About Me
I like to make things.
Maybe it’s more of a ‘need’ than a like. I flex my maker muscles through art, photography, food, travel, and more. I’m constantly finding new inspiration in the things I see and learn. I’m a storyteller at heart; I love playing with different techniques, mediums and materials to find new ways to communicate stories in a visual space.
I am often asked, “ what do you do?”
I always pause before answering because it’s not a simple answer. The fact is, I do a lot and I do it all in a professional capacity. I am a director, production designer, art director, stop motion animator, prop builder, set decorator, motion graphics artist, VFX artist and craftswoman. I am basically a criminal creative mastermind. My versatility is an asset to any project. I can envision the process and results without being confined to one part of the process. My talents, like my passions, can't be categorized into a singular box and that's how I like it.
History
My mother was a crafter, so growing up, there was a vast supply of exotic materials and supplies around. I wasn’t supposed to play in her stuff, but on several occasions I would lock myself in her supply room and go to town. I remember finding a box of build–your-own silk flower kits. I would sit on the floor pull out the kits, find the little styrofoam ball on a wire, carefully glue the first round of petals to the ball, then add the continuous layers until a flower was formed; irises, carnations, roses, etc. Then I would put the flowers back into the box and put the box away. At the time it seemed so daring and scandalous, now it just seems like I was doing half the work for her.
My dad was a computer engineer and also ran a hobby scuba diving charter business. So I also grew up around computers — and old wood boats that needed constant upkeep. I was cheap labor. As soon as I could be somewhat trusted not to severely injure myself with power tools, I had them in my hands. Sanders, drills, planers, saws… Whatever the project called for he taught me how to use it and put me to work. Throughout the years I watched my dad engineer all kinds of crazy things to get the projects he wanted to do done. If the technology didn’t exist or wasn’t affordable, he would make it or find a solution around it and I the through bearing witness to his endeavors, successes and failures, he instilled in me a ‘can do’ problem solver’s attitude towards work and life.
Fast forward [redacted] years and now it seems inevitable that I would become a hybrid artist, zigzagging between the practical and digital worlds, learning new skills and techniques to figure any project out and always get the job done.
Education/Career
My degree was in Media Arts — focusing on Animation (specializing in Stop Motion) and Photography. I love stop motion. There is childlike wonder to it; like bringing your youthful fantasies to life. It has a delightfully whimsical quality and there is something charming and beautiful in the subtle man-made imperfections. On the practical side, this gave me the opportunity to build sets, puppets, and all sorts of props. Coming out of college it was a medium that I could create and film almost entirely on my own, so I could kick out work and test techniques without a huge budget or team.
But I also realized that it is a fairly niche market with a supply/demand that ebbs and flows. In order to fill the gaps in workflow I dove into After Effects, learning digital motion graphics and compositing. That gave me the skills to maintain full-time work and also work on stop motion projects when they came up.
Over the years that mix of pursuits blossomed into a cornucopia of professional options and outputs, and I seized every opportunity I could. From full-scale prop and production design, to CG and VFX production, to commercial directing, I am one of those people who actually means it when she says, “I can do it all.”
Philosophy
Several years ago, I read a book called Radical Careering by Sally Hogshead. One of the concepts in the book was the idea that the skills you gain on a job are essentially portable equity; an investment in yourself and a new tool for your personal tool chest. This idea articulates my own approach to life. If I need to learn a new software package or different techniques for creating props or sets, I know those added skills will pay off in future endeavors. I believe that with some creativity, compromise and potentially long hours a solution can be found to create something wonderful out of any ‘impossible’ task.
I put a lot of passion and integrity into all of my work. I will go the extra mile, do the research and development, find the right people and work the crazy hours — because I believe that if you are going to spend the time and energy to create something, you should do it to the absolute best of your ability.