About Michelle Cen

Open to commissions and all inquiries! Contact: michellecen1@gmail.com

My experience includes being an artist, graphic designer, and teacher. My work has been nationally-recognized multiple times.

I’ve freelanced and consulted for international non-profits (like the Adream Foundation), universities, and companies (Fortune 500 and small businesses).

I’ve done design, branding, and print work which includes logos, layouts, and book covers. This site mainly contains my personal illustrations, not my commercial work.

Tools

Most frequently used

  • Digital: Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Paint Tool SAI, AutoDesk software

  • UX design: Sketch, Figma

  • Traditional: Oil paint, acrylic paint, watercolor, charcoal, graphite

Other creative interests

  • Writing

    • 10+ publications in writing magazines and 1st-place poetry competition awards

      • Recognized by the National League of American Pen Women

    • Reporter for newspaper awarded multiple of scholastic journalism's highest honors

  • Photography and photo editing

    • Photography award from the California Congressional Arts Competition

      • Honored by Congresswoman Anna G. Eshoo

  • Dance

  • Music

 

Highlighted honors

  • Recognized at Carnegie Hall

    • Multiple-award winner of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

  • Governor's Medallion and California Arts Scholar

    • “California's highest distinction for students with artistic ability”

  • Congressional Arts Competition Awardee

    • Honored by Congresswoman Anna G. Eshoo

  • Head Art Editor of newspaper awarded the national Pacemaker Award, Gold Crown Award, and more of scholastic journalism's highest honors

Disability advocacy

For years, I’ve had visual conditions which cause chronic pain. I have severe accommodative spasm. In advocating for people with disabilities, I created and host the Project Lifetime podcast (which isn’t active right now, but I do feel compelled to continue in this line of work). I stopped making art for many years and still don’t that much, but I have this website up because I think art reveals the soul.

Want to know even more?

Visit my personal website: michellecen.com

LinkedIn. Tidbits: I worked in research, engineering a scanning electron microscope, content strategy/UX writing, and was an aspiring counselor/therapist. I graduated from Stanford University at the end of 2020.