What better place to start than the beginning.

As a child I was always drawing. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, but I knew it had to be creative. This lead me to studying Studio Art at Jacksonville University. While my focus was in painting, I extensively studied Ceramics, Art History and Psychology. Through exploration I discovered what I loved most in my art. In a very visceral sense, it has always been a culmination of expression, through emotion and textures. I find beauty in all the nooks and crannies in nature. The deep crevasse in the tree bark, the softness of moss, the edges of a rock; how I choose to explore this changes with each piece I work on, never afraid to get down on the floor and get involved with the textures as I apply them.

Upon graduation, I directed my interest into Gallery sales, operations and management. I loved continuing to be surrounded by the arts but after 6 years I was burnt out and needed a change. I turned to Jewelry sales and while I discovered that wasn’t for me, it opened the door to learning how to repair, alter and eventually create Fine Jewelry. I earned accreditations through the Diamond Council of America and the Gemological Institute of America and this grew to become an incredible career and passion for over a decade. I felt I had found my calling.

Then in late 2023, life had a different plan. Something was happening with my health that I never expected and couldn’t understand. I started struggling rapidly with strength and fine motor skills to the point it became impossible to do my job. A few short weeks later, I was diagnosed with Dermatomyositis. It’s a rare autoimmune disease that attacks the muscles and the skin; hospitalizing me by mid January 2024.

Months in the hospital gave me a lot of time to think. Having lost all motor function, I was terrified of what that meant for my career. I had to focus on what was in front of me, shifting my focus to re-teaching myself to paint within my new limitations. I was pushing as hard as I could every day. As much as I feared losing my career, I couldn’t lose my ability to paint; my last creative outlet.

In the years since my diagnosis, I’ve redirected my focus back to my art and it’s truly been a lifeline. Chronic illness has no schedule. It can change day to day, hour to hour and I’m just along for the ride. I never imagined that a path I started on over 20 years ago would now be my only safety net, but here we are. And I’m so thankful for that.