Jan Barreda – Administrative Assistant, Graphic Design

Hello! Jan here.

In many cultures and countries, being a left-hander is thought to be unnatural. In eastern countries like India or in the Middle East, left-handedness is thought to be rude. In the UK, too, left-handed children were once forced to use their right hands.

Growing up, although I never really questioned how I was ‘different’ from kids around my age, I would often hear them ask ‘Isn’t it weird to use your left hand as you eat?’, ‘How come you use your left hand while most of us use the right one?’ or ‘How do you write on a springed notebook? Spring gets in the way.’ Funny how I remember so vividly that one time, a classmate of mine stared at me while I was scribbling notes in the middle of the lecture for a little too long.
Sure, it did make me conscious at some point but it did not stop me from being creative, from letting all these crazy imaginations go run free. Ever since childhood, I have been fond of drawing cartoons, experimenting with cheap watercolor sets, and creating ambitious floor plans for my dream house. Creativity is something I have always treasured as a child, and upon learning that many artists, like painters, musicians, and even architects are mostly left-handers, it gave me the necessary inspiration for children as I once was to pursue my interest and turn it into a dream.

With the passion I have for arts, I took up Architecture as a major in college. But things didn’t just stop as a regular Architecture student who’d spend their time flooded with paperworks and plates. Despite the loads of work as a student, I joined the student organization in my second year as part of the creatives where I have showcased my skills in photoshop, video editing, vlogging, and pub mats. (Not to mention I also joined photography competitions in between those times!)

Today’s lifestyle is leaning more towards visuals than ever. Without visuals, even the best product features may be lost or misunderstood. So, I must say it’s really fun— being part of both the architecture department and creative team. Helping people visualize what’s your actual plan— may it be designs or graphics— really does wonders. So after finishing my degree, I continued to be a part of the creatives in our organization while I freelance on architectural designing and graphic designing.

For a copy of Jan’s resume please click here.