I am a storyteller, but my stories do not always follow a linear narrative. I stole my dad's camera at 4, I began painting while in kindergarten, created and voiced fictional radio shows when I was 6, I started dancing and playing organized sports in the 1st grade, I sang in choirs all throughout my youth, and I completed a fine-arts-track program in high school.

 

As I sought out new ways to shape my creative personality, all conventional artistic practice was shunned in favor of dissident expression. I left my hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio and moved to Alaska, then Washington State, California, Latin America (Brazil, Costa Rica, Argentina, etc.), Texas, and back to California. All the while I maintained my creative focus while still coloring outside the lines at every possible opportunity.

​

I was 25 before I started college and pursued the creative and cultural studies that had always steered my life: photography, writing, cinema, research, food, art, language, and how human societies enrich the world we all share. In my MFA program I focused on film & media production, which resulted in four original short films that I wrote and directed: three narratives and one documentary on subjects ranging from Texas BBQ food culture, to a woman confronting pregnancy as a professional stuntperson, to a child's confusing grief in losing a parent, to a Dystopian future world where a woman must choose between saving her dying brother or saving the world.

 

After years of interdisciplinary practice, I now center my professional work on research, writing, editing, media production, and teaching on discussions around gender, anthropology, cultural heritage preservation, and food culture. I explore topics and publish in creative freelance settings within academia, online & digital platforms, film & media outlets, and traditional publications.