I make because I need to, because I need to somehow make sense of this world, of my life, of my surroundings: of not only the injustice and darkness but also the bountiful beauty around. The plastic outcome I can see and touch, I can share with others to let them into my feelings, my musings, my thoughts. I like to paint because it lets me slow down, it helps me think and connect to my humanness: to pay attention to the world in which everything is moving so fast. I like to sculpt because I can bring something to life, something that inhabits our own space. I create installations because I want to engage with the public by making them part of my art, by empowering their stories and beliefs no matter what views they may hold. My curiosity keeps me going, keeps me prodding along, questioning everything until I get the chance to create. I feel through color, this is how I react, and I create my environments so I can peruse through them and invite others in, inhabit them with shadows of present and past. I believe in expression and the ability of all humans to create, which is why I am not only an artist but an educator as well. I want to get other people excited about art, about the ability of art to be a means of communication, about how art can help us share our stories, how it has helped humans unite and revolt throughout the ages. Art is very powerful and in times like these we must leverage its power to question what’s going on, to promote social change, to involve and educate our communities. Everything is relevant in art and when I facilitate I like to create an environment of freedom, where there are no rules, this, I believe, helps empower people to understand their human wealth, their capability to pursue whatever they desire.