The Artist 

I remember road trips out to grandma's farm every Thanksgiving.  I was convinced each time I asked "Are we there yet?" we would arrive faster. My grandma always had a new art project on display- sewing, crocheting, painting, a new song- you name it.  She taught me the beauty of wonder and gave me a passion for art I still cannot shake. My work flows out of a passion for people and belief in the power of story. Writing and photography for me are simply an excuse to meet someone, make a new friend, and hear their story. 

The Visual Storyteller

Growing up, I watched my dad dive into one of his new hobbies: photography.  I remember his hobbies ranging from studying the stars with his telescope, roasting his own coffee beans in the side yard, and studying the history of tea.  Something about this hobby was different though: he never stopped doing it.  When he first handed me his camera on vacation at Estes State Park in Colorado, I fell in love.  Before I knew it, it became my career.  Today, I do freelance work as a wedding and family photographer.  While I continue to travel overseas to create visual stories for humanitarian organizations. 

The Writer

As a child, I collected an endless amount of journals, scribbled with my songs and poems. After graduating from college, I began to work on my Masters in Media Arts.  With a background in photography, I decided to pursue an emphasis in writing in order to combine the two arts. Currently, I am finishing up my first book, The Journal of a Photojournalist: Faith and Photographs, and I am also currently working on a photo-based book called, A Broken Lens.

The Tea Brewer

 A cup of hot tea is the secret weapon to all my work.  This motivates me in the dark morning hours to write.  It pumps me up before going out on an all day shoot. And it calms me down as I collapse on the couch after a long day's work. When I first discovered tea, what drew me in was the story it brings along with it. Monkey Picked Oolong Tea takes me to the tip top of tall China trees where the tea lives are picked by monkeys. When I sip a cup of Pu-erh tea, I fly into middle eastern caves where the tea leaves are stored for up to 15 years. With each brew of tea, comes a story in a cup.