As far back as I can remember, I have always been making things. My father was a wood shop teacher and the smell of sawdust instantly brings back so many fond childhood memories of working with my dad in his shop. Both of my parents are creatives and encouraged exploring all mediums of expression.

I have a business degree in International Marketing from Eastern Michigan University, but also spent a few years studying, living and working in Japan. My senior year of college, I took a ceramics elective and even though I had played in clay as a child, I got hooked all over again! My love or obsession for clay has consumed me and taken me on a different path, altering the trajectory of my life. I heard a quote once that went something like this “choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” Well, working in clay is hard work, but I absolutely love it!

The two pictures below are pieces that I made the summer before kindergarten. I still see aspects of my current work in these early childhood pieces. For all of these years, I didn’t think that I had found my true artistic voice, I obviously wasn’t listening to my inner child!