Susan Blettel has been a member of UCDA for almost thirty years, and in higher ed design for just a little longer than that. She found her calling after winning circus tickets in a coloring contest at age five—and went on to explore many facets of art since: drawing, scratchboard, painting, screen printing, weaving, jewelry, glass lampwork, digital collage, and graphic design. Her degrees in “commercial art” and communications brought her to design for higher education where she still can’t believe she gets paid to do this every day. Susan grew up in England, Zimbabwe, and Canada before coming to the U.S. She still loves traveling and finding new places and experiences. After realizing a life-long dream to visit Venice in 2004 she found another passion—photographing the breathtaking watery city, the craft of the gondola makers and gondoliers, and the ancient environs of the lagoon. She’s returned five times since, spending a couple of weeks each time and creating books and calendars from her work. She has worked for the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee; the Oregon University System; Pacific University; Marylhurst University in Oregon; and with many freelance clients. Besides her current work as a graphic designer at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, she finds happiness in photography, painting, and “doodle drawings” with Copic markers. https://www.whitebird-design.com