My residency experience was vital for both my artistic and personal growth. Working with clay is something I鈥檝e missed every day since the program ended. That process taught me such a deep respect for the craft. I often reflect on the patience, understanding, forgiveness, and resilience it required and how they connect to what I do now.
I鈥檓 now a licensed tattoo artist with a private studio in the Blue Ridge Mountains, which I operate with my partner. The act of cutting into the 鈥渇lesh鈥� of clay to leave a design echoes in my work tattooing with needles on skin. The intention and delicacy I developed during the residency continue to guide my practice every day.
Becoming a tattooer was always my dream. Now that I鈥檓 here, I feel driven to continue learning and to create across different media. Over the past few years I鈥檝e traveled, studied world history, art history, and world religions, and I feel pulled to create work within that realm. What I hope comes next is to carve out the time and space to explore more conceptual art for myself鈥攚hile continuing to hone my craft as a tattooer.
