010
           Mathematics, Pre-Calculus         Advanced Placement Literature and Composition     Honors Society
    Advanced Placement European History              DECA Business Education                Key Club Member  

OTHER SKILLS
    Utah Certified Commercial, Non-commercial, or Private Pesticide Applicator      Responsible    Professional
Honorable and Respectable        Prioritizes          Does well with deadlines         Friendly and works well with others
      Asks questions for clarification          Dedicated and Hard Working           Experience in Customer Service