Magpie Mouse Studios

I always knew I wanted to make art. Creating art has always been my escape; it is my passion and my purpose. Although art has always been with me, at times the path was not clear. Growing up, I had a certain idea of what art was and what being an artist would look like. I pictured myself in a paint-splattered smock holding a paintbrush between my teeth as I worked out the fine details of painting, and for a while, I was that person.

For another brief period, I had a camera hanging on my neck, and at that time, I had no shame lying on the ground for an interesting composition in the name of photography. For a brief period, I was a fledgling printmaker. I loved the tools and the process the most; the carving was cathartic. I felt this could be my thing, but not quite. One summer, I drank my way through Italy, trying to watercolor, and although I had a great time, I felt there was still something else I was meant for. But every path has a purpose. It was while I was in Italy that I discovered a very unique type of art school. It was a school for textiles and metals.

Every morning, our watercolor group would leave our apartment, grab an espresso, and meet at this school to look at slides and prepare for our day of painting. Instead of taking notes, my gaze wandered. I peered into classes where people were handcrafting jewelry. Forging metal, soldering, and casting. To be very honest, until that moment, I really didn’t think this was a thing. At that time, I had never been to a school that offered anything like this, and quite frankly, I had no reason to believe that jewelry was made like this. I assumed jewelry was made by machines in a factory far away. This is the moment my life changed.

As soon as I got back to Seattle, I found schools that taught metalworking, and what my brain has rewritten as accurate has me taking my first metals class at Pratt Fine Art Center the next weekend. It was a 3-day intensive in Jewelry Metals, and by the end of the first day, I knew I had found what I was meant to do. Although my artist’s path has had a lot of twists and turns, everything has led me to where I am right now, exactly where I am meant to be. All the friends I have met, instructors who have guided me, and places I have traveled are all part of a bigger plan. My heart is full of gratitude, and I hope to inspire others with their dreams. It is all achievable if believable.