From a young age, I always loved playing with crayons and paints, but my pursuit into the art world began in Jr. High.  Our class was assigned to create two weekly sketchbook drawings. The subject matter could be anything.  My first attempts were not impressive.  My parents picked up a how-to-draw kit for me that came with pencils, special erasers, and a book that changed everything. Inside those pages was a pencil drawing of a ballerina.  By recreating that drawing, I learned some of the basic elements and principles of art.  I was excited and wanted to do more!  

Into High School, I ended up with a wonderful teacher, Mr. Brian Ettensohn, who really nurtured my love for art and saw my potential.  I was exposed to many different mediums and assigned to draw a self-portrait.  This was one of the most memorable and fun projects I did in high school, as it really piqued an interest in people as subjects for my art.  I drew family members, many more self-portraits, and even baby pictures for one of my friend’s parents, improving with each project.

I absolutely knew I needed to pursue art and ended up at Brescia University.  There, I studied studio art - stained glass, drawing, painting, screen printing, photography, and my personal favorite – ceramics (not just because of a tall, fun, and handsome man that I met and got to know in those classes)!  About to graduate, I was scared of becoming a starving artist if I didn’t pursue a more lucrative path within the arts.  I took on an extra year and crammed in all the courses needed to graduate with not only a BA with an emphasis in studio art but also graphic design. 

My first design job outside of college came unexpectedly.  I was visiting local print shops to see how I might be able to utilize their services for future work I would be doing for my own clients.  Instead, I was offered a position of part-time in-house graphic designer on the spot.