As a Chicagoan, with ancestral ties to the Southside and South Suburbs, this community is at the core of who I am, an extension of iterations of practice to come. I believe the paths paved by those who’ve existed before me carry me further along my journey into myself and practice.

My current practices include Tattooing, Handmade Papermaking and Ceramics. Tattooing feels familiar to forms of fiber and material studies; I feel that the process of layering ink shows up as the material, while the fiber that interacts with the ink is our skin. Papermaking and Hand Poking have proven to be interconnected in their own ways, both holding space for what is lived and what is felt while sharing the requirement for intention.

My Tattoo practice explores a working timeline of experiences relevant to memory and nature using Black and Grey ink. I alternate between Hand Poking and machine. Hand Poking is a process of layering ink into the skin with a needle barbell by hand—which yields a much more organic result than machine tattooing.

Tattooing is a site specific medium– that requires environmental considerations to be adhered to for the process of making to begin. In this way, Chicago has played a crucial role in my work. Thus, I am constantly gaining further understanding of my relationship with art making through the experiences cultivated by this community.