Hi 👋

I want to be transparent about who’s behind this website, so it’s time for a little introduction post. While I don’t want to be the central figure or focus of the content here, I recognize that my perspective and experiences are relevant. I don’t want to hide anything about who I am and what I stand for, and you can decide if you want to continue supporting my work after getting to know me better. Ok, let’s do this:

The Quick Backstory

I was born in 1995 (making me a baby millennial) and am an Aries sun, Capricorn moon, Gemini rising (if that matters to you). I’m from Michigan, specifically the land of the Potawatomi people. I’m the third of four children and we were all born in five years. Right now I live in Providence, RI with my wonderful partner of three years, Tucker. I work a remote 9-5 at the University of Colorado Boulder and I paint, practice yoga, bake bread, and nap in my free time.

I grew up in a small town of 2,000 people. I took piano lessons, played sports, and loved art class. I attended a magnet high school for math and science and thought I would pursue a career in medicine because I was good at that stuff.

I earned my bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in 2017. I was very confused about what to study, considering my experience in high school and love for art. I played around with transferring to art school or the School of Information for awhile. I was a communications major and writing minor for a minute and started an Italian minor thinking it would be helpful if I decided to study art history (I even studied abroad in Italy). I eventually ended up majoring in “Arts and Ideas in the Humanities” with a specialization in Digital Storytelling, which I designed with my advisor.

After graduating, I served as an AmeriCorps member, spending one year at an economic development non-profit in Lansing and another year at a national monument in South Dakota. Going to South Dakota was one of the best decisions because that’s where I met Tucker and I love him so much :))))

Then the pandemic started and I moved home with my parents while I applied for graduate school. I went back to U of M because Michigan happens to be the top social work school in the nation and you simply can’t beat in-state tuition. Social work is a very broad field and I wanted to become a therapist, so I studied Interpersonal Practice in Integrated Health, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse. My field placement was with Adventure Leadership at U of M, and that’s where I learned about experiential interventions for mental health.I graduated a year ago now and struggled to started this blog when I was looking for a job. And that get’s us up to date on today!

An Incomplete List of My Personal Values

Listing my values isn’t necessarily meaningful but, like I said, I want to be transparent about who I am and who is producing the content on this website. It’s very challenging to narrow down the complexity of my beliefs into a couple words so don’t ready too much into this. Anyway, here are a couple values to keep in mind:

Authenticity. Creativity. Fun. Vulnerability. Accountability.
Autonomy. Inclusivity. Accessibility. Social Justice.

I Have a Lot of Interests

I simply don’t understand people who don’t have hobbies. What do you do with your time?! I keep myself very busy with my hobbies and am always looking for more.

Art: My main interest is painting, specifically building 3-D paintings using recycled materials, but I’m open to anything. I learned how to crochet at the beginning of the pandemic and have made a couple blankets and a lot of hats. I like trying new things and working with different materials, like paper mâché, air-dry clay, beads, and textiles. I’ll try anything twice.

This painting was made with dryer sheets, one of my favorite mediums.

Movement: I started practicing yoga in 2010, became a yoga teacher in 2020, and instructed online during grad school. I am specifically passionate about yoga that is trauma informed, size inclusive, and culturally sensitive. I am a white woman participating in an ancient practice and the yoga-industrial complex is problematic, so I am committed to learning and doing as little harm as possible.

I had to take pictures for my Yoga Teacher Training and this one seems so serious.

Nature: I’m not an “outdoorsy” person, but I like being outside, if that makes sense. My interests involve sitting on the front porch, reading in my hammock, going to the beach, walking around my neighborhood, and front-country camping. I do not like being hot or sweaty- my temperature range is 55 – 75 and that’s it.

1 | Riding horses in SD 2 | Caving in SD 3 | Hiking in Chile 4 | Mt. Cook in NZ

Travel: A lot of people like traveling, I get that, it’s not a unique interest. I think I’ve done a pretty good job getting around the world so far. I recognize the privilege of having parents who value travel and have empowered me to travel solo and I’ve been to six continents, three of them as a solo traveler. My favorite cities so far have been Marrakech, Tokyo, and Copenhagen.

Mental Health: This interest is a consequence of my personal experiences with depression, anxiety, and disordered eating. I studied social work with a focus on mental health and am qualified to be a therapist (although it would take ~two years of clinical practice to become licensed and work independently). This website is going to combine my passion for creativity and mental health.

In the Next 5 Years…

I have no idea what to expect about the next five years. Who knows what the world will look like? I do have some goals I’d like to accomplish though.

Attend an art residency or fellowship: I am starting to work on this by photographing my work and writing personal statements. I need to work with some mentors and teachers too, to get references, so that’s something I’m going to start in the near future.
Write a book: This goal is extra exciting because I have already gotten started! It’s going to be a process because I have a lot of ideas and need to figure out how to format everything. I will probably self-publish or make an e-books, so this goal is entirely possible.
Buy a house or move abroad: I’m doing one or the other. It depends on a lot of factors that I can’t predict at the moment.
Get a lot of tattoos: I don’t have any tattoos yet and I don’t have a good reason for that. I need to find an artist…that’s on my to-do list.
Adopt some cats: I love cats and I can’t wait to give them a good home. I want to foster little babies and “rescue” some old cats during their sunset years.