Discovering Pittsburgh
Documenting the process of observing and understanding Pittsburgh from an outsider’s perspective.
Coursework and personal work from Carnegie Mellon, originally published on a separate Framer site.
100 days, one illustration each
This project was created as the project 1 assignment for MA Studio I at Carnegie Mellon University in Fall 2025. I developed Pittsburgh Everyday, a 100-day illustration project: over the course of the semester I produced one illustrated piece per day for 100 consecutive days, focusing on local Pittsburgh culture and everyday objects, from the quirky "Pittsburgh potty" to the Cathedral of Learning and pierogi.
Learning a city from the inside
I used the assignment to learn Pittsburgh from the inside: as an international student I wanted to surface local quirks and translate them into visual stories that would be legible and interesting both to fellow internationals and to a broader audience.
One hundred consecutive pieces
Structure I’d add next time
I would keep the daily practice but add structure and early research to increase impact and reduce rework.
Set a weekly theme and editorial plan: instead of purely reactive daily prompts, define weekly themes (architecture, food, rituals, transit, etc.) so individual pieces accumulate into a stronger narrative arc. Spend one focused hour on micro-research before each week — even shallow, early research prevents superficial visual choices and yields richer symbolism. And timebox finishing and iterating: finish daily sketches quickly, then reserve two weekly review sessions for refinement, to preserve momentum while still allowing craftsmanship to improve.