I'm the result of growing up in a family of makers. I was raised by artists and builders and crafters. My grandfather flew an airplane that he built in his garage. My uncle builds houses in his retirement. My mom is an incredible photographic artist. My aunt makes beautiful and imaginative dolls. I wanted to know everything. My first "when I grow up..." was "Inventor". In my kid mind, that was a person who created something from other stuff and then built it. My first invention was putting a kid-size school chair on my big wheel. I combined two things I had. I was an Inventor.
Still am.
I'm part analog and part digital. I fully embrace technology, but still sometimes use handsaws just because. Two of my favorite words are Process and Discovery. I've gobbled up as many mouthfuls of process as I can. I've become fascinated with everything from Photography to Screenprinting to Welding to Sewing. The end product is a treasure chest of solutions to the question "Could you make a...?"
I think of myself as a curator of materials. It's the natural extension of combining my big wheel and my chair; now I have way more stuff. I like to imagine myself as an explorer in the world. I love learning. I love discovery. Challenge is the catalyst for discovery and so my passion has compelled me to take on challenges like it's eating my morning cereal. There's often no blueprint for the work I do so my inner explorer is wading thru the muck, glue gun in hand, trying to figure out a way to make something out of other stuff and then build it.