What I do to make a buck (or two):

By day, I’m a Lead Interactive Designer at Sears Holdings Corporation.  After hours I’m the CEO & Owner of Eidia Lush which is an e-commerce interactive website that allows users to custom design their own women’s shoes.

What inspires me:

Creative people are my number one inspiration.  Some other things that inspire me are: cities, traveling, technology, culture, music, dance and my family. Check out my inspiration  blog for some examples.

I’m currently learning how to:

Make shoes.  Never a dull moment!

My proudest accomplishments include:

Raising an amazing son; getting to where I am in my career as an entrepreneur and  designer; learning to speak, write, and understand Spanish; and most importantly, sticking to what I believe in while following my dreams thus far.

If I’m caught daydreaming, it’s usually about:

What my new grand business idea will entail and where my family’s next traveling adventure will be.

You can ALWAYS count on Nicole to think outside the box and bring a new fresh idea to the table. She is unique and has incredibly unique ideas. She is also very thorough. Nicole always asks questions to make sure she understands the goal we want to accomplish together.

I would have to say a project where Nicole isn’t able to bring new ideas or try something different or new would be tough. She is always trying to find ways to improve things and not being able to try something new wouldn’t be ideal for her.

~Bethany Bol - Project Manager, Quicken Loans

 My experience working with Nicole was a great one. She responded to every question, idea, or concern I had almost immediately. She came up with some advertising pieces that were better than I imagined. They really nailed the concept we were trying to portray with them.

~Anthony Helms – All or Nothing Tattoo Studio Assistant Manager

Nicole is one of the most cooperative, flexible designers I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. Even when I’ve felt I had a half-baked idea, I knew I could take it to Nicole and she could help make it happen – better than I had imagined. She’s got experience in every medium we work with, so she’s truly a “Jill” of all trades. Her design work is consistently beautiful, engaging and imaginative. She’s one of my secret weapons - she makes my copy look good and in turn, makes me look even better. Many thanks!

~Kelly LaVaute – Quicken Loans Senior Copywriter

I always welcome an opportunity to work with Nicole. She goes the extra mile to not only contribute relevant and innovative ideas, but also execute those ideas beyond anyone’s expectations.

I’ve worked with a lot of designers in my 12 years in the marketing industry. Nicole is one of those rare designers whose abilities go beyond the category of “skilled” and into the realm of true talent.

What I like best about Nicole is her ability to think from an interactive approach when designing web projects. In my experience, many designers only think of how things will appear on the page. But Nicole goes into the mind of the user, imagining how they will interact with and experience information. Because of this natural insight, I believe she has a great future as a web designer. She is one of those lucky people who have found their true calling early in life. I expect to see amazing things coming from her in years to come.

Important to note among Nicole’s many attributes is her marvelous attitude. Her enthusiasm always brings an extra sparkle of energy to any project. Her talents, combined with a rare disposition of positive, genuine engagement, make her a true asset to any design project. She’s honestly one of my favorite people to work with on my current team (of 15+ people).

~Rebecca Carter – Quicken Loans Project Manager

I worked with Nicole and I can say she is hardworking, very responsible, very honest, very creative person. Nicole is an excellent co-worker. She is always improving herself. She is always accomplishing goals. She has very clear the Team work concept. Last but not least she is an awesome human being and very positive person.

~Grethel Marín – Costa Rica Experts Central American Office Manager