Despite its challenges, the process of creating artwork has always been a form of meditation for me. Initially, my desire to create art was fueled by my curiosity to understand my environment beyond reflections through writing or photography. My interest in drawing and painting has stemmed from my desire to problem solve and record even the smallest details of my surroundings or subjects that I admire. From my experience as an artist, I have learned the importance of taking a moment to slow down so as not to overlook moments or subjects.

Like most people, my obsession with creating art began with drawing. It was a skill acquired because the material I needed to draw with was so easily accessible, and realism always seemed like a compelling subject worth attempting to achieve. I grew up learning to draw both in my free time and in school. By the time I felt I had created enough still lifes for practice, I started to become curious about graphic design, painting, and abstraction. To this day, I appreciate drawing because I view it as the foundation of my artwork.

My interest in graphic design has been a great outlet that merges my love for business marketing and art. I love combining my problem-solving skills with creativity in order to clearly communicate a message to a target audience. Graphic design has challenged me to think differently and even more creatively over time. In comparison, I paint for personal expression. My earliest paintings document moments or memories. Recently, however, I have enjoyed creating a series of floral paintings meant to start discussions about feminism. Normally, people view flowers as a very lovely, feminine subject; however, the backgrounds that I normally apply to my floral pieces are an emotional contrast to a subject that is traditionally viewed as beautiful and cheery.

Using different mediums that inform each other has helped me grow tremendously as an artist at Augustana. Since my initial desire to understand subjects better visually, my artwork has progressed to become more emotional, gestural, and abstracted; therefore, I have created a voice for myself as an artist meant to connect with people of different backgrounds about various matters, whether it be about business or important social discussions.