Why I started..

~ ITS THE LITTLE THINGS ~ 

Sure, I’ve always been art-minded….I grew up painting and creating things with my family. 

My brother and I were homeschooled through early grade school which allowed us to focus a great deal on our passions.

 My parents always had us enrolled in art classes and exploring with our hands. 

I grew up in the creek beds and running through the grass. 

Doing math sheets in the meadows with my mom and brother. 

I always appreciated nature and wanted to be spending my time outside.

 I was a camp counselor in the summers along with hiking and spending time in the snow in the winters.

 I can’t remember an age being outside wasn’t the first priority. 

In high school, I focused mostly on painting and drawing and didn't invest much time into 3D arts. 

However, once I got into college at Appalachian State University, I took an introductory studio class that ignited my interest in multidimensional art but that’s not really what started my passion either….

It was the appreciation for life coming out of death…

In April of 2020 when I suddenly and tragically lost my dad; the pressures and realities of our world had become too much. 

My heart was overwhelmed with the weight of grief at the loss of my advisor, rock, and father. 

My entire perspective of the world around me shifted. 

Not long after the loss of my dad, my world was rocked again at a sudden loss of someone I held close to my heart since high school

Earlier last year in February I had also lost my granny - peacefully but painfully. 

I had always heard that trauma had an ability to open your eyes in new ways but I never fully understood it until this last year unfolded. 

I started spending more time noticing the little things, especially in the world around me.

 I started talking less and observing more. 

My gaze shifted from absently around me to focused on the ground. 

A new appreciation grew in my soul. 

I began to see life in everything, even death. 

This is where the beauty of mushrooms and fungi comes in. 

Red, yellow, orange, purple, white, and even blue are all colors that began popping out of the green grass this summer. 

I spent a ton of time observing the ground and noticed all the small beautiful mushrooms that would spring up overnight out of decaying logs and under rocks- sometimes straight out of the grass in the morning dew.

I would take walks through nature to clear my soul and began to see that every fallen tree, every decaying log, and every place that looked like the ending to a story was actually the beginning. 

Small pieces of life, mushrooms, flowers, and moss - all grew from the process of death. 

I found so much unspeakable beauty in the woods, so many things people glance over. 

Collecting things is not new to me so naturally, I started picking up every mushroom that spoke to me, and soon I had a small collection of gorgeous dried mushrooms. 

I wanted to turn them into something. 

Something that felt as expressive and beautiful as these mushrooms were to me. 

Art is a form of therapy for me so turning these mushrooms into something beautiful would be calming for my heart’s unrest. 

I want to to be able to carry the message earth is screaming at my fingertips. 

There is life within everything and every little thing deserves the appreciation