Early influences helped shaped my creative passions, as they often do. My Grandpa instilled in me an early love for literature and study. (He’d worn out his copy of Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree reading it to me cover to cover before I learned how to read it on my own.)

Meanwhile, my Grandma painted (that’s her pictured with her paintings). She loved to sketch and paint pictures from her travels, especially her trips with my Grandpa to New England and out West. (It’s a rare covered bridge, lighthouse, or mountain facade she’s hasn’t illustrated through oils!) She taught me at an early age how to draw, paint, and mix color. She also inundated me with cultural magazines. Architectural Digest and National Geographic especially took my interest. While studying these far-away lives and magical worlds featured on glossy pages, I’d imagine how mine might collide with theirs one day. I quickly fell in love with photojournalism, creative documentation, and storytelling.

Travel feeds my curiosities and passions. I took my first trip to Chicago when I was seventeen and something inside me ignited. I was young and full of dreams while the city was established and full of possibility, and the L train offered to take me anywhere…at least that’s how it felt. My appreciation for architecture further grew on the glittering waters of the Chicago River which offers the best views of the city skyline. When I returned to my rural surroundings, I missed feeling small against the imposing family of skyscrapers of River North.

My excitement for exploration only grows with each trip I take, and travel continues to bring my creativity to life. These experiences often prompt me to write stories and create the illustrations you find here. I love sharing these passions with others. Take a look around the site, and reach out to me if I can bring the places you love to life with a custom illustration.