Trust Your Fastball

This illustration for Harvard Magazine accompanies an essay by Chad Oldfather. In 1987, he moved from his small town in Minnesota to attend this hallowed ivy-league institution. Overwhelmed by this daunting new setting, he had to learn how to overcome his feelings of intimidation. As a fan of the Minnesota Twins, Chad found inspiration in an unlikely source: an article about a new pitcher on the team, Willie Banks. He identified with the struggles of this player, and learned (metaphorically speaking) that he just needed to trust throwing his fastball again. In other words, he needed to take chances, let it rip, and let the chips fall where they may. This approach helped propel Chad through a solid college experience, law school, and a successful career in legal academia.

My own daughter, who just graduated from college, is about to embark on her first big job opportunity in Cambridge, MA, and will live a few blocks from Harvard. I will share this essay with her, as a reminder to throw her fastball when need be!

A special thanks to art director, Jennifer Carling, for this inspiring assignment.

Below are ideas I submitted for this illustration:

The Emergent Mind

This piece for Harvard Magazine accompanies a story called The Emergent Mind. It’s about a research study which shows that infants are capable of abstract thought. They’re able to understand “patterns of activity in terms of variables like cost and reward”. Below are sketches I submitted for this project. A special thanks to Jennifer Carling for a fascinating assignment!

Harvard Advocate

Here's a new piece for Harvard Magazine. It accompanies a story about how various clubs on campus are evolving towards more diversity and inclusiveness. The Harvard Advocate, which is a club for writers, is portrayed in this group portrait. Thanks to art director, Jennifer Carling, for a super fun assignment!

Below are a few sketches I submitted for this assignment.