Dear 1996 Michelle Zamora,

Hello curious little maker, it’s me, you! I’m writing to you from the year 2025. Get comfy, we have a lot to cover. Spoiler alert, you’re a success! I know, wild.

Okay, deep breath. Start scrolling, sis.

︎

Over the next three decades you build a career and life you love. You make people happy by making stuff that matters. Pretty cool, huh?

By the year 2005 you’re a straight A student and produce so much art there’s no space left on the walls. Naturally, you make a book called All Kinds of Things (Volume 1, 1996).

But sadly, you stop making art for nearly ten years.

Suddenly you’re a 22-year-old college grad selling boxes of produce door-to-door in West Sacramento. Eek.

This job leads to a pivotal moment in your life.

You ponder the idea of students discovering and practicing their skillsets before spending thousands on higher education. On the back of an order sheet you write about the curiosity of making.

You travel to Zambia where you help set up RHO Appleseed School in Lusaka and teach English for 6 months - connecting deeply with the children, the animals, and the land.

There, you meet a group of documentary film makers, and because they inspire you to revisit your passion for art, you enroll in Intro to Graphic Design at Sacramento City College...

And fall in love with design.

Diving deep into human-centered design and visual storytelling, you are guided by mentors who profoundly shape your journey.

The way is still unclear so you embark on a pilgrimage.

You finish the Camino de Santiago - walking over 450 miles across the northern coast of Spain - learning to adapt in the midst of ambiguity and navigate a world full of uncertainties.

In 2017 you launch Michelle Zamora Design.

You craft compelling content and strategic solutions that help businesses grow.

︎︎︎ View all projects

Meanwhile, a major opportunity emerges.

You unlock the doors to the Sacramento City College Makerspace...

Where you are a founding member and the Creative Director.

You raise $800,000 and begin your journey advocating for multidisciplinary, hands-on learning, human-centered design methodologies, and STEAM career paths.

You pour your love of making into the hearts and minds of underserved students. They are inspired by the maker mindset and many begin to thrive.

For two years you lead a buzzing hub for
technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

︎︎︎ Go to docu-series

You speak at the 2019 make/SHIFT Summit hosted by the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE), and produce a docu-series covering top makerspaces and the students and leaders paving the way for STEAM education.

︎︎︎ From Student to Entrpreneur

︎︎︎ 👀

︎︎︎ 👀

You collaborate with leaders in edtech and are invited back to NACCE in 2022 to share your story.

In 2021 you pursue the Dual MFA in Visual Design and MBA in Design Strategy from California College of the Arts.

︎︎︎ Idea is the machine for ideas

You dive into form, immersing yourself in studio art and design—learning through hands-on projects, experimenting, creating, and pushing new ideas forward through play and exploration.

︎︎︎ Cyanotype meditation book process

Your MFA thesis is inspired by Vipassana meditation.

︎︎︎ 👀 / get the book

You explore the art of breath and experiment with making the intangible tangible. You present your exhibition entitled: The Ritual of Conscious Breathing at the MFA Showcase, and craft a narrative of your thesis in a self-published book entitled Breath.

You organize a signing because you’re excited to share your work with the world.

As much as you love making art, you are as energized by transforming value propositions into compelling products and services.

︎︎︎ Responsible approach to psychedelic retail experience

︎︎︎ Business model to empower students with entrepreneurial experience

As part of your MBA thesis, you design a business called ShopDoc from concept to MVP. ShopDoc is a SaaS platform that addresses a big “Ick” in people’s lives - car repair and maintenence. Bleh.

︎︎︎ 👀

On your 33rd birthday you pitch ShopDoc at the California College of the Arts Venture Showcase: Reveal to a panel of experts, entrepreneurs, and designers - and you do it in style.

Today you make All Kinds of Things, collaborating on fascinating projects, driving impact, and making a difference. What a dream.

︎︎︎View all projects

So curious little maker, always remember, you make things happen. There is no single path forward. When you get stuck, change your perspective. Dive deep and just keep swimming.

︎

Truly Yours,

2025 Michelle Zamora

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listen

I created the zine "Listen" featuring interviews with my female coworkers. The project aimed to highlight our diverse stories and perspectives as women.