Experience & Education

My practice connects fine art, design, storytelling and technology. My experience spans photography, digital composition, film, architectural installations, interiors, extensive glasswork, jewelry and creative software development. I work across physical and digital processes, bringing creative direction, technical knowledge and practical production experience to each project.

Art & Visual Storytelling

• Photography, digital collage, photomontage and creative retouching.

• Large format artwork, murals and architectural installations.

• Drawing, painting, sculpture and mixed media.

• Color theory, composition, perspective and material exploration.

• Fine art print preparation and digital image production.

• Creative direction, visual identity and brand storytelling.

• Work developed for exhibitions, private collections, residential interiors and commercial environments.

Glasswork & Studio Management

• Extensive hands on glasswork and material experimentation.

• Management of the entire potekglass studio, overseeing its creative, technical and operational needs.

• Studio organization, inventory, product catalogs and customer workflows.

• Website redevelopment and digital business systems.

• Pricing, shipping and production coordination.

• Experimentation with powdered glass formulas and materials.

• Recycled glass initiatives exploring sustainability, affordability and access.

Interior & Spatial Design

• Residential interior design and integration of artwork into architectural spaces.

• Spatial planning, wall placement and furniture layouts.

• AutoCAD drawings and technical design documentation.

• Custom rug and fabric design.

• Material and finish selection.

• Coordination with architects, clients, consultants and fabricators.

• Leadership of architectural coordination meetings.

• Collaborative penthouse concept development, including an unbuilt project for which I developed layouts, technical drawings and custom design elements.

Film, Video & Animation

• Concept development, scripting, story-boarding, production and editing.

• Corporate storytelling and Fortune 100 internal communications.

• Executive messaging, HR communications and organizational change projects.

• International production and multilingual localization.

• Promotional films, visual effects, animation and moving image artwork.

• Advanced AI image and video production, including reference development, visual continuity, enhancement and finishing.

• Integration of original photography, digital composition and motion.

Jewelry & Material Practice

• Custom jewelry design, goldsmithing and silversmithing.

• Gemology and gemstone knowledge.

• Training with Alan Revere and experience with Robert Haack Diamonds.

• Exploration across glass, metals, clay, wax, paper and mixed media.

• Studio studies in printmaking, sculpture, lenticular imagery and photographic processes.

Creative Technology & Development

• AI assisted coding with Codex, Claude, Claude Code and Copilot.

• macOS Terminal workflows, scripting, testing and troubleshooting.

• Website design, Shopify development and digital catalog management.

• API integrations, account authorization and workflow automation.

• Voice assistant prototypes and creative tools.

• Git version control, GitHub workflows and automated testing.

• Application hosting and deployment through Render.

• Technical documentation, iterative development and collaboration with AI coding systems.

• Digital asset organization, image processing, product imports and exports.

Communication & Project Leadership

• Strategic internal communications and executive messaging.

• Creative production from concept through delivery.

• Client presentations and stakeholder collaboration.

• Vendor coordination, fabrication planning and installation.

• Copywriting, marketing and advertising.

• Enterprise software sales and international business development.

• CRM, account management and consultative sales.

• Studio management, logistics and community organizing.

Professional Background

• Independent Artist & Creative Consultant: Multidisciplinary artwork, visual storytelling and creative production.

• Freelance Strategic Communications & Video Production: Fortune 100 communications, executive content, HR initiatives and global production.

• Bē bertel Art, Co-Founder: Photography, digital art, large installations and artwork integrated with architectural spaces.

• Billy Beson Co., Lead Interior Designer & Technical Design Lead: Interior concepts, spatial planning, materials, AutoCAD documentation and architectural coordination.

• Bertelsen Fine Art Jewelry, Owner: Custom jewelry, client commissions and collaboration with Robert Haack Diamonds.

• potekglass, Studio Manager: Management of the entire studio, extensive glasswork, material experimentation and development of operational and digital systems.

• Cloudwords, Business Development, EMEA & Americas: Enterprise localization software, international sales development and Salesforce CRM.

• KTI, Account Executive & Logistics Coordinator: Freight brokerage, client and carrier relationships, negotiation and logistics.

• Cbeyond, Sales Account Executive: Consultative business sales, telecommunications, VoIP and managed technology services.

• T-Mobile, Corporate Sales Representative: Consumer and business sales, team coaching and customer relationships.

• The Artemax Gallery, Past Creative & Technical Project: Artwork, website development, video production, catalog systems and creative technology.

• Zoe, Assistant Development Project: AI assisted development of voice, email, calendar, memory and workflow prototypes.

Education

• Cornell University: Certificate in Technology Leadership, completed 2026.

• Teesside University, United Kingdom: MA in Future Design, 2022.

• University of Sedona: Doctoral study in Conscious Business Ethics, expected 2027.

• University of Sedona: M.Msc. in Metaphysical Science, 2024.

• University of Sedona: B.Msc. in Metaphysical Science, 2022.

• Metropolitan State University: BA in Environmental and Business studies, 2012.

• Florida Gulf Coast University: AA in Environmental and Marine Studies, 2009.

• St. Cloud State University: Studies in Environmental Science and Renewable Energies, 2010 to 2011.

• Normandale Community College: General studies, 2005 to 2006.

• North Hennepin Community College: PSEO studies in CAD, welding and electrical, 2004 to 2005.

• Northland College: PSEO studies in Freshwater Ecology, 2004 to 2005.

• Gemological Institute of America, GIA: Graduate Gemologist program, 2014 to 2016.

• Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts, San Francisco: Jewelry Technician Intensive, 2015.

• Wayzata High School: 2001 to 2005.

Art Programs & Studio Training

• Minneapolis Institute of Art, Mia: Summer drawing programs during childhood, recreating famous artworks with an emphasis on anatomy and observation.

• Edina Art Center: Silver Fusion Works, life and portrait drawing, watercolor, acrylic and oil painting.

• Minnetonka Center for the Arts: Silversmithing, jewelry design and minigolf design.

• Hopkins Art Center: Sound design and engineering.

• Additional university and studio classes: Clay, oil painting, watercolor, still life, nude figure studies, jewelry, papier mâché, wax, mixed media and printmaking.

• Additional visual studies: Lenticular and digital art, charcoal, pastels, busts, darkroom photography, perspective, abstraction, color theory and art history.

• Video production: Additional classes and continuing practical study.

Mentorships

• Potek Glass Studio: Glasswork, material experimentation and recycled glass initiatives.

• Alan Revere: Goldsmithing.

• Robert Haack, Robert Haack Diamonds: Gemology and business.

• Annette Bertelsen, Colle McVoy and CHS: Copywriting, marketing and advertising.

• Billy Beson, Billy Beson Co.: Interior design.

• Jean Ketcham, Aging But Dangerous: Community building.

Additional Coursework & Independent Study

• BabsonX: Financial Analysis for Decision Making.

• BerkeleyX: Empathy and Emotional Intelligence at Work; Mindfulness and Resilience to Stress at Work; Academic and Business Writing.

• CatalystX: Becoming a Successful Leader, Inclusive Leadership Training.

• ColumbiaX: Risk & Return; Free Cash Flow Analysis; Introduction to Corporate Finance.

• CurtinX: Digital Branding and Engagement.

• DartmouthX: Libertarian Free Will: Neuroscientific and Philosophical Evidence.

• DelftX: Effective Decision Making: Dealing with Business Complexity.

• HarvardX: PH278x Human Health and Global Environmental Change; PH207x Quantitative Methods in Clinical & Public Health Research; Rhetoric: The Art of Persuasive Writing and Public Speaking.

• HKPolyUx / PolyU: Success: Practical Thinking Skills.

• IIMBx: Accounting for Decision-Making.

• MITx: Becoming an Entrepreneur; Introduction to Philosophy: God, Knowledge and Consciousness; Circuits and Electronics.

• NewcastleX: Drawing Nature, Science, and Culture.

• RITx: Public Speaking.

• TrinityX: The Conscious Mind: A Philosophical Road Trip.

• UWashingtonX: Using Email for Networking.

• Stanford Online: Computer Science 101.

• Microsoft: Logic and Computational Thinking.

• Coursera: Introduction to Mechanical Engineering Design and Manufacturing with Fusion 360; Current Gen 3D Game Prop Production; Learning How to Learn: Powerful Mental Tools to Help You Master Tough Subjects.

• Domestika: Creative Web Design: Planning and Coding from Scratch.

• Domestika: Photograph Retouching and Visual Effects with Photoshop; Secrets of Photo-montage and Creative Retouching.

• Domestika: Introduction to Adobe Photoshop; Advanced Adobe Photoshop.

• Domestika: Matte Painting: Creating Photorealistic Worlds; Food Photography Post-production in Photoshop.

• Domestika: Fantastic 3D Illustration with Blender; Psychedelic Animation with Photoshop and After Effects.

• Additional programming study: HTML, Java and Python.

• Udemy: Master Houdini FX: Create Stunning Visual Effects Rigs; Automate the Boring Stuff with Python Programming.

• Generative Design Primer: Introduction to Generative Design.

• LinkedIn Learning: Starting a Memorable Conversation; A Minute to Think: How to Conquer Busyness; What Is Concept Art?; Leading with Fearless Mindfulness.

• The Great Courses Signature Collection: Formal Logic.

Creative Software & AI Tools

• Adobe: Creative Suite, Photoshop, Premiere Pro and After Effects.

• Digital art and drawing: Extensive.

• AI imagery and enhancement: DALL·E, Magnific and Seedream.

• AI video: Google Veo, Kling, and Seedeam 2.0.

• 3D modeling and digital sculpture: Blender, Houdini FX, Unreal Engine, AutoCAD, Rhino 3D, Nomad Sculpt and Mandelbulb3D.

• Spatial and technical design: AutoCAD and SketchUp.

• Interactive environments: Unity and Unreal Engine.

• Interface design and prototyping: Figma and Origami Studio.

• AI development: ChatGPT, Codex, Claude, Claude Code and Copilot.

• Code editing and command line: Atom and macOS Terminal.

• Additional design training: Fusion 360.

• Creative hardware: Wacom, iPad.

Development Platforms & Technical Workflows

• Development: JavaScript, Node.js, npm and Express.

• Version control and automation: Git, GitHub and GitHub Actions.

• Hosting and local development: Render and ngrok.

• Google integrations: Google Cloud Console, Google Workspace APIs and OAuth.

• Voice and AI integrations: Twilio, WebSockets and OpenAI APIs.

• Shopify development: Liquid, Shopify CLI, Admin GraphQL and ShopifyQL.

• Project testing and processing: Playwright, PDFKit and Sharp.

• Terminal workflows: Local servers, test execution, API requests, file processing, source inspection and troubleshooting.

• Digital production: WebP preparation, asset manifests, catalog reconciliation and CSV imports and exports.

Digital Commerce, Business Systems & Publishing

• Shopify: Storefront development, theme customization, product catalogs, variant organization, CSV imports and exports, artwork presentation, video integration, mobile layouts and search optimization.

• Salesforce: Enterprise sales pipelines, prospect qualification, account management and international business development through Cloudwords.

• HubSpot: CRM experience and integration with Claude.

• Google Workspace: Email, calendars, document collaboration and file organization, alongside custom Gmail, Drive and Calendar integrations developed through Zoe.

• Google Cloud Console: API configuration, OAuth setup and authorization workflows connecting applications with Google services.

• Google Sites: Portfolio publishing and presentation of creative work.

• GitHub & GitHub Actions: Source control, branches, code review and automated build and testing workflows.

• Render: Application hosting, deployment and configuration of services, background workers and scheduled jobs.

• Business Operations: Studio management, inventory and catalog systems, pricing, shipping, customer workflows and vendor coordination.

• Digital Asset Management: Organizing artwork libraries, preparing web images, maintaining naming conventions and manifests, and reconciling assets with product catalogs.

Community Experience

• Asian-Pacific Business Summit: Co-founder connecting participants from the University of Virginia and University of Minnesota.

• Freemasons: Community organizing beginning in 2009.

• Scottish Rite: Esoteric community building.

• The Link MN: Donation organizing.

• The Sanneh Foundation: Donation organizing.

• Aging But Dangerous: Community building.

• Florida Gulf Coast University: Environmental Protection Affairs volunteer involvement.