The first time I remember consciously wanting to be an artist is the 4th of July when I was seven years old. I was drawing the fireworks because I was captivated by the shape that the sparks made in the sky, and I wanted to put them on paper where I’d remember them forever. I’ve come a long way since that day but my passion for art is unchanged and my faith in my future as an artist has never wavered. 

Since I've wanted to be an artist for so long I often feel a connection to my younger self when I am making art, and do my best to honor that in my art. I enjoy specifically calling on my younger self and how it felt when I looked forward at my future for inspiration, such as in my piece "Self Portraits from 1st an 10th grade," which features handwriting and a self portrait by myself in 1st grade. I also channeled my younger self quite heavily in a quilt I made in 2016, titled "Who I Was, Who I Am." I used blocky bright shapes in order to invoke notions of childhood and whimsy, with the goal of  making the quilt something that my younger self would've loved to look at.
​
In all my work I also attempt to take advantage of every new experience I can. That could mean trying a new technique, such as cyanotyping, like I did in my piece "Good Vibes." It could mean pushing myself past the borders of my comfort, such as when I make a painting and then “mess it up” by overlaying bright bold marks as seen in my "Self Portrait in Blue". However it manifests, I've always found that new experiences change my work for the better. In the future I want to keep pushing further while still remembering who I am and why I want to make art.