Why I do it
When I was four years old, my mother made a deal with me that I wouldn't have to go to my daycare anymore if I would entertain myself quietly in the back room at her beauty salon. The daycare was pretty bad, so I gladly started drawing people and animals to keep myself company instead.
Then a number of years ago I ran across a book that I hadn't seen since I was four. The story brought back a clear sense of how as a four-year-old I had tried on fables and stories almost like suits of clothes in an attempt to place myself in the world. I realized that one of the first places we learn to define ourselves and our worlds is in these childhood stories, both the ones from books and the ones we are told by our families, our cultures, and our society.
It's surprising how often people don't know what story they're living by. Myself included. Today my work explores my fascination with how we relate to the stories in our lives - and to the stories of our lives. I enjoy creating characters who seem ready to walk out of their worlds into ours, as well as inviting us to step into theirs. In my public art and community work, I also enjoy sharing pieces of my own story, as well as getting other people to reveal their own.