Connect What is your favorite type of art to create?

The world is so full of distractions and noise that I feel the only art left to make is work that holds a mirror to our society. Work that refuses to let your eye wander to the next distraction, confronting you with what you’ve been ignoring. The art I’m most drawn to create is necessarily confrontational, leaving viewers with nowhere to look but inward. Short answer; contemporary art. For when I feel quieter, I LOVE crochet embroidery and sewing. Allows me to think and keep old art forms alive.

Where do you find inspiration?

I find inspiration in emotional avoidance and the ways we try to escape feeling. In America’s mental health crisis, distraction has become constant (ads, prescriptions, alcohol, screens, etc.) small reliefs that build and build until we break from the weight of what we've been ignoring. I’m inspired by the actions of global activism groups and the idea that confronting an ignored burden can open space for people to feel less alone and maybe even begin to heal.

What would you do with $25,000?

With $25K, I would create a community of artists aligned around one goal: bringing forward hidden emotions, building awareness, and sparking conversation. I would expand beyond individual practice into collective, public-facing work that challenges the systems shaping us. This funding would allow us to produce larger, more bold statements that can exist in public space and invite people into reflection and dialogue. Start confronting and healing on a larger scale.