In The Beginning....
A very rowdy and explorative child was born into a suburban community that sought to stifle the strange and unusual. Enjoying Looney Tunes, Weird AL, and anything silly, I was addicted to laughing and having fun. Because Fun & Happiness must truly be the point of life! I spent the majority of my time in nature making little discoveries about the magick in the world around me...or I was coloring and drawing. My father had such artistic talent, he was able to draw buildings and cars from different perspectives that were as perfect as a photograph. He was the true motivation behind my desire to take an artistic path. At age 14, M.G.--the mother of my friend from church–first taught me jewelry making. She took me under her wing for years, helping me hone my skills and taking me to buying expos. Her youngest son and I were both drawn towards the path of magick, and they became a second family to me. Sometime in middle school, I saw the movie: The Emerald Forest; I then became enamoured by the Rain Forest and Tribal life. I longed to visit the Amazon Rainforest some day. Having self-dismantled my Lutheran programming at age 14, I unknowingly started on a path of Animism, finding wisdom and magick in all living things. These subjects - Art, Nature, & Magick - are really what my life's journey has been about.
In The Middle... (really TMI, maybe skip this section)
At age 16, I bought my first tarot deck and taught myself the cards with the help of learning basic numerology. After that, it wasn't long before I learned to read more fluidly–based on what ‘jumps’ out from the picture combined with traditional meanings. By age 18, I was reading intuitively for myself and heading off to St. Norbert College for a B.A. in Communications, Media, & Theatre. While I was in college, I registered my first jewelry business name: Subtle Wisdom (products made in the Spirit of Unity, Balance, Truth, Love, & Evolution). On weekends and breaks I would sell my wares at spiritual expos and shops. My junior year I realized I should have gone for an art major, but I was halfway done and couldn't turn back. After graduating, I couldn't get a real job because I had no clue what I was doing. I landed a job with USPS which afforded me the luxury of a vacation in the year 2000: I joined a guided trip to Peru to visit the Amazon, the Cloud Forest, Cusco, and Machu Picchu led by two professors from my college. I got some cool photos and ate the best food I’ve ever tasted, but walked away disillusioned because the raw nature there felt hostile. An injury obtained while working for USPS influenced my decision to move near Sedona, AZ where I registered my jewelry biz as Moon Ritual Adornments. During this time I also studied and trained with a Siberian Shaman. But after discovering Sedona was a very closed artist community, I moved to Albuquerque, NM to find work. While searching for work, I came across an amazing energy healer and was blessed to study with her. But I soon found myself back in Wisconsin after a tumultuous experience living there. Upon my return, I was offered to become the Manager of M.G.’s bead shop (for minimum wage), which I jumped at. When she closed her store, I tried doing art shows for a living, but made very poor choices in shows and ended up broke again. Find a job - stay at job - become restless and yearn to travel.
And Then....
In 2012 I found a way to visit Columbia, South America for 3 months–most of which were on a mountain top in Ibague. It was beautiful. Montebello was my favorite town; I wish I could’ve stayed. Experiencing different cultures is something I am so grateful for. What was disheartening, was seeing their department stores/malls filled with clothing that was popular in the States in the 1980s. At this time I was already making tribal-looking jewelry, and I was visiting a tropical paradise where the natives wanted to be adorned like Madonna in cheap, manufactured glitz. Oh, irony!
And Now....
With my wearable art, I have always sought to infuse it with good energy/inspirational energy. They are birthed from my journey of art, nature, & magick; designed with intent. After swinging between making a living as an artist and starving as an artist, the pendulum has now stalled in the middle with my art being a side-project. I will continue to define myself as an Artist for the love of Music, Dance, Expression, and all things in the realm of Art! I’ve kept this website going as a journal of my creations–proof to myself of some artistic accomplishment. But it costs an insane amount of money, and there is SO much art out there, so much commercialism, and I am just a blip. So please, if you like what you see, support my art with a purchase here, or with a wee donation on my Patreon. I finally made this Bio because apparently people want to SEE the face of the artist although I’d rather hide behind a cartoon mask. I want you to look at my creations; I’m just a face, but my creations are all parts of what is swirling inside me – Past, Present, Future, and the Vast Unknown.
