I grew up in Northern Michigan, moved to East Lansing to study Digital Media Communication & Game Design at Michigan State University, and returned back to the Traverse City area with a husband and 4 parrots. Our flock grew to 9 over the next few years (and then back to 8) and then we also added a tiny human to our family!
I wound up not pursuing Game Dev as a career for a couple reasons: 1) both my husband’s and my families were from the same area and we wanted to be close enough to them that they’d be able to know their grandkid(s) if we ever decided to have children; 2) I graduated right around the time that a whole bunch of frat-like behavior and rampant sexism were coming to light from some major game studios. In an effort to protect my own energy, I decided that there were other ways I could bring visually compelling stories to life.
In 2023, I had my kiddo and upon returning from leave, I realized that the workplace I was currently in had become eerily similar to what I’d been trying to avoid with the games industry. So I made plans to leave and return to the freelancing I had started in 2020, except this time I was going to really make something of it. And thus, Spellbound Creative Studio was born.
Hey, I'm Jaime.
~ Commander Shepard, Mass Effect 2, 2010
My Origin Story
"I won't let fear compromise who I am."
- 3 Indian Ringnecks: Ori, Bentley, Cooper
- 2 Greek Cheek Conures: Hawke, Isabela
- 2 Lutino Cockatiels: Ollie, Nugget
- 1 Sun Conure: Loki
My Flock
- Owls. Owls everywhere. Getting to do a brand shoot with an actual owl is a high I will be chasing forever more
- Feel deeply called to the moon
- My favorite tarot deck feels so energetically attuned to me
- My moth orchids are thriving and growing new spikes (I’ve never managed to keep an orchid alive before)
Ways I feel Magical
- Monk
- Paladin
- Druid
- Cleric
- Rogue
Favorite D&D Classes
- Throne of Glass series
- A Court of Mist and Fury
- Fourth Wing series
- Assistant to the Villain series
- A Song of Ice and Fire (though I’ve lost hope that it’ll ever be completed)
Current/Favorite books
- Mass Effect Trilogy
- The Witcher 3
- Horizon Series (Aloy, not racecars)
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Dragon Age: Inquisition
- Sly Cooper Trilogy
Favorite video Games
Get to Know Me
- 3 Indian Ringnecks: Ori, Bentley, Cooper
- 2 Greek Cheek Conures: Hawke, Isabela
- 2 Lutino Cockatiels: Ollie, Nugget
- 1 Sun Conure: Loki
My Flock
- Owls. Owls everywhere. Getting to do a brand shoot with an actual owl is a high I will be chasing forever more
- Feel deeply called to the moon
- My favorite tarot deck feels so energetically attuned to me
- My moth orchids are thriving and growing new spikes (I’ve never managed to keep an orchid alive before)
Ways I feel Magical
- Monk
- Paladin
- Druid
- Cleric
- Rogue
Favorite D&D classes
- Throne of Glass series
- A Court of Mist and Fury
- Fourth Wing series
- Assistant to the Villain series
- A Song of Ice and Fire (though I’ve lost hope that it’ll ever be completed)
Current/Favorite Books
- Mass Effect Trilogy
- The Witcher 3
- Horizon Series (Aloy, not racecars)
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Dragon Age: Inquisition
- Sly Cooper Trilogy
Favorite video Games
Get to Know Me
Our schools (at least in the US) are really good at conditioning creativity and imagination out of us as we grow up, whether or not that’s their goal. Learning to tap back into seeing things from different angles allows for truly creative and innovative problem solving.
Fostering Imagination
I hold firm in maintaining inclusivity for those who also value other people. I have no time, energy, or patience for bigots or people who think someone deserves fewer rights just because of their identity or circumstances. The ability to see things from the perspective of others is an extremely powerful skill.
Treating others the way you wish to be treated
Stories are what bring us together as humans and they’ve done an excellent job of doing so for millennia. Stories are what people connect with every day, on every level, and there are some stories that resonate so strongly, they stick with you forever. Your story could be that for someone else.
Sharing Stories
Play is such a huge part of brain and social development when we’re young–why wouldn’t it still be just as important as adults? Especially in building a business, when everything feels so serious… I believe it’s important to incorporate play and remind people why they love what they do enough to have their own business.
Bringing back play
As a woman who has worked in food service and retail prior to earning my degree and dealing with the dark sides of that (as a teenager, no less), and then primarily working in male-dominated fields after graduating, it’s clearer than ever that more strong-willed, compassionate women need to be in positions of authority and leadership.
Uplifting Women
We all have gut feelings. Some of us are better at listening to it than others, and some of us are still learning to trust it. I am within the camp of still learning to trust it, but I will say that listening to my gut has never led me astray, while not listening to it has gotten me into some hot water. I aim to help people learn to listen to their own intuition as I continue to learn to listen to mine.