The Happy Cog team is composed of many different people with unique backgrounds, experiences, and skills. In this “Getting to Know” series of blog posts, we hope to let our readers get to know our very talented team as well as we do. From what they do outside of their day jobs to their tastes in music to what inspires them, these posts offer a little glimpse into the lives and personalities of our amazing team.

Meet Sally: Designer – Dog Lover, Foodie, “New Yorker”

Q: Tell us first a little bit about your role at Happy Cog, how you got started here, and what you enjoy the most about it.

A: I started off as an intern and now I am working full time as a graphic designer. My role is supporting the design team and joining in different projects from research to delivery. What I enjoy the most about working here is the people I work with! The design team is awesome and gives me opportunities to grow. I learn new things on every project I get involved in!

Q: Where are you from and where are you currently located? What do you love most about where you live?

A: I was born in Korea and moved here when I was 10. Since then, I grew up in Connecticut and went to college in Rhode Island. Now I’m back in CT, but when I’m not home you can find me in New York visiting friends for the weekend (or the whole week or the month...)

The design team is awesome and gives me opportunities to grow. I learn new things on every project I get involved in!

Q: Where do you find creative inspiration from?

A: Taking a walk! I’ve found that taking walks helps me clear my head and get new ideas. (This is definitely not an excuse for me to go out and pet all the dogs I walk by.) I also like to go down the rabbit hole on my Pinterest account. I love starting my research there where I can find a lot of cool inspirations that will lead me in very different directions from where I start.

Q: What’s your favorite music genre? Favorite book(s)?

A: Changes everyday, but now I’m listening to the Hamilton soundtrack which I haven’t seen on Broadway yet (saving up for it). Recently, I read Perfume: The Story of a Murderer and would recommend watching the movie after reading it! It’s very interesting how well the author describes the scent by text and then see it translated on the screen and have scents described visually.

Q: What’s one project (either at Happy Cog or outside of Happy Cog) that you’re proud of and why?

A: In my portfolio to get into art schools, there is one project that really taught me to push my limits, which is this one right here:

This is a sculpture made out of clementines (going through 3 bags of clementines) showing the 4 different layers of the fruit. My hands were orange and smelled great for 5 days 🍊.

Q: What do you like to do for fun? Passions outside of work?

A: During the pandemic a lot of my friends were going out to play golf and I tagged along. After watching a bunch of YouTube videos and following golf channels, I found myself going to the driving range everyday. Not to brag 😎, but I had a chance to go see a game and got the golf ball Kevin Na played with during that match and even got it signed!!!

I think it’s really important to be connected and know what is happening in the field to make sure you are not stuck and are moving along with the changes.

Q: Do you have any advice for someone who just started their career? What’s the best way to stand out as a young designer?

A: One thing I miss the most about school was having guest speakers! I didn’t realize it at the time, but it was such a huge advantage. I think it’s really important to be connected and know what is happening in the field to make sure you are not stuck and are moving along with the changes. There are so many talks and conferences you can attend through Zoom, so I would recommend taking advantage to keep learning and growing! (+get an ergonomic mouse, it makes a world of a difference.)

Q: Do you cook? What’s your favorite recipe?

A: My school had a very nice cafeteria and it happened to be in the same building as where I lived. Now that I’m back home I am really enjoying my mom’s cooking and hope to learn from her. Maybe by next year I’ll have my own recipes to share!

Q: If you could learn a new skill in 10 minutes, what would it be and why?

A: Dance! Can’t dance for my life, but if I could I’d want to join Hamilton on stage (can’t sing either so I’ll need to work on that too).

Getting to Know: Sally Park