Abby lives in Oakland, CA working as an Art Director for EnChroma Inc. Outside of work, she loves playing music, skateboarding and surfing.
Professional Career:
Over the last ten years I have worked with artists, businesses, nonprofits, directors and organizations all over the world to craft, create and deliver high end visual content. From conceptualization to execution, I’ve adopted a growth mindset to ensure every win and loss is helping further develop the ability to problem solve, communicate, strategize and operate with grace both individually and as a team for future projects.
The genesis of my art direction began weaving between photography and videography, which has greatly impacted the way I approach visual storytelling; whether it’s for web, UI/UX, social, print, PR, email, case studies or brand development, I am a firm believer that we have four simple jobs:
Move with intention
Discover innovative creative solutions
Delight our audience with ease
Spark inspiration through visual storytelling
With the help of this foundational roadmap and the amazing mentorships I’ve had over the years with creative directors and trailblazing leadership, I’ve been able to design and lead impactful campaigns that have even caught the attention of notable advertising publications including Adweek.
Music Journey:
Dating all the way back to the days of playing with finger-paints, experimenting with the world of sound has been an integral part of my life since childhood. I was born into a family of musicians with a small home studio containing a Mac(intosh) computer, archaic Protools software, instruments and an affinity for songwriting. I stumbled into being a multi instrumentalist in a bit of a nonconventional way, mostly by ear for the sake of improving the quality of recording / production for the songs I wrote.
Both my personal life and educational aspirations focused on music throughout my high school and college career. I was involved in choir, musical theater, and was in a handful of bands all over the Bay Area, dipping my toes in different genres: folk, bluegrass, rock, screamo (lol), but I tended to gravitate more towards pop, R&B and indie rock projects.
My first solo / self produced EP was released in 2011 under the artist name KANGAROUGE. After getting accepted into a very prestigious music college I could not afford (No shade, Berklee College of Music), I released a Farewell EP to help fund my move to Nashville, TN.
“The EP features all the right elements for good indie folk fare: solid hooks, decent production, a voice that I can get lost in. But there’s something extra there, too, that unnameable factor that makes me want to purchase a coffee house specifically so I can invite Kangarouge to play there.”
After years of working alongside a wide range of talent- from small indie bands in backyard shows to traveling with Grammy Award Winning artists around country, I decided to record my next EP with a dear friend, drummer and co-producer Lucas Warren. In 2017 Fickle and Hollow was released and opened the door to be able to travel to France with Liv Miraldi on the Undertow Tour.
Fickle & Hollow EP
At the beginning of 2020 I released a single “Don’t Let It Get To Me” with my brother, Zach Frenes (Feez) who has written and produced for artists like Kehlani, Kanye West, Ty Dolla $ign, Marc E Bassey, P Lo, Sage The Gemini and more.
My upcoming EP– produced by Andy D. Park, will be released in 2024. This is only the beginning. :)