Home: Indiana. Age: 47. Birthplace: Fort Wayne, IN. Profession: Elementary art teacher and Indiana artisan. Alma mater: Indiana University Kelley School of Business; Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne School of Education. Languages spoken: English and Spanish.
Current project: Identity self-portraits, recycled art sculptures, emotion color wheels and community and neighborhood art. Recent recognition: Indiana’s Elementary Art Educator of the Year. Recent professional development: Art-education-focused workshops. Latest accomplishment: Successfully planned and delivered interdisciplinary art projects. Latest contribution to others: Expanding access to art education for students of all backgrounds. What’s been your big (or biggest leap)? Shifting from a “step-by-step” way of teaching to a more student-driven, process-focused approach. Recent travel or adventure: Exploring Chicago.
Personality profile: Empathetic, adaptable, artistic. Moral compass: Personal integrity and fairness. How do you define an ideal business relationship? Collaboration, trust, respect, shared vision. What is your greatest joy? Process of making art. What is your guilty pleasure? Watching paint dry (literally). What is your favorite place (or way) to spend money? Art supplies, workshops or classes, gallery visits or museum memberships. How do you relieve stress? Clay or ceramics, watercolor washes, collages, fiber arts like weaving or knitting.
What was your first paying job? Landscaping. What was your favorite college course? Crafts and Design. What’s the best advice you received growing up? Never give up. What’s the best advice you received in your career? Always be honest. What modern technology innovation do you most appreciate? Smartphones. What is your go-to source of creative inspiration? Nature. Textures, patterns, weather and color palettes you can’t invent. What personal circumstance has had the greatest influence on your life? An art teacher recognizing my creativity and treating it as something worth taking seriously, not just a hobby.
What is your big idea?
Art as a language for every child.
What change are you working on to effect in your profession or field? Advocating for art education as essential. What change would you like to see in the world? Empathy is practiced as a daily habit, not just an ideal. What message do you want to send out into the world? Be curious before you’re certain, kind before you’re clever, and brave enough to change your mind. What widely held belief do you reject? The belief that people are either naturally creative or not, and you can’t change it.
What title would you choose for the movie about your life? Masterpiece in Progress. Who would you like to spend an evening with, in heaven? My grandmother. As a kid, what did you first want to be when you grew up? A librarian. After your loved ones, what object would you first save from your burning home? Hard drive/laptop with my photos, writing and notes. How would you choose to spend tomorrow, if you knew it was your last day on earth? I would go out to eat at Olive Garned with family and friends. What advice would you give your younger self? Start building habits early. Little routines compound over years, such as reading, saving, moving, reflecting.
Personal mission: Help others succeed. Personal motto: Everyone is an artist. Favorite quote: “I am seeking. I am striving. I am in it with all my heart” (Vincent van Gogh). Desired epitaph: The story ends; the echo doesn’t.
