Artist Statement

My artwork is focusing on effecting the happiness I want to create more of in my life. My emphasis on happiness is selfish in that I'm focusing on spaces and places that are happy to me. Hopefully though others will also turn to their sources of innate happiness when they need to create more of it in their lives as well. I've been taught my whole life that the way we feel about things is our choice, including whether or not we're happy. I left for school each morning hearing, "make it a great day" rather than, "have a good day." My father grew up the son of a psychologist who, as a young husband and father, was so severely depressed that he couldn't get out of bed. One day he decided he was going to get up and be the person he wanted to be.  He spent the rest of his life helping people use positive envisioning to become who they wanted to be.  Even still, choosing happiness has often been easier said than done for me. The pieces I'm creating are an effort on my part to become more of the person I aspire to be.