Hi, my name is Sandra Mari Nakano, but please call me Mari. The only person who ever used Sandra was my pediatrician who has now retired and possibly forgotten my name anyways at this point. Currently, I am in the middle of completing my first year in the Graduate Media Design Program at Art Center College of Design in Southern California. So far, I have learned that when the body goes through extended periods of unrest:
1) fatigue will turn on an auto-pilot function in your brain to help you make your drive home at 5:30am (sometimes there are glitches, but it's pretty reliable as long as there aren't surprises like traffic or highway construction).
2) that mild insanity can start to set in and trigger a type of creativity otherwise suppressed when we're alert and conscious.
I am a native of San Francisco, CA but have resided in Los Angeles since 1998, when I started my undergraduate at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Los Angeles has been an inspiring and motivating environment for my work, but I'm always looking to scour other parts of the world to provide me with inspiration and new directions.
I have a mixed background in graphic design, writing, research and social + cultural studies. In my spare time, I enjoy surfing, reading, photography and playing taiko (Japanese drumming).
In the future, I aspire to live out my life as a designer in many forms. I am especially interested in designing around architecture, urban planning, community development issues and health + medicine. On the side, I plan on becoming a maker of Japanese confectionery treats + good eats and an arts-n-crafts basketball mom.
Please feel free to peruse this site or contact me anytime.
Wishing you a great day!