Photographer - Artist - Storyteller
When I was still a child, I emptied my closet of clothes, squeezed in a small black drawing desk, and covered the walls with artwork. This was the beginning of my first studio. It was the moment I declared to the world that I was an artist.
I am an image based artist rooted deeply in the Midwest. While born in the suburbs of Indianapolis, the Midwest architecture and landscape continues to shape my understanding of people, place, and memory. I often look at creating visual narratives to explore the intricate dynamics of interpersonal relationships, illuminating their profound interplay with the environments we inhabit. I am interested in how these images show an evolving relationship between work and life, belonging and departure, presence and absence.
My work takes the form of constructed images often including aspects of installation. Through deliberate manipulation of the lighting, environment, and natural color of the work I transform familiar spaces into performative places of memory and emotion. The process of creating the work itself becomes an act of storytelling. Each decision from the artificial lighting, costuming, furniture, or prop I am using in the composition then becomes a purposeful part of the narrative I am unveiling. The work becomes a dynamic depiction of my interpretation of rural life in the Midwest with the goal of exposing poetic emotions to form a sense of nostalgia.
As a lens based storyteller, I challenge the viewer to think deeper about the specific narrative exhibited. Through my work, I examine societal norms as a means of provoking critical reflection on the fundamental emotions of human experience.
Teaching Philosophy and Notes
I am an artist committed to cultivating the next generation of visual creators. My practice extends beyond the studio into the learning space, where I focus on creating artists rather than simply instructing students. By adapting my teaching to each individual, I foster curiosity, experimentation, and critical thinking to encourage emerging artists to discover their own voices and develop the confidence to express them.
Notes from observing the Classroom:
Organize the classroom to bring students together to promote communication.
Continue to repeat the basics.
Create handouts with spacing. Encouraging students to take notes as they follow the lesson.
Spend time making sure the students are comfortable with the classroom, resources, and technology.
Working Teaching Philosophy:
My teaching philosophy is grounded in a commitment to removing barriers to learning so that artists in my classroom can fully engage with their creative and intellectual potential. In the studio classroom, barriers often take the form of fear of failure, uncertainty about expectations, or limited access to meaningful dialogue about the process. By intentionally designing a transparent, supportive, and collaborative learning environment, I aim to create a space where students feel empowered to experiment, reflect, and develop as artists. At the center of my pedagogy is the belief that learning is cumulative, relational, and rooted in practice.
I approach learning as a cumulative and lifelong process. Students arrive in the classroom with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and levels of prior knowledge, and these differences are valuable starting points for artistic growth. To better understand students’ existing knowledge, I incorporate diagnostic activities early in a course. Throughout the semester, formative check-ins allow me to monitor students’ progress and adapt instruction as projects develop. These conversations often occur through informal critiques and individual meetings, where students can ask challenging questions and reflect on their work. Finally, summative assessments provide an opportunity to evaluate how students synthesize concepts and techniques over time. Framing learning as an ongoing process (including the possibility of failure) helps reduce anxiety and encourages students to take creative risks.
Equally important is creating an environment where students can actively engage in the studio. I structure the classroom to support collaboration and dialogue rather than passive listening. For example, arranging desks and workstations in a U-shaped configuration allows students to easily share work, view demonstrations, and participate in group discussions. Especially as a photographer, in a darkroom or computer lab, the environment is traditionally set up creating physical barriers. The goal is to strategize ways these physical walls can be removed, to bring the students together in the creative process creating a collaborative art collective.
Ultimately, my teaching centers on self-expression and artistic development. I strive to balance multiple roles in the classroom: expert, facilitator, and role model. While I provide technical instruction and critical insight, I also prioritize dialogue, experimentation, and reflective critique. Creating a conversational classroom environment while encouraging students to analyze their own work and engage thoughtfully with the work of others. Opportunities for students to showcase their work, not only through critiques, presentations, and exhibitions, can also further reinforce the value of their voices and perspectives.
As a whole, my overarching goal as an educator is to build and support emerging artists rather than simply lecture to students. By removing barriers to learning, fostering transparency, and cultivating an environment of collaboration and inquiry, I aim to help students develop confidence in their creative processes. Teaching in the studio is not only about transferring knowledge, but about guiding students as they discover their own artistic identities and strategies for lifelong learning.
