One could argue that creativity is not much more than being resourceful. The creative process requires using resources based on their potential, what they could be or could do rather than what they are. I work with clay because I adore the material. When I was a kid, my mother would collect anything and everything she encountered while venturing through our house of 5 kids. She kept these objects in a drawer for me labeled ‘make something out of nothing’. I used modeling clay as the glue to combine the otherwise unrelated objects. Making monsters from thimbles and estranged legos initiated my endeavors from one creative outlet to the next all the way through adolescence. No medium truly harnessed my attention until I took a ceramics class my freshman year of college. Clay is one of the only materials that can be made to look like almost anything. Like my childhood pastimes, today found objects that are often disregarded by others play a crucial role in my creative process. My work is merely the product of recognizing the value of objects and patterns that are in abundance all around me. The properties of clay allow it to act as a vehicle for displaying textures and forms that are often overlooked. I’ve chosen this medium because clay is just glorified dirt and I find joy in turning nothing into something.
