Let Me Introduce Myself . . .
Hello, and welcome to my reader-centered writing and design portfolio. As a content creator, copywriter, and artist specializing in strategic digital content: education, experience, and tenacity are the cornerstones of my career. I attribute my strong work ethic to my beloved mother, who taught me the value of a job well done. My background allows me to create valuable, relevant content for distribution in newsprint, blogs, websites, articles, email, social media, information sheets, technical documents, and other content-driven applications.
I can visualize a project to get it right side up and on the path to success. As a writer, I understand the need for clarity, organization, and user-centered construction. Reflected in my portfolio are the essential methods of usability. As a person, I like to think of myself as well-rounded. I enjoy literature, political discussion, topics around social justice and lose track of time when creating art. I crack up with my goofy friends, binge on British TV, dance in the car, ride my bike, and love to meet new people and hear their stories.
The Stats . . .
Professional writer with a history of project management experience seeking to utilize my skills while contributing significantly to the success of the organization. Creative thinker with a diverse background gained while living abroad and conducting business in a global atmosphere with wide-ranging demands.
Favorite Job: Bryce Hospital, formerly Alabama Hospital for the Insane. A lifetime's worth of lessons from those who deal with mental instability.
Career Accomplishment: As a founding team member, I developed and designed marketing and media relations strategies for a successful MedTech startup.
Most Entertaining Job: Convenience store clerk in a southern country town. Funnier than a rooster wearing socks.
Favorite Type of Work: Turning a mediocre project into a spectacular one.
Worst Day on the Job: My high school server career ended abruptly after I accidentally spilled a whole bowl of chili on a gentleman wearing a new white suit.
Best quote of all time: "Two-thirds of what we see is behind our eyes." ~ old Chinese proverb
My Work . . .
Give Me A Challenge And I Thrive
Before starting my English degree, I was certain writers were the chosen people. They wrote once, edited for errors, published their work, and then joyfully proceeded to the next writing adventure.
With my project management and design background, I turned to a technical writing degree as my second career choice. The lesson I learned while earning my degree: diligence, hard work, revision, and more revision. These attributes are the key ingredients a professional writer must strive for; unfortunately, no magical powers are involved.
The design and writing examples seen here are facets of my education, diverse background, and the results of my growth. My strengths include my love of learning, helping others succeed, open-mindedness, and an ability to pick up new software platforms quickly. Thank you for reviewing my site and allowing me an opportunity to join your team.
BioKubes Lab Automation Platform: The client had a new machine to market and needed a newsletter for the company website. They gave me a PowerPoint presentation, its web address, and a recently published research article. With further research, I constructed the newsletter, which focused on the end-user understanding the usefulness of the company's machine. Adobe Photoshop CC, and Apple Pages were used to build the newsletter.
Sanitation for Sisters: I built the information sheet using Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop CC, and Apple Pages. The client gave me a five-minute brief and asked me to create a page identifying the process for collecting donations for their non-profit organization. I chose soft colors to represent women and used a simple question/answer format without overloading the reader with information.
Typography Design Notebook: A short and basic instruction guide aimed at those who are new to typography and desktop publishing. The notebook was designed and constructed using Adobe Photoshop CC, and Apple Pages.
Technical Writing . . .
Professional Writing . . .
The World’s Most Perfect Food: An article which teaches the health benefits of date fruit. Professional and creative writing skills were used to create content for my blog, including titles that may seem a little pretentious, but help draw attention to the article. In addition, I include a shopping guide with images and video to better enable readers to choose dates that fit their personal taste and dietary needs.
Western Food: The Unfortunate Curse of Capitalism: The biggest surprise of my move to the Middle East was the abundance of Western restaurants and how popular they are among the residents. My second thought was the impact of the newly gained food choice. With research, I developed an article which addresses a problem and points out the lack of food education in the region.
Academic Writing . . .
Published Literary Analysis: Letters to Hannah Webster Foster: Defined by Virtue. Recognizing social issues vis-à-vis early American fiction can provide a litmus test for how far our nation has progressed and the weaknesses which remain. Hannah Webster Foster’s novel, The Coquette, published in 1797, provided a compelling body of work to examine in order to ascertain why virtue is linked to women, while men appear to suffer little consequence over mores assigned to morality.
Literary Analysis: Amitav Ghosh’s Novel, The Shadow Lines: The analysis focuses on the author challenging nationalism in pre-and post-colonial India. His critics accuse him of being a universalist, and I argue nationalism leaves populations farther removed from real freedom and independence.
Psychological Case Study: This particular project almost pushed me to switch my major to psychology. I wrote the case study using various research materials along with the book, Divided Minds, penned by an author coping with schizophrenia.
Creative Writing . . .
Yellow Man: A short story about a young man struggling with adult challenges and the never-ending demands his immigrant parents place on him. An unexpected encounter helps guide him through the toughest choices. I have submitted this story for publication.
The Mission: A creative piece I wrote using dialogue. The story unfolds as a young mother faces potential disaster when she, her brother, and young son head for the airport to retrieve her in-laws on their first visit to the United States.
Art & Architecture . . .
The Prince’s Foundation School of Traditional Art in London
Satellite School, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Completed: May 2018
Founded by HRH, The Prince of Wales, and focused on preserving traditional art methodology using the master-apprentice model, I completed a one-year intensive art school certification.
Geometry, Design & Architecture
Ceramics
Parquetry: A geometric mosaic of wood pieces used for decorative effect.
Gypsum Carving: The word “Gebs” (الجبس) means “gypsum” in Arabic. The carving of gypsum plaster as a means of decoration came to be refined and proliferate as an art form during the Late Middle Ages. It is associated with the Moors, specifically the Islamic culture of the North African Maghreb and the Iberian Peninsula that included modern day Spain and Portugal.
Manuscript Illumination and Nabati: Designing and painting geometric and/or biomorphic patterns using floral forms and motifs to decorate the pages of sacred books. Biomorphic patterns have a geometric grid that is usually hidden within the painting and illumination.
Mangour: A mangour screen, a decorative wooden latticework assembled from an interlocking system of geometric wooden pieces and held together without nails or glue.
Sacred Geometry . . .
 Exploring Design - AlBalad |
|---|
 Frozen - Gypsum |
 Anew - Pencil |
 Shed Some Light - Paper |
 After The Storm - Watercolor |
 Crossfire -Jesso |
 6 Tears - Chalk |
 Islamic Illumination 2108 |
 As We Dance 2019 |
 The Path - Gypsum |
 45Degrees - Mangor |
 Revive - Watercolor |
 Insomniac - Ceramic |
 Goddess - Gypsum |
At the Museum . . .
Museum Exhibition Designer
Location: The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture Museum, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Under the direction of renowned Artist Dana Awartani, and using the principals learned through the Prince's School of Traditional Arts, my teammate Yasmine Maktabi and I enhanced her A3 size creation into a room size exhibit.
Some References. . .
"... Robin is conscientious, dedicated, innovative, and able to look at the big picture when solving complex issues. Detail is her mantra, and following protocol is her mainstay. She has a firm grasp of technology, research protocols, and is excellent in PowerPoint presentations, speech writing, executive summaries, and reports. She designs, builds, and monitors our online presence and quickly picks up on new software requirements to drive results...."
~Ahmed Alsoffi, CEO, BioKubes Automation
"...Over the time l have known her, Robin displays an immense amount of self-discipline and dedication while still exhibiting flexibility. I have been with Accenture for over twenty years and currently hold a role as CIO Tax Management Custom Applications and Internal Audit Operations Lead based out of Chicago and understand how important these attributes are..."
~Cut Amalia, Internal Audit Operations Lead, Accenture
"... Robin works well with all stages of beginning language development. Always patient and caring, her friendly smile puts all students at ease..."
~Beth Davila,
Assistant Director, Lafayette Adult Resource Academy
"... I very much appreciate having Robin as my student. She is a strong candidate for any opportunity for which she applies. I have no doubt she will continue to work diligently and be an asset to any organization that accepts her..."
~Margaret Thomas Evans, Ph.D., Chair English Department Indiana University East
Robin Freeman-Alsoffi
Copywriter, Content Creator & Artist
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