Connect What is your favorite type of art to create?

It’s hard to pinpoint the exact type of art I enjoy creating most. I love anything that compels me to work with my hands and visualize deeply in my mind. I enjoy hard work and the satisfaction of completing something beautiful. One art form that hits close to home is Indigenous beadwork. I feel it is most important for me to pursue this work, as it is a sacred art form. Decorating people with adornments is deeply satisfying to me.

Where do you find inspiration?

I find inspiration in music, listening to an artist express a feeling, a place, or a thought. I find it in nature—in the slight curvature of a form or in my curiosity about a tree or animal. I find it in my culture, in the richness of the history of the Lumbee Tribe. I find it in conversations with people who are being their most vulnerable selves. It’s like a light turns on within me, and the idea comes front and center. My art is all over the place, reflecting the vast polar opposites of earth

What would you do with $25,000?

I would invest half into a reliable, larger vehicle capable of carrying heavy equipment and supplies, as my current car limits my ability to take on large-scale projects I’m eager to pursue. The remaining funds would be saved to support future projects and materials. I genuinely enjoy creating in many forms, and this opportunity would expand my abilities and open doors for greater creative growth.