When I was six years old, I remember shopping in a local AC Moore with my mom and sister. I was about five and my sister Cassidy was just about three. We were walking down an aisle when we came across stacks of assorted magnets placed on a wall. When I was young, I had a lot of weird fascinations with random objects. One of mine was refrigerator magnets. I asked my mom if my sister and I can get one and she said okay. I began to tear through the “#1 Grandpa” and “ My Cats Are My Children” magnets when suddenly one, in particular, caught my eye. One magnet had this painting of a woman on it. She was wearing this black cloak and looked like she was standing in the desert. She had this expression on her face that wasn’t very clear to me. Her eyes were fixated on something I could not see. She had this smile on her face that insisted that she knew something I didn’t know. I was completely fascinated. I picked it up and asked my mom, “Mommy, who is this?” She smiled and said “Tee, that’s a very famous painting. Her name is Mona Lisa.” I nodded and put the magnet in the cart. My mom, who thought I was gonna go back and grab something more age appropriate, let out a laugh and said: “Are you sure you want this?” And I replied “Yes mommy. It’s very pretty. And I want to paint something like this too one day.”

Even as a child, I was captivated by art. I still find it so fascinating how a single image can hold so much power. From that day on, I began stealing all of the computer paper from the printer and drawing self-portraits with Mr. Stench markers. I’d tape my pieces crookedly with a single piece of scotch tape along the walls of my family room. It was like my own little gallery.

Around this time, my dad began to introduce me to black and white horror films from the 1940’s and 1950’s. Every Sunday morning, my dad and I would get pancakes from McDonald's and watch a spooky horror classic downstairs on our couch. These movies brought me great anxiety and worry, but I loved them for that. How cool is it that someone had the ability to create a movie could create such powerful emotions in me? I knew in my heart that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to create something extraordinary that could touch others. Make them happy, sad, anxious, fall in love, stop and stare, interpret, change their lives. I wanted to inspire others like these artists inspired me.

Growing up, I often stood out among my peers. I always dressed differently and didn’t keep up with trends. It was hard enough being an adolescent, and it was harder trying to figure out who I was and who I wanted to be. When I was sad, I wrote. I drew. I painted. I took pictures. I bought records. I read poetry. How could I consider myself alone when I was constantly creating something that spoke from my heart? How could I consider myself alone if I was constantly surrounding myself with the things I loved? Learning to create. An education. An open mind. Love. These are things I live for. Creativity brought me to become the confident young woman I am now.

That is why I chose art.