I have always enjoyed making art. As a child, putting pencil to paper was a way to escape, to tell stories, to release emotion. To this day, art remains almost therapeutic: something meditative, something deliberate, something satisfying. I am a high school math and physics teacher by trade, so being able to return to the quiet act of creation is invaluable.

I didn’t do much visual art throughout college; I just didn’t have the time. But, when the spring of 2020 hit and I was finishing my masters and preparing to start teaching, I found myself with an abundance of time. I threw myself into really trying to grow as an artist. I got excited by the progress I saw. Even now, after the years that have flown by, part of what I love about making art is learning. Perhaps it is the educator in me.