Valerie Ranum

Hi, I'm Valerie. (Or Val. Or V.)

I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up. I always said "teacher" because "artist" was apparently a no-no.

I really loved making art though. I could disappear into shapes and colors for hours. It was my zen space.

I was totally directionless in high school, but somewhat of a high achiever. After graduating, I moved across the US, eventually settling in California, still not sure what to do.

I did a stint as a hand/print model before realizing I absolutely hated it. I wanted to be the one coming up with the creative ideas!

I love technology so I briefly thought I'd become a web developer. I did an internship at an ad agency before realizing it wasn't for me.

I discovered that one of the best art schools in the US was only minutes from my house. I decided I wanted to be a graphic designer and started taking foundational courses at Art Center in Pasadena.

Eventually I transferred schools and moved to the Bay Area, where I worked my way through school as a graphic designer. It was fun to design print collateral and logos for customers. But I wasn't sure if I really loved what I was doing.

(I found the card! /cringe)

I graduated with a BFA in "Computer Arts: New Media," which was a combo of graphic/web/motion design, digital imaging, photography, and coding.

I had been freelancing as a digital imaging artist for years, and it was my true passion. I decided to quit the design gig when I was offered a position at an agency which entailed building out super high resolution assets for a Cupertino client.

I was finally doing exactly what I loved to do. But not very long after, I was offered a job at Square – a burgeoning startup – for a similar but perhaps even more exciting job in digital imaging. I kind of had to say yes.

I attended all of the photo shoots and eventually became the Art Director for all things photography, working on creating the images, vs. modifying them. I worked on lots of fun projects, traveling all over the place for editorial shoots, studio shoots, and everything in-between.

When the pandemic hit, I decided to revisit digital imaging and move back to the Midwest. I had this little guy (below). Plus the digital imaging landscape had changed. AI like Adobe Sensei was getting woven into programs like Photoshop and Substance (a new 3D program). The possibilities were so exciting.

Eventually DALL•E, Stable Diffusion, Midjourney, and a plethora of new generative AI tools sprung up, changing the game as we know it.

I still work as an Imaging Artist; some of my favorite tools include Stable Diffusion + Comfy UI, Midjourney, DALL-E, Krea, Runway ML, Magnific, Leonardo AI, Adobe Substance, and of course, Photoshop. I also work as a Creative AI Specialist, advising creative teams how to incorporate AI into their workflows using LLMs and diffusion models.

If you’d like to connect or collab, please say hi! 👋