During my senior year of high school, I had an English teacher who ended class early every Friday to tell us stories. These stories were about a brief time period between his high school and college years where he backpacked around the world. Hearing his stories every week gave me a deep sense of wanderlust which transformed into a love of travel throughout my college years. My experiences in other countries have had a heavy impact on my work as a ceramicist.

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Of all the art I have seen and learned about in different parts of the world, the work I find most fascinating is the art that serves functional or ceremonial purposes and is integrated into culture. I often find myself drawing upon my surroundings for inspiration when I create art and enjoy looking at art that does the same. A lot of the ceramic work I make is wheel-thrown, functional vessels. However, my work in other media often has, there is a clear link between my life during the time I created the piece and the artwork itself. I enjoy discovering new ideas and places because I draw heavily on my surroundings in my work and that gives me inspiration for designs across many media.