Background
I'm Pat Stiles. I live in Sacramento, CA. I love design, music and games. I've been a designer since I made it my focus in high school, learning the basics of Illustrator and Photoshop.
I went to San Francisco Art Institute for Media Art/Animation. There, I found myself drawn to music. I started and iterated on multiple bands in college and the years after.
Eventually I founded Bonnie & The Bang Bang. We wrote several records and toured a bit in the early 2010's. During that time, I fell in love with design again. I developed our brand identity, marketing and mechandise.
As Bonnie was wrapping up, I joined 99designs as an Account/Project Manager. There, I worked with high dollar clientele, helping them align and define their vision. Eventually, I moved into a leadership role, designing and implementing a 2 week training program for new hires.
I began to specialize in UX/UI around the end of my time with 99designs, mentoring under a few great teachers on the Product team. After I left 99designs, I took courses on UX/UI Design for 9 months at the Interaction Design Foundation.
Most recently, I worked at Keithcity/Unconfined creating branding and designing websites. It wasn't long before I was promoted to UX/UI Lead, responsible for client communication and design deliverables.
Experience
- 16 years combined of design experience
- 5 years of B2B Design Project Management
- 3 years learning UX/UI and mentoring under great teachers
- 3 years in Leadership and New Hire Onboarding
"Seek first to understand, then to be understood." - Stephen Covey
UX coursework (via Interaction Design Foundation)
Learning library
Back in 2019, I attended a leadership development workshop. The presenter recommended building out a "Leadership Library" to help develop the concepts and skills that empower strong leadership. As I've transitioned into a broader field of focus, I've updated this section to my "Learning Library". These are some of the books that have helped shape me as a leader, as well as a creative professional.
The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek
Range by David Epstein
Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek
Start With Why by Simon Sinek
Find Your Why by Simon Sinek
Atomic Habits by James Clear
The Score Takes Care Of Itself by Bill Walsh
Talent Is Overrated by Geoff Colvin
7 Habits Of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
Currently reading:
