Day job

Even though I wish I could just make things for a living, that's not the case right now. I do have a job. A pretty sweet one.  I am an equipment manager for an outdoor school's whitewater branch. So basically that means I get to play with boats, work with my hands fixing stuff and ogle new gear all day. For someone outdoors nerds like myself that might sound really "glamorous" but a lot of the times it's not. But I will say at least 85% of the time at work I am really enjoying myself. I get to help people run rivers and have a great time doing it. And to me that's pretty rewarding.

I grew up in Northern Michigan. Not the U.P. but if you look at the lower half of Michigan on that map, it is a mitten shape. I live in the pinky. Leelanau. Never farther than 5 minutes from a beach. The Sleeping Bear Dunes are about 15 minutes from my house. There is always a lot to do outside. Going into college I was excited to get away. But almost as soon as I left I missed it. I just wanted to be able to go outside and not be hit by a car--dramatic, I know--but that is how I felt being in a larger city for the first time in my life (I graduated high school with only 53 other people). That being said, every chance I got I was outside when I was home for the summer. I worked at a number of summer camps and similar type programs along with spending 2 years working at a kayak outfitter. Just like making art, being outside is a big part of who I am.