Statement

  Some days my life feels like an eight-year-old’s dream – definitely not the stereotypical “grown-up” life I always felt I was supposed to live! I get to use my imagination every single day! I get to create and experience magic! It is pretty special, and perhaps even a little surreal. I’m still getting used to it.

   I grew up in a rural environment not so different from the one I presently find myself in. Although I had dreams of becoming an artist some day, art programs weren’t accessible to me back then. Common fears of the Starving Artist steered me towards using my free time developing skills theoretically more likely to earn an income. It was a useful path that served me well for many years.

   As I fell into the rhythms of a working person’s life, I often had moments where I felt that something was missing. Eventually I found myself in a drawing class, which led to pursuing my BFA (Honors) at the University of Manitoba. It didn’t make sense to me when I first began... but making art just felt good. Expressing my creativity daily was what I was missing!

   My versatility as an artist comes from thousands of failures in both life and art; paired with a touch of tenacity, and a dash of rebellion! Today’s world often feels like it requires an Instagram-ready degree of perfection, but the process to get to that point is usually quite messy. My failures teach me that it is okay to embrace the mess. After all, that is where the magic begins!

   Learning is often messy. Sometimes the process gets so messy that it feels like there’s no hope of reaching the end. However, the greatest discoveries frequently arrive the moment it feels like everything else has gone wrong, so it is important to keep going.