Hi there! I'm Katia McCleaf, and this is the main page of my webfolio. You can find some information about me as well as my resume, drawings, poems, goals, and my answers to some frequently asked interview questions.

My name is Katia McCleaf, or 'Kat' for short. I'm in my 20s, and in school. I've always loved the arts: drawing, writing, and my favorite medium which is still struggling to be seriously considered as art: video games. I grew up with them, and I love the unique experience that each one brings. I believe it started with my parents Super Nintendo Entertainment System when I was very young. I remember playing Super Mario World on it very very often from a very young age. Other games were present in my early childhood too, like Spyro the Dragon, Super Mario 64, and Crash Bandicoot. It fostered a love for art from a very young age: the multimedia experiences had memorable music, charming animations, and were just all around fun to play. But I think the first time I started to consider video games art was when I first played The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time for the Nintendo 64. I had heard great things about it, and begged my dad to find me a copy on eBay. Eventually, he pulled through, and I was off on my adventure in the game's mystical land of Hyrule. I was amazed. The main character, Link, was such a good blank slate that I could project onto him perfectly, despite the outdated graphics. The sprawling fields, dark dungeons, and friendly inhabitants of Hyrule had won my heart after the first few hours. I believe it was the first time I thought, "Wow, I want to be a part of something like this." 

By middle school I had decided I wanted to have a part in game development as a career, though I wasn't sure what part of it beyond "I want to help make games." My dream job was, and as a matter of fact still is, working for my favorite game company, the giant Nintendo. I was taking art classes at this period in my life, and honing my drawing skills on and off. Around this time, I also began to make friends on a game-based forum, where I met some close companions I still know today and learned the joy of the community video games could foster. I continued in this fashion, fostering my bonds and skills, all thanks to video games, for the remainder of my teen years.

There were some bumps afterwords, but I ended up at J. Sargeant Reynolds in the Pathways program eventually, where I hope the future will be bright for me and my creative endeavors!