I’ve always loved trying new things and indulging in the excitement of new experiences. I’ve played just about any sport you can name, some I stayed with for years, some attempts so feeble they can hardly be acknowledged as a real experience. The strongest hobbies I’ve picked up throughout my life have been drawing, sewing, jewelry making, painting, writing, dance, and various flow arts such as staff and sword spinning. What I love about all of these things is the opportunity I have to infuse a bit of myself into whatever it is I do or create. In anything I do, I incorporate an element of artistic expression that is individual and unique to me. There is something about the idea of ‘uniqueness’ and individuality that has intrigued me. As a little kid, I remember standing in the aisles of a convenience store watching people pass by me, wondering who they’d come home to, what makes them laugh, where they find peace. In every piece of artwork I create, I infuse a bit of me, or someone else into it. Many of my paintings are inspired by a certain way I view other people, other concepts, other combinations of love and loathing that make a person who they are. Most of the time, I use my artwork to better understand myself. I explore parts of myself from an outside perspective and re-immerse into them while painting. Parts that I love and parts that I fear. I find beauty in every part of myself and others, every part of life because of my art. To me, art is understanding true beauty and appreciating the complexity of life.