Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do.

I’m an artist and writer based in Los Angeles. Nowadays I mostly work with textiles and garment-making. I started making clothes in 2018 when I was in high school… The first time I saw someone in public wearing something I’ve made was in college… it blew my mind. A lot of my philosophy around what I create is about sustainability and rebirth- giving discarded items a new life. I’m always looking for things at thrift stores and estate sales that I can work with. Everything I make is sourced / dyed / sewn / printed / drawn / painted by hand.

What are some recent, upcoming or current projects you are working on?

Recently I’ve been hunkering down to prepare a collection of work for another pop-up. I had my first solo pop-up in February and I want to do another in the new year.

What is one of the bigger challenges you and/or other designers are struggling with these days and how do you see it developing?

I think a huge challenge for artists right now is getting their work noticed. There are so many amazing artists I follow online that are still pretty underground… the social media aspect is gnarly but I think its kind of something a lot of creatives have to hold their nose and do in order to get their work acknowledged. I started posting my art online in 7th grade and gained a small following that way… I had a pretty rough time socially in middle school so it started as a way to meet other artists. I had a few penpals during that time- we’d send each other drawings and letters. One was from Turkey and the other was from Germany, I haven’t spoken to either of them in years but at one point we were writing letters every month.

I got a DM from someone a few months ago saying they’ve been following my work since 2016 which is crazy- that’s the year I graduated middle school.

How did your interest in art or design begin?

When I was about 7 or 8 I really wanted to write fiction, I actually won an internet short story contest in 2009 which made me way too confident I could be the next breakout novelist when I got older. In 6th grade I had a pivot and started telling everyone I wanted to be a botanical illustrator. I was a very outdoorsy kid and used to hike around Griffith Park with my dad and try to sketch the flowers and mushrooms in a little leather-bound book I used to carry with me all the time. By the time I was in 7th or 8th grade I realized I probably didn’t have the technical drawing chops to illustrate for botanical textbooks but my love of drawing and writing remained. I started making emo comics and zines about my middle school woes and kind of never stopped. Huge early inspirations for me were Jenny Holzer and Louise Bourgeois.

How has your environment affected your design practice?

My parents have always been super supportive of my artistic endeavors. Even when I told them I wanted to drop out of art school they said it was okay as long as I got my own apartment. I’m extremely fortunate to come from a such an encouraging background- it’s a privilege to have a family that sees what you do and respects that without judgement.

How do you distinguish your practice between art and craft? Does this even matter?

I don’t distinguish at all- I don’t think it really matters either. I also think historically a lot of women have been excluded from the designation of fine artist because of their work being deemed ‘craft’. My late grandmother was an amazing textile artist- she could sew or weave anything and she always used to make new outfits for my dolls every year on my birthday. My parents’ house is filled with rugs she made by hand. Many people didn’t see her as an artist because of her medium being traditionally domestic ‘women’s work’ (quilting, sewing, weaving). I don’t think she would even consider herself an artist, which is sad because there was an incredible amount of skill and conceptualization involved in the making of her pieces.

Can you describe your process when it comes to conceptualization?

I don’t really have a process… everything I make is very stream of consciousness. I find that if I try to hard to conceptualize a piece beforehand it never comes out feeling like me. Usually I start with an object or image that inspires me and just play around with how I want to lay out my piece from there.

Is there anything you’re watching or reading right now that’s been inspiring you?

I’ve been reading The Sabbath by Abraham Heschel and watching a lot of Reality TV Slop.

What artists or designers are you interested in right now?

Susan Te Kahurangi King, Tracey Emin, and Katharine Hammett.

What kind of imagery are you drawn to?

Fonts. Religious imagery. Cartoons. Old punk zines. Bootlegs. Kitsch. Poetry.

What was the last show you saw that stuck out to you?

I saw Jenny Holzer’s engraved Truism benches at Mass MoCA in 2023, I love her.

What’s your process like when entering the studio?

Freak what I Feel.

What are you really excited about right now?

I’m excited to keep living. I’m excited to do good things for other people. I’m excited to travel someday.

Where do you find yourself frequenting? 

Thrift stores, book stores, coffee shops. Downtown, alleyways, parks, cars.

Can you share one of the best or worst reactions you have gotten as a result of your work?

One of my worst reactions was with a CalArts college recruiter at a portfolio review day who called my work ‘unfinished doodles’… He had a decent point to be honest. I still got accepted to CalArts.

Someone once said that my writing makes love sound stupid in the perfect way- I think that’s one of my favorite pieces of feedback I’ve gotten.

 

Interview conducted and edited by Liam Owings