After graduating from Winthrop University in 2015 I moved to Portland for an art residency. I’d always wanted to live in the Pacific Northwest so when the opportunity came, I couldn’t turn it down. I packed my car and moved 3000 miles from my small southern town to a city where I didn’t know anybody. By the time my residency had ended a year later, I had fallen in love with Oregon and decided I didn’t want to leave. I spent the next several years working for a ceramics production company, and a local glass company. I came to a point in my life where I was trying to figure out who I was and what I wanted to do, being especially focused on my career. Then, like many people, my life was completely disrupted when covid hit. In a lot of ways it was very difficult, but in other ways it was the perfect timing for me to really dedicate some thought to my future. Applying for jobs during quarantine wasn’t easy, but when I found the ad for the Junior Designer position at Spade and Archer I was completely ecstatic. It was exactly what I was looking for without even knowing it. I love the fast paced environment of working on a different project every day. Each house is a new puzzle and watching it come together at the end of the day is so rewarding. I had worked with interior designers in the past, creating commissions for projects they were working on and had always thought it would be a fun job. I love problem solving and all of the challenges that it presents. After being here for two months, I’ve really come to appreciate the work environment and the support that comes from a really great team of coworkers.
In my free time I can most likely be found exploring outside somewhere. I love being in nature and I love riding my bike so being on the trails and quiet gravel roads in the forest is the happiest place I could imagine. My competitive nature led me to racing, so I spend my summers and fall participating in mountain bike and cyclocross races. Much like my job at Spade and Archer, racing on bikes is all about fast paced problem solving. I love pushing myself past where I ever thought I could go, physically and mentally. I also love all of the places my bike can take me that I would never be able to go otherwise. If I’m riding, then I’m out camping or on a hike somewhere. I take advantage of the pacific northwest summers by being outside as much as possible, so when winter kicks in and it starts raining, I like to hunker down in my studio and start making work. My focus is on ceramics and photography, but when it comes down to it, I’m just happy working on anything that keeps my hands busy and the creative juices flowing!