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I have been interested in doing public art installations for a few years now. Combining my love for nature, art, and technology, I would love to work with artists, engineers, and non-profits to create installations that help the environment in some way, be it cleaning toxins from the air or raising awareness for environmental issues.

Now in San Francisco, I have access to incredible hiking within 10 miles of my house. And since we've had great luck with El Niño and having a rainy, wet season, there have been ample opportunities for mushroom colonies to spurt. Finding these incredible growths, I decided that I would make ceramic mushrooms and plant them in places that I have been hiking hoping others would like finding simple art installations in everyday places. This project will be evolving in 2016 and I can't wait to see what the progress will be in a year.

Living by Golden Gate Park, I decided that I would plant my first installation on a walking/bicycle path that I use frequently. This path is used by some, but not used by most, which makes it a great spot to plant a few mushrooms.

I will give you a hint, it is located in the northeast corner of the park. If you are able to find it, hashtag it #lilmushies. I can't wait to learn more about mushrooms and mushroom types, create new ones in clay, and plant them around the Bay Area.

I am so excited that November is finally here because that means that Free People has finally posted my ceramic wares made exclusively for them on their website! Bonus: my ceramic hands were featured in their November catalog! 

It was so great to work with the entire team that made this happen at Free People. It all started in February 2015 when a buyer contacted me who was interested in some of my ceramics. After submitting samples of my work, the design team asked me to make custom items that fit their aesthetic and color scheme. We finally decided on two different ceramic hand incense holders and some elegant coffee stirrers. 

In September, right before we relocated to San Francisco, I started producing and finalizing the order. 

This was such a wonderful experience where I learned more about working with larger retailers, packaging and shipping large orders for sale, and implementing new techniques all while learning more about myself and my business through the process.

I love the way both the incense holders and the stirrers came out. If you are looking for a unique holiday present for a loved one, know that these ceramic wares were all handmade by me in my tiny garage studio. 

In April, I was approached by Archer Malmo, a creative advertising agency based in Memphis, to help produce an online commercial for FedEx. FedEx has partnered with Renegade Craft Fair to introduce flat rate shipping to makers and independent designers, and I was lucky enough to be selected to be featured in their series of commercials highlighting local micro-businesses.

It was an incredible experience working with such a fantastic team to produce this video about my small business. Telling my story is important to me, and having this beautifully shot video helps me communicate my business to others. 

A team of about 10 people came to my studio over the course of two days in May to film me working. They filmed me throwing on the wheel, hand carving, hand painting, glazing, loading the kiln and all the other creative processes that go into making ceramics. The team also came to Renegade Craft Fair in Austin! You can tell all the hard work that went into this video and I am so appreciative to have been selected and to have been able to work with this excellent and dedicated team.