I am a black, woman, artist working with clay and other mixed media such as fabric, wire, beads, and hair. I create specific forms that communicate my cultural experience and invite my audience to engage in a vital dialogue about contemporary issues regarding race and culture. I naturally gravitated towards these materials as I have been working with pottery for over a decade. I started wheel-throwing in high school, formally studied ceramics and art education throughout college, and now teach introductory clay classes. Some of the best advice I received following college was to never stop creating. This has stuck with me as I went on to complete studio residencies in Greece, Vermont, Georgia and more. Although I work best under pressure, I have learned that patience in practice produces better results. Bringing a physical representation of an idea in your head – in any medium – is not easy but the more you do, the more you learn. My art practice is learning experience – for myself as the maker navigating challenges in building and creating and for the audience engaging with the work.