There are many things that inspire me to create. I find, through clay, the will to be myself. My art and the ceramic material have allowed me to create a place where I can exist as myself in relation to the rest of the world. It is a process that helps me make sense of life in a utilitarian sense and a more abstract, conceptual sense. I have always been drawn to the everyday. The aspects of life that surround us most often and how we can learn or grow or simply be with those moments, objects, and realities. I am driven to create by the challenge of making something with my own hands. Art-making is an opportunity for me to put my personal qualities to use and one that has been a constant throughout my life.