An Origin Story. Sort of. Maybe.

I’m Amanda and I run this little joint called violetminded. I’m 23, passionately geeky, and up(off)beat. I’m currently spending my time in a beautiful apartment overlooking No. 3 Road and Granville Ave in Richmond, BC, Canada. More often than not, you’ll find me haunting Granville Island or VPL.

I’m a sometimes student with Simon Fraser University, although I’m still waffling on what it is that I’m going to graduate with. Bachelor in Basket Weaving? Bachelor in Awesomeness? But all joking aside, my background is in Computer Science and Design.

I’m working as a freelancer ‘cause it’s a blast meeting new people and working on interesting projects. Well, that and you can’t keep me away from a computer. Not for long, anyway.

When I’m not designing, programming, or writing, I’m usually reading (Russian Literature, books on design/video games, and awesome novels) or playing copious amounts of video games. Look for me at PAX 2010!

Professionally Speaking

I’ve been working on websites since Geocities and Homestead were cool — I think I was 13. I got serious about design and code in 2004, when I started up my freelancing as a contractor under Techtrix Consulting Services in Kamloops, BC. After enrolling in the Computer Systems: Operations and Management Diploma at Thompson River University, I got the chance to work on some major projects at Syncrude Canada in Fort McMurray, Alberta, and NRI Distribution in Kamloops, BC. But I never lost my love of design, even amidst all the code. I began the Interactive Arts and Design program at Simon Fraser University in 2008; I’m currently a part-time student, with lofty dreams of writing and designing video games.

Why We Should Work Together

Foremost, I’m adaptable. I can take a project from your brain, to paper, to Photoshop, and code it — all with a smile on my face. I’m a firm believer in fun and laughter but when it gets down to the nitty gritty details, I’m focused and well-organized.

Tools of the Trade

• Web Development (XHTML, CSS, PHP): Adobe Dreamweaver has been my editor of choice for five years, although I’ve been known to bust out Notepad2 for some hand coding, when the mood strikes me.
• .NET: Visual Studio has been my IDE of choice for six years; Intellisense is my favourite. I’m most proficient in Visual Basic (six years) with some experience in ASP .NET (three years) and Visual C++ (two years). In the process of learning C#.
• Java Development Environment: A toss up between eclipse and netbeans; Java and I have been pals for four years.
• Graphics: The Adobe Creative Suite has my back on this one. I’ve been using Photoshop since 2000 and consider myself to be an awesome user (not quite an expert but hey, there’s always more to learn). I’ve got three years of Illustrator under my belt as well.
• Layouts (Print): Again, the Creative Suite steps up. I’ve got two years of experience laying out multi-page documents using InDesign, with a smattering of Quark XPress knowledge.
• Operating System: Hello, my name is Amanda and I’m a PC with a secret love of Mac OS X (but don’t tell my Dad). I’m an awesome Windows user, including Win98SE to XP to Vista and even dabbling in Server 2000/2003.
• Office Suite: I’m proficient in anything MS Office, regardless of the year. I <3 OpenOffice, Zoho, and Google Docs as well.

Need more? Snag a copy of my resume!