Storytelling is at the core of my work. It is how I teach, learn, and explore the devalued concepts of identity and belonging. As a Black and gender non-conforming person, my journey with beauty and empowerment has been shaped by how I carry myself, my education, and the contrast between perception and self-truth. These reflections have evolved into a celebration of mind, spirit, and body—embracing those who, like me, have been criticized and dehumanized.

As a child, I struggled to see myself reflected in the world. My mother stocked up on brown crayons so my mother could color my sister and I into birthday and holiday cards, and our home was filled with books featuring Black children. These small but powerful gestures shaped my understanding of representation and later influenced my work, though I never anticipated how difficult it would be to find mirrors of myself in the world. Whether through a sculptural tea set designed for storytelling, a highly melanated goddess broken and reassembled, or a hidden-seam box known only to its maker and receiver, my art invites engagement with narrative, memory, and identity.

Beauty is often said to be in the eye of the beholder, yet society dictates who can attain it based on race, gender, and class. If beauty is exclusive and holds immense societal value, how does one develop self-love when the standards exclude them? Where do we find mirrors that reflect the expansive nature of beauty and belonging? My work challenges these standards, disrupts oppressive systems, and redefines self-worth. I provoke thought and conversation, asserting that beauty is complex, layered, and deeply rooted beyond the physical.

I carefully select my materials—bought, found, or rescued—not only for their physical properties but for their capacity to serve as vessels for storytelling. I use a range of ceramic techniques—coil creation, slab rolling, pinch pots, handbuilding, wheel throwing, sgraffito, inlays, relief carving, slip casting, and glaze combinations—to craft spaces for narrative. I enjoy bending the rules of clay manipulation, creating works that defy tradition: mutant teapots formed from sliced wheel-thrown cups, sculptures combining handbuilt and thrown elements, and vessels adorned with sculptural details like toes and lips.

Beyond sculpture, I create in collage, found materials, pencil, pen, charcoal, oil, watercolor, ink, and acrylic, fostering an interdisciplinary practice that informs my work in social-emotional education. Historically, ceramics have been a storytelling tool, integral to communities past and present. While mass-produced pottery fills shelves to meet consumer demand, handmade ceramics remain at the heart of community spaces, preserving histories and culture.

Through my art, I capture faces and emotions, challenge dominant narratives, and reclaim beauty, identity, and belonging. I create not only to express myself but to offer others a way to see themselves—fully and unapologetically. My work is a continuation of the stories that have shaped me—an open invitation to reflect, question, and reimagine what is possible.