Growing up I have always spent majority of my time outdoors, and even though I did not always have an access to learn about different ecosystems around the world, the woods behind our house were full of adventures for girls scout or hikers. Later in life I had amazing experiences when visiting rainforest, mountain national parks, and Safaris, especially when I embarked on survival trips with some friends, bringing nothing but my rubber boots, machete and mosquito nets, trying to survive on whatever we caught in the river, fruits we found hanging from the trees, or vegan spaghetti we made by scraping the heart of the palm tree.

I wanted to bring some of those experiences to kids who are growing up in metro areas, using Chicago's Northerly Island as a location for an eco educational theme park with an application of virtual reality to educate visitors from elementary ed up to adults with an interest in conservation to experience various ecosystems and learn about survival methods among the biodiversity offered by those, like a quick virtual trip to the Amazon and/or Safari... and inspire them to learn more by getting involved in conservation projects designed to protect nature. This experience would serve as an education about environmental sciences, biodiversity, ancient survival methods of indigenous communities living in these ecosystems, and agriculture.

Eventually I would like to add an experience for hackathons designed for middle school students with an interest in the fields of conservation and biotech.

This project is in discovery and ideation stage. Expect updates mid July.

Tools Used:

Sketching Board, Photoshop, Illustrator, Figma, AutoCAD

I enjoy following fashion, even though I have my own taste and don't really stick with what is "in"... I like to sketch ideas as a form of meditation. This is my 2023 Spring Collection.

Tools Used:

Sketching Board, Fashion Designer

I have a family member who is a production designer and is incredibly inspiring. Seeing some of her work really feels like you are experiencing a number of different worlds, and the detail she puts into each project is astonishing. When I got to my place, I realized your environment has a profound effect on your psyche, and the best way to make yourself feel at home is to design it to reflect the person you are. It takes great empathy to be able to connect to a character on such a deep level, which is what made her work so interesting to me. When I saw it I thought she could teach this! After living in Chicago for over a decade and deciding to call it home, I was determined to make this my world, so I took a stab at creating “my space”. When one is lost in many thoughts, they can make a big mess of their place. Knowing yourself and designing the place to reflect you may help to respect things from your life that bring you joy and you will find a natural tendency to be yourself.

Tools Used:

Sketching Board, Fashion Designer

Full design description can be found on Klarko's Blog