That instinct was nurtured by my free-spirited mother, who raised my sister and me in a home where creativity was encouraged at every turn. I began attending a specialized art school in sixth grade and continued there until my junior year, when my family moved to Colorado. I finished high school there before enrolling in the University of Colorado's 3D animation program.
I quickly fell in love with the medium and truly believed it would shape my future. I thrived in the program, and many opportunities began to open up. But during my final semester, my mother passed away. Instead of moving to pursue a career in animation, I returned to her home in South Florida.
Not long after, I landed a job at a creative agency, where I spent three years working as a 3D generalist, focusing mostly on product renderings, animated ads, and social media campaigns. While the work was creative, I began to feel stuck and knew I needed a change.
So my partner, our 3 dogs and I packed up and moved across the country to Oregon, without much of a plan.
I joined a creative coworking space, hoping to reconnect with hands-on work. With access to woodworking, metalworking, ceramics, and more, I found myself unexpectedly drawn to the stained glass studio. Before long, I was spending nearly all my free time there. Working with glass came naturally.
Soon after, I transformed my garage into a studio for stained glass and woodworking. I realized that sitting behind a computer, creating work dictated by others, was no longer the future I wanted. Instead, I found a renewed sense of purpose in building playful, functional pieces and sharing them with others.
I love working with my hands, creating pieces that spark curiosity, and connecting with people through shared creativity. It's my hope to spend the rest of my life doing exactly that.