About Me

My journey as an enthusiast started when I was six years old with a fascination for tail lights. My passion for cars always felt unorthodox, as it focused less on engineering and more on human factors. I spent majority of my coming-of-age figuring out how to combine that interest with my other interests: design, media, and technology. I knew I didn't want to be an engineer, but I also knew I wanted to have a say in the final product design. I also knew propulsion, mechanical, electrical, etc. weren't where my passions lay either. It wasn't until a fateful internship at an EV startup where I first heard the term, "UX". Wide eyed and amazed, seeing entire creative teams encompassing all of my passions, I was hooked in seconds.

I didn't grow up in a family that was full of gear heads. My family heavily values the pursuit of knowledge as a whole, however, and that always inspired

me to go out on my own and not be afraid to ask "dumb" questions. I learned automotive design and engineering as I went, mostly by throwing myself into various projects and making lots of friends in the industry.

I know I've made my legacy as a UX Professional when accessible design becomes standard...ideally everywhere, but especially Automotive. I'm incredibly thankful that my time in Aerospace has given me a deep passion around designing inclusive products.

Aside from design, I wanted to create a helping hand and safe space for any other humans who may be now where I once was: curious but also heavily intimidated, and unsure where to start. I like to make UX car content for fun, and one day, I aspire to have my own long-form video series that teaches Human Centered Design. I'm currently represented by Players Talent Agency and working on automotive content as part of this dream.

I also love spending time with friends and family, exploring new parts of LA, cooking new recipes, and making jewelry.

About Spicy Carrot

In 2018, I had the opportunity of a lifetime to start designing right out of college for the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. I had about two years of a traditional career until the infamous pandemic hit. With all the time working from home, I decided to take a mid-twenties self inventory and address what areas my of myself I could grow. I took a look at my mental health, physical health, relationships to others, and I had time to reflect on my dreams as well. That was when I realized my car fix wasn't being tended to. This was when I got the idea to start making car content.

Around this same time, my best friend, Hannah, came to visit. We stopped by a Pasadena bakery known for eclectic recipes, where we both noticed they were serving mini carrot cupcakes with jalapeños in them. Coined, "spicy carrots", she tapped me and said, "that's you".

I later changed my Instagram handle to that because I thought it was such a cute and cheeky nickname, and it even came with a sweet story! Once my car content started circulating and I went to more car meets, I noticed that people would call me Spicy Carrot rather than Emma.

The rest, as they say, is history.

About the Logo

Of course, at first glance, you'll see a carrot on fire. As a homage to my deep passion for learning, you'll notice this also doubles as the Torch of Knowledge.