WHO AM I?

What were the first signs, even as a child, that you were meant to be an artist? All I ever wanted to do as a child was to create, to pretend, to imagine and make the world around me beautiful in my own way. I wanted to turn my ideas into something real, something I could see, hear, touch, taste, and even smell. I remember always feeling such a need to shape something out of nothing. I was always an artist, before I ever even knew it myself.

When did you realize that you saw the world differently from other people? I would have to say shortly after graduating high school. I became aware that I noticed more. I saw the small details, the subtleties that others seemed to miss. I felt a constant pull toward beauty and balance and a need for my surroundings to feel aesthetically pleasing. When I couldn’t find that beauty around me, I learned to create it myself. 

What is your earliest memory of creating something you were proud of? When I was about 5 or 6 years old, my mother brought home conch shells from Florida. I painted them in shades of pastel that had this beautiful pearlescent sheen. I still think about them to this day, and the way I felt while painting them. 

How have NYC and the NJ coast left their mark on your creativity? They are pretty much polar opposites aren't they? The city showed me structure, hustle, and the beauty of geometry, while the coast has taught me to embrace organic curves, gentle movement, and the art of letting go. I see my work as living in the tension between the two. One holds tight, the other let's go. There is precision and ease, order and freedom, form and flow. I couldn't choose one over the other, I wouldn't want to. They've both left their mark on me, not only with what I create but how I see the world around me. 

What do you hope people feel when they see your work? I want my artwork to make people pause and do a double take. I hope they notice something familiar at first glance, something that resonates or feels comfortable to them, and then looking a little closer they discover unexpected layers, unusual combinations, or hidden details that spark their curiosity and make them go, "OH!"

What does your 'eye' naturally gravitate toward? My eye naturally searches for balance, order, and detail. I look for a sense of harmony, a feeling of fitting. I’m drawn to contrast, to bold and subtle shifts, and always to color. Color is NEVER optional. I love a sense of organized chaos. Things that feel alive, energetic, and layered, but not messy. Nothing too pristine, nothing too disorderly. 

Why do you create? What drives you, beneath the surface? Honestly, it’s something I don’t feel I have much control over. Creating is simply in me. When I let it out, whatever form that may take, I overflow. I disappear from the noise of the world, and for a moment I experience complete peace. It’s grounding, life‑giving, and deeply restorative. Once you’ve felt that kind of contentment, how could you not keep coming back for more?!

What does a perfect creative day look like for you? A perfect creative day...it would have to be a balance of exploring and focus. Rotating between finishing a painting, sketching new ideas, tearing through old books and magazines for inspiration, and checking off my cascade of creative to-do's. Hands-on, playful, but intentional all at once. A productive day where imagination moves freely and I get lost in the process without even noticing the time pass.

What role does play, experimentation, and ‘happy accidents’ have in your process? Happy accidents are my favorite! I tell my daughter all of the time, everything is fixable. There are no mistakes in art. Some of my best breakthroughs have come from trying to figure out something that I "messed up". Happy accidents turn mistakes into opportunities, and that is where the magic happens.

How do you know when a piece is finished? It's not. Ever. That's my problem.

What creative ritual or habit do you rely on the most? Sitting in the quiet, talking to Jesus, sketching with no plan, and staring at a blank canvas until my eyeballs hurt. It’s a mix of prayer, play, and reflection. The stillness lets ideas surface naturally and it gives me space to see what wants to come through. 

How has your your faith shaped the way you see beauty and artistry? My faith has become the foundation of everything I do. It has taught me to see beauty as intentional and purposeful, not random or superficial. Every line, every shape, every color, and every form carries meaning because it reflects the mind of my Creator. Artistry, for me, is so much more than self-expression. It isn't just about making something that's pretty on the surface, it’s about revealing the fingerprints that are already there.

What do you feel is the spiritual purpose of creativity? To draw near to God. To relate to Him not only as His creation but also as co-creators. Through the act of creating, we can understand more deeply how He must have felt creating us, creating the world and everything in it. The way I see it, creativity becomes a heavenly dialogue, a way to honor the Creator, to participate in His work, and to reflect His image through the creative gifts He gives us.

How do you navigate seasons of feeling spiritually or creatively dry? I try my best to sit with it, in it, let it surround me. It's all happening for a reason, there's a lesson in there somewhere, but you won't see it if you're too distracted with what's NOT happening. It can be frustrating, but ultimately I know who is in control of the outcome of all things. So I wait with patience on Him.

What makes something beautiful to you? That's a loaded question! I'm drawn to things that feel considered. Beauty shows up when order doesn’t suffocate expression, and expression doesn’t dissolve into chaos. Carefully chosen colors, intricate details, superb quality, a sense of uniqueness, design that's different, the history and intent behind something, these are all beautiful to me. And I'm especially sensitive to taste. Not trends. Not excess. But discernment. I notice when something has been crafted well, edited well, and I wonder at it.

How do you think your gift of "seeing" works? I'm not sure exactly but for me personally it feels innate, deeply intuitive. I don’t just look at things. I scan for alignment. Most people see individual elements, I immediately see how things relate. I often see what something could be before it becomes what it is, my mind completing the picture instinctively. I don’t need ten reasons to know something’s off. I feel it immediately. I like to call this my "taste muscle" and it’s been trained over decades of noticing patterns, editing relentlessly, studying design, art, and culture, trusting my gut. It guides how I create, how I curate, and how I move through life, always searching for what belongs, and quietly removing what doesn’t.

What do you think people misunderstand the most about creativity? That you're either born with it or you're not. Creativity isn’t a fixed trait, it’s a muscle. It grows when you practice, explore, experiment, and give yourself permission to play. Everyone has the capacity to create. Some just need a little more time, courage, or space to discover it.

What is something people would be surprised to learn about you? If you judge me by my looks alone, you'd never know what a nerdy weirdo I actually am. 

What does your life outside the studio look like? Cozy, simple, quiet. I'm a homebody who loves a routine.

What does success look like to you, really? Success, to me, looks like loving and being loved. It’s having enough, emotionally, spiritually, and materially, that I can give back freely. It’s blessing others, living with intention, and trusting that the greatest reward comes not in this life, but the next.

What dream are you chasing that scares you a little? I have this dream of publishing a book for Christian creatives. One that helps artists and makers root their identity in Jesus Christ, not in performance, approval, or success. It feels intimidating because it will be the first time I'm sharing my faith with what feels like the entire world, and for me, that carries a great weight of responsibility. But it’s a calling that matters more to me than my comfort and has become a true labor of love that I cannot wait to share!