Khanversations — Liz and Michael
A conversation about not watching scary movies, finding design, and guitars from two designers at Khan Academy.
Tell us a little about yourself and your role at Khan Academy
Liz: Hi, I’m Liz. I was born and raised in North Carolina, lived in New York City for a few years while attending grad school, and am now a full-on West Coast convert. I live in Pacifica, California, a laid-back surf town south of San Francisco, with my husband and our 2 Australian shepherds, Rome and Moose.
I joined Khan Academy recently, and am a designer on the team dedicated to the teacher side of the experience. We think about how we might support schools in using Khan Academy effectively in a classroom setting.
Michael: Hi there, I’m Michael. I’m also from the East Coast. I was born and raised in New York, went to high school and college in New England, and then moved out to San Francisco where I’ve now lived for years.
At Khan Academy, my official title is VP of Design, but my real job is to amplify our team’s awesomeness so we can make the greatest possible impact. To do this, I mostly work between people and ideas, which means a lot of listening, translating, making, and explaining. I’ve honestly got the best job in the world. I feel amazingly lucky to do what I do.
How did you get into design?
Liz: I spent most of my childhood convinced I would be a veterinarian, or someone who studied animals in the wild (like a marine biologist.)
I was a creative kid who was always making things. I would get lost in photoshop projects, and spend hours customizing my MySpace page and my AIM bio. I was the person people would go to when they needed someone to write bubble letters on a poster or draw something. In high school, I was on the yearbook staff, because I loved working with photography to create layouts and tell the story of the year.
Before the start of my senior year, a friend suggested I consider going to school for graphic design. I didn’t know it was even an option. The more I read about design, the more passionate I became about it. I had to figure out how to get in.
I felt like I was behind when applying to schools. I was certain the other kids had spent years crafting their portfolios and had internships to showcase their experience. My portfolio ended up being a hodgepodge: t-shirts I had designed for school clubs and events, booklets I had made, some yearbook spreads, and some album art that I made for a band I met once.
But I got in! I fell fast and hard for wayfinding and environmental design, information design, and print communication design. It wasn’t until later that people started talking about digital experiences, and I found that my skills in communication, layout, and critical thinking translated really well into the digital realm.
Michael: That’s an awesome story, Liz! I love how you let design find you, and you were receptive to it. On my side, I think I knew earlier. By the time I was in 11th grade, I had taken every art class that my high school offered.
My art teacher, Bob Johnson, was an amazing educator who taught me that I could make anything in the world, because it was all design. For example, one day he asked me, “What’s something you’d like to design and make?” “A watch,” I said. And so we made a watch. I cast the body in silver, and I cut the face from an abalone shell. The guts were from a kit, the band was easy to find, and… viola! We made a watch. I don’t remember if he called it “design,” but that’s what I’ve connected it to.
Over the course of high school, Bob saw that I couldn’t get enough, so he encouraged me to take summer classes in design. I was hooked from there. I went to design school for college and I’ve never looked back.
What’s something you both have in common?
Liz: We learned that we’re both firmly in the anti-scary movie camp. For instance, I will only watch HGTV or the Food Network for the entire month of October, because they’re less likely to play previews for scary movies than other channels.
We both happily live our lives without seeing any of the hit scary movies. It’s better this way.
Michael: Why would you pay money to feel that way?? We learned something else that we have in common: we both play guitar.
Liz: I’d classify mine as “played” — past tense. I played classical style, with fingerpicking, but I always wanted to be “cool” like an electric guitarist.
Michael: I play electric guitar, with a pick. But I promise you, I’m not “cool.” 😉
What’s something you’ve been learning about recently?
Liz: Horticulture and landscaping! Specifically, I’ve fallen deeply in love with cacti and succulents. I’ve been dedicating all my free time to learning about them and collecting them with my husband. We’re currently working on converting our garden beds to dry gardens, so I’ve had the chance to learn about soil, plant anatomy, and climates.
We’re also raising about 1,000 cacti from seed right now. Anyone want one in like… 2 years?
Michael: Yeast. I received a beautiful stand mixer as a gift, and I’m all in. Quick breads, rising bread, pizza dough. Needless to say, my family thinks they hit the jackpot. Everyone is happy.
Khanversations is a series of dialogues between designers at Khan Academy to help us learn new things about each other.
P.S. We’re hiring! If you’re interested, check out our job listings.
