“Spending time in awe of Nature can be a powerful antidote to hopelessness and despair. There’s something restorative about remembering how we simultaneously evolved for a hundred and fifty thousand years alongside all life-forms right outside our doorsteps. When we feel connected — to the birds, to the land, to each other — it helps us remember who and what we are: sentient animals that require unbridled sunlight and fresh air, clean water, and nutritious foods.”

It is with great excitement and gratitude that I share The Feminist Bird Club’s Birding for a Better World, a book that provides a vision for greater inclusiveness in birding, actionable steps toward environmental justice, journal prompts to spur self-reflection, and also includes a piece of my art! The book was written by Molly Addams and Sydney Golden Anderson, and it's available now wherever books and ebooks are sold. You can find my feathered art on page 113.

“Each of us holds the tremendous responsibility of borrowing the planet from future generations, of caring for the Earth and for one another. Realizing this responsibility is another gift, one that kindly grips you to say: all flourishing is mutual”

Check out my Instagram to find process photos, updates, and occasional promotional offers for my shop!

I had the pleasure of being interviewed by my favorite binoculars brand, Nocs Provisions. They asked me about my relationship with the outdoors and how I use my work to be a vessel for the things I care about most in this world.

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During these crazy times I know it gets hard to find a moment to move slowly and rest the mind. Click this link and download some free coloring pages I designed and give yourself the gift of some mindless creative energy!

This link will take you to the public folder for the downloadable content for the Stay at Home Surrealism ideas I have posted on Instagram.

If you are unfamiliar with what this is, check out the link to my Instagram and scroll until you see the Stay at Home Surrealism imagery!

About the project:

You may or may not know that while I’m not currently teaching in a school to pursue my art making and small business, I’m actually a licensed teacher with over a decade of teaching under my belt. I’ve been sitting here, trying not to watch the news constantly, trying to keep busy but also not stressed. I know that SO many of us are cooped up at home (parents with kids, teens with no friends to hang with, individuals just bored out of their minds) so I thought that I’d start posting some art games/activities/ideas. So welcome to Stay at Home Surrealism!

In short, Surrealism was an artistic movement that embraced irrational thought and unique ideas. The goal of the Surrealists was to tap into the unconscious mind directly, “escaping the constraints that weigh on supervised thoughts.” In order to access the subconscious, these artists would play games or base their ideas off of random occurrences. Basically: sometimes it’s hard to think when you’re being suppressed by society, anxiety, and the unknown. In order to access these suppressed ideas, allow yourself to play!

During the week I’ll be posting some Surrealist games, activities, and projects that’ll put you at ease and maybe even teach you something! I’m hustlin’ to make my business work during this normally busy craft show season, so I won’t post every day, but whenever you see this little graphic know that there is a project attached. Have fun and share with whomever you think needs it!

This is the catalog that Maria Gaspar and I put together to document the City as Site project with lots of beautiful pictures of the youth artists and their work.

This is a blog that I created to document the work that was being done in a project called City As Site during the summer of 2010. Working as the Assistant Instructing Artist for Chicago artist Maria Gaspar, I helped lead a group of Chicago youth in a program that focused on creating public artwork in the Little Village and Lawndale areas of Chicago. The work was non-permanent and was made up of sculptural installations, photography, drawing, sound, and performance art. The project was funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and supported by the Chicago Public Art group and ENLACE Chicago. Click the link to read more!

Here is more information about UIC's Spiral Workshop