Kelly La Belle
A more personal look
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I think it's important to look at people as more than a resume and a list of qualifications on a page, so I made sure to include this more personalized section about myself for those who feel the same way.
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My Everything DiSC is Di style with an S priority. This means I prioritize efficiency, results, enthusiasm, and strength in my work but it also means I don't let those things get in the way of emotionally supporting my colleagues and accommodating different people's working styles. My Myers-Briggs Type is ENFJ.
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I am definitely not one to take myself too seriously. Happiness is contagious and it always brightens a room. However, I also think it is very important for people to experience their emotions and I make an active effort to be there for my friends and colleagues when they need someone to lend an ear.
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I am a thinker (and sometimes an over thinker). I pride myself in having excellent critical thinking, problem solving, research, and learning skills. I feel that these types of soft skills are grossly overlooked by many people, but they have given me a major advantage in life so far. If there is a solution, I will find it one way or another.
My background
I grew up on a farm in Fall City, WA. Our farm specialized primarily in horse training and rescue, however, I personally focused more on crops and small livestock. My grandparents on both sides are immigrants from Italy and arrived in America around the 1930's to 1940's. As a result, I have kept a lot of our traditions and culture in tact, especially the cooking! There is more on that in the "Hobbies" section.
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My brother and I were the first generation of college graduates in my family. I was offered multiple scholarships to study computer programming at Western Washington University and eagerly jumped at the opportunity. I was really good at coding, and I graduated with both a degree and full certification in different types of programming. However, I found my true passion in design.
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Once I graduated, I started taking online design classes as a hobby and my career blossomed from there. I don't regret learning how to code at all. I use it in my design work often and it has become an invaluable skill as technology continues to advance.
Hobbies
As I mentioned above, I love to bake and cook! I like to think I have gotten pretty good at it over the years, however there is still always the occasional flop. I was taught basic cooking techniques as a child by my parents and grandparents, so my specialty lies in Italian sweets and savory dishes. However, in the past few years, I have been making an effort to branch out and learn cooking techniques from all over the world. Check out some of my favorite dishes below.
*Note: I do not edit my food images for two reasons. First, I feel like it's cheating. People eat with their eyes, in a sense, and I want to actually create the beauty in real life, not in Photoshop. Second, I feel like it gives people unrealistic expectations of their own cooking and it causes them to get down on themselves, and those are not the values I was taught. With that, enjoy my poor kitchen lighting!
Cooking and baking aren't my only hobbies. I also love to read, play video games, watch horror movies, go foraging for mushrooms, play with my cats, and garden. In the summer, I love nothing more than swimming in the lake or floating down the river. I truly love the beautiful landscapes Washington has to offer!
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My favorite video games are open world style games as well as RPGs and simulations. I tend to shy away from games that focus mostly on "hunt and kill" dynamics because I honestly find them kind of shallow and boring (sorry Call of Duty!) My favorite games are Animal Crossing, The Sims (don't judge me!!), Stardew Valley, Final Fantasy, Rune Factory, and Gris.
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I love a great fantasy or sci-fi novel! I get lost for hours in a good book on rainy weekends. I also love comedy books and graphic novels. However, I can't stand self improvement books. I really gave them a shot, but they have failed to capture my interest on multiple occasions. This doesn't mean that I have no interest in improving myself. I actually try to self reflect and improve often, but these books are so hard to read. They're like a lecture in book form.
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I love horror movies. Halloween is by far my favorite holiday and I usually spend the whole month of October making pumpkin puree, homemade goodies, and watching horror movies. My favorite types of horror movies are supernatural with lots of lore. I love ancient fairy tales and ghost stories. I have never met a Guillermo Del Toro movie I don't love. I am not the biggest fan of horror movies that are just hack and slash with excess gore. I find them to be unnecessarily violent and lacking in substance. I want my scary movies to be rich with creativity and storytelling.
Can you tell me more?
Of course I can! But this page is starting to get a bit long. I am always up for a friendly chat, whether it is work related or not so feel free to contact me if you want to know more or just want someone to talk to!