I fell in love with art at a young age, winning vocal and visual art competitions by the age of 8. But at age 9, my father died and life as I knew it, fell apart. For many years following, I experienced deep trauma that led me to a point where I tried to take my own life. I fell into severe addiction, began selling drugs, and was in and out of jail for years. I thought I had nothing to live for. But as I sat one night in the dark, alone, with a needle in my hand, a tiny voice inside me whispered “This is not who you are.”

That fleeting thought was a powerful reckoning for me. In that moment, I remembered who I was, and I knew that I was meant for more than what I’d become. Through sheer determination, I began the journey to reclaim my life. Along the way, I found solace in creating sculptures. I loved watching the clay transform in my hands and began creating pieces intuitively, with no plan or intention for the outcome. Oftentimes, I find the final piece as surprising as everyone else.