Ever since I was little, I was a big collector. I collected seashells from the beach and candy wrappers from my friends. I saved all sorts of knick-knacks so that I could use them for art projects. I was heavily inspired by an artist who would draw figures and attach dresses made with found objects, and I found thrill in crafting Dum Dum wrappers into dresses, enjoying the process as much as the end result. I was not afraid to experiment with different materials, finding confidence in this new-found hobby.

 

Little did I know, versatility in mixed media would become my artistic strength and passion. I love mixed media because I am able to be creative with any media that I am inspired by. Through different approaches, I can practice what I love using the resources around me, expressing my ideas to diverse audiences. I use art to stimulate, teach, and spark curiosity in others. Whether I'm teaching a children's art class or illustrating coloring pages for distribution at my local market, I strive to continuously involve myself in a variety of artistic endeavors to further my passion for communicating through the arts.

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Even as a teenager, I carry that same childhood passion for collecting. I may not be collecting Dum Dum wrappers, but I collect artistic inspiration. My dad’s unwanted CD collection becomes raw material that I use to mirror the superficiality of the media. Tattered pages of song lyrics become layers for texture collages—my art values each raw material not for what it currently is but for what it could be.