Artist Statement

           My Barbies were always runway ready and dressed to kill. Since I was a child, I have always strived for the aesthetically pleasing. I enjoyed craft time in school, particularly clay sculpture. Although none of my sculptures were especially masterful, I loved the way the clay felt in my hands. It had a wonderful calming effect on me as the cool substance slipped between my fingers. It was this early experience that made me appreciate the power of allowing myself to let go and create; to see what I could produce with just my imagination and hands. It was a powerful and addictive realization.

           As time passed and technology grew, I progressed to the realm of digital art, playing with Paint and Photoshop programs to create birthday signs for my family. My brother, who is now a software engineer, was always writing programs and playing with the computer as well, and so together we would create computers wonders (at least they were in our minds). As I progressed through high school, I somehow lost my connection to art as I felt a career in education or the health care field would increase my probability of job placement. I didn’t know how my interest in creating could really formulate into something palpable.

            It didn’t take long to for me to feel unhappy and unchallenged. I missed stretching my creative muscles. After job shadowing with a graphic designer, I knew I had found my calling. Today, I am working to create a digital design aesthetic that is both sophisticated and unique. I strive to create designs that are thought provoking, with some subtly, but that are completely eye catching and captivating. Although my favorite medium is digital art, I also enjoy 2D design with traditional tools, such as pencil and marker. I draw inspiration from various sources, including art history books as well as contemporary artists. Although my design pieces typically revolve around a feminine theme, the ultimate goal of my work is to create work that is “gender neutral,” or difficult to tell the sex of the artist. One of my goals is to maintain not only originality, but to always push myself to try new things, and not necessarily have a completely signature style but rather one that is constantly evolving and changing.  I would also like to continue to evolve as photographer to utilize my own photographs in my designs, as well as create time-motion videos. I also hope to work to create interesting and unique topographic forms, as this is becoming increasingly relevant and an important topic in today’s culture.