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As I started thinking about ideas for a leave behind piece, I wanted to come up with something that felt authentic to me and to the Lateral Lines brand. Since my work lives at the intersection of design and the outdoors, I started brainstorming ideas that connect to fly fishing, guiding, and handmade craft. My goal is to leave interviewers with something memorable that reflects both my creative work and the experiences that shape my perspective as a designer. I also want to m

Completing this 40 Day Challenge gave me something simple but meaningful to return to every day. Life is busy between work, school, and family, and this process created a small space to slow down and focus on improving a craft that I care about. Each day didn’t require a lot of time, but it required intention. Sitting down at the vise, even for a short period, helped build consistency and reminded me that improvement usually happens through repetition rather than big moments.

Forty days of slowing down, tying flies, and learning through repetition. #Fishing #FlyFishing #PurpleHaze

Brown and grizzly hackle wrapped parachute style around the post complete the Purple Haze. #Fishing #FlyFishing #PurpleHaze

A few tight wraps around the calf hair post prepare the anchor point for hackle on the Purple Haze. #Fishing #FlyTying #PurpleHaze

A small drop of Fly Tyer’s Z-Ment seals thread wraps and reinforces the fly, adding durability without changing its profile. #Fishing #FlyTying #ZapZment

A calf hair wing post tied with a pinch wrap and lifted with a thread dam forms the upright parachute post for the Purple Haze. #Fishing #FlyTying #PurpleHaze

A small bundle of white calf body hair forms the parachute post, creating visibility and the anchor point for hackle. #Fishing #FlyFishing #Hareline

This past stretch of the 40 Day Challenge brought the Beadhead Pheasant Tail Nymph to completion and began the next pattern, the Purple Haze. Finishing the Pheasant Tail was a reminder of how much of a nymph’s effectiveness is determined before the fly even looks finished. Choosing the right bead size, adding lead wraps, measuring tail fibers, and building a tapered abdomen all influence how the fly sinks and drifts through the water column. The final steps—forming the thorax

Moose body hair sets the Purple Haze tail, adding stiffness and buoyancy while defining the fly’s classic dry-fly silhouette. #Fishing #FlyFishing #PurpleHaze

Purple 70 denier thread secured behind the eye, then wrapped rearward to lay the foundation for the Purple Haze. #FlyFishing #FlyTying #UltraThread

Choosing the next pattern to tie shifts focus to a new hook brand and style. The Purple Haze begins—an iconic Montana dry fly meant to search and be seen. #Fishing #FlyTying #FullingMillBarbless

After finishing a fly, laying out materials and hook sizes creates a spark to begin the next pattern with focus and intention. Each pattern begins as a possibility. #Fishing #FlyFishing #MustadHooks

Wingcase folded, legs set, and final wraps sealed. The Beadhead Pheasant Tail Nymph is complete and ready to hit subsurface. #Fishing #FlyFishing #BeadheadNymph

Pheasant tail fibers tied in for the wingcase, then a tight dubbed thorax builds the nymph’s forward bulk and structure. #Fishing #FlyTying #BeadHeadNymph

This week of the 40 Day Challenge shifted from dry flies into subsurface tying with the start of a Beadhead Pheasant Tail Nymph. Moving below the surface changed the focus immediately. Instead of buoyancy and visibility, the emphasis became weight, drift, and natural proportion within the water column. Beginning with bead selection and lead wraps reinforced how much a nymph’s behavior is determined before any visible materials are even added. Sink rate, balance, and depth all

The Lateral Lines identity reflects the intersection of my creative and outdoor life. I developed a logo system that blends clean structure with organic movement, supported by a muted landscape palette inspired by Montana waters and terrain. The LL monogram and wordmark create a flexible brand that can live across both design and guiding contexts.

Counterwrapped UTC ultra wire ribbing protects the pheasant tail abdomen, adding durability while defining segmented structure. #Fishing #FlyFishing #UltraWireRibbing

Forward wraps of pheasant tail fibers shape the abdomen, setting natural taper and proportion for the Pheasant Tail Nymph. #Fishing #FlyTying #PheasantTailNymph

Ten matched pheasant tail fibers, measured bead to bend, set tail length and proportion for the Pheasant Tail Nymph. #FlyFishing #FlyTying #PheasantTailFeathers