Nice to meet you. I'm Karen Li, a New Zealand-born designer based in Auckland. I'd been a creative all my life, and since a young age, I'd never seen myself pursuing anything other than art or design. 

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My journey started with fine arts, particularly with oil and acrylic painting. I'd dreamed of becoming an art restorer - being able to preserve history in such a beautiful way was something I would have loved to contribute to. It would have satisfied my immense love for art history. I also dabbled in graphic design in high school, which I also loved.

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However, art restoration is a rare career path. So, I decided to pursue a graphic design degree. Halfway through my studies, I began to feel immensely burnt out - a common feeling among artists and designers at a certain point in their careers. That was when I was presented with the opportunity to switch to UX/UI design.

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I was very intrigued and felt like I needed to try something new. I joined the course and absolutely fell in love with it and everything it stood for. I loved that I could design something that had a purpose in the world, and that it could even help someone's life by making things more accessible through apps and technology. My creative burnout also disappeared in a flash because this field reached a much broader purpose and audience than just visual communication. Yet, I could still exercise my creative arts skills by creating interfaces that people enjoy looking at and using.

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I truly felt that I had found my calling, and I love what I do.