About Me

Hello, I'm Amanda Bui!

I began my journey by studying Marketing at California State University of Fullerton. I initially thought marketing would be the best way to blend my creative itch. I explored several opportunities in my career, until I stumbled upon a new path, UX/UI Design. It piqued my curiosity enough to propel me into the UX Academy at Designlab.

This new UX/UI Design pursuit feels more aligned with me, especially since it allows me to combine my marketing and creative knowledge.
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Effectively communicating and organizing means a lot to me. I want to help where I can.
I hope this translates into my works while adding some aesthetic shine to a design.

Fun fact: I love tofu! I also enjoy drawing digitally when I can.
jump straight to all my links
connect with me

my story

early youth and into college

I was born and raised in Southern California. There was so much culture around me, especially all sorts of good food! I felt that I naturally wanted to explore and learn more.

Inspired by all my cartoon media consumption, I enjoyed drawing and story-writing when I could. I also dabbled in video editing at some point.

In high school, I spent most of my time being involved in Red Cross, tennis, and art class (i.e. AP Photography or Computer Graphics). My passion for art was evident, so I thought it would be best to pursue Animation upon entering California State University of Fullerton.

Within the first two years of college, I learned that I did not want to fully blend art into a career. I switched to Marketing since I thought it would be a better balance for creativity and making use of my other skills. I learned a lot about e-commerce and other business concepts. I realized that organizing and understanding people fascinated me.
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I had opportunities like:
  • Cashiering in retail and food
  • Being in Pi Sigma Epsilon, a sales and marketing organization
  • Working as a Graphic Designer for 3 months
I graduated college, during the coronavirus pandemic, in January 2021. It was an interesting time to be part of a fully online-learning format.

exploration after graduation

While partaking in the quarantine during pandemic, I spent my time refining my drawing skills. During this time, I worked alongside with a few small businesses.

I was later contacted by an art colleague. They requested for my help and marketing knowledge for their online art shop. I learned a lot working alongside them, which then inspired me to open my own art shop in April 2021.

I created my own merchandise, but also learned to resource my own suppliers, utilize Shopify, manage my website, and curate my social media posts. It is a lot of work for one person! I understood why there are so many departments that handle a business.

I still illustrate when I have the time to. It is fun to make stickers, pins, charms, and poster prints and sell at conventions or night markets!

a rare opportunity and career endeavors

Besides working on my art shop, I thought to take up a second job in May 2021 as a Candy Artist for Candy Kingdom. We focused on catering events and managing the Etsy storefront. I thought my boss was joking about being on Hulu, until "Candified: Home for the Holidays" did happen.

It was an unscripted reality TV series, so I made my own improv. You can see me as one of the main cast members, "Mandy the New Girl!" I got to facilitate candy sculpture projects accordance with Hulu's deadlines. I met so many fun creatives on set! I was grateful to partake in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

After the project ended, I sought a job in corporate. I worked as an Administrative Assistant for Phrontier Technologies. There, I created purchase orders, invoices, and received bills using accounting software PeachTree. I also maintained the company websites and e-commerce storefronts while fostering strong business relations with customers and suppliers.

During this time, I realized that I wanted to do more than just clerical work. Since I interacted with a lot of websites, I thought my interest lied in coding. However with more research, I eventually stumbled upon UX/UI Design.

present time

I wanted to learn more about UX/UI Design, and thankfully got acquainted with people who had taken a bootcamp for it. They shared their experiences with me. I decided to go with Designlab due to their mentorship program and being more financially within my means.

I took Designlab's Foundation Course and loved it! I am now pursuing the UX Academy and soaking in every lesson and project work.

I am able to pour all of my experiences into the UX research; further developing my communication and understanding of others. I also can pour my art passion into the UI Design, while adding that touch of organization that I enjoy doing!

connect with me

Here are my links. I would love to connect with you!
My art links are also included if you would like to see what I do in my free time.

@amabui
tofunemu.com
@tofunemu