I was born and raised in Virginia Beach, moving to Chesapeake at fourteen, where I attended Great Bridge schools. My father and I were close but in separate houses. When I would spend time with my father, I would see the worlds that he would be creating and knew one day I wanted to do the same.  In high school, I developed a passion for art, aiming to major in it, though financial barriers made college seem out of reach.

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After high school, I joined the U.S. Navy, both to serve my country and to fund my education. I worked as an Illustrator Draftsman (essentially a graphic designer) and was stationed at the Pentagon for four years. This experience allowed me to refine my skills in graphic design, leading to a government contracting job with the Department of Defense. I spent the next three and a half years as a graphic design contractor, but I eventually realized how distant I’d grown from my original goal. I hadn’t drawn or painted in years, so I decided to pursue my dream of going back to school.

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In 2009, I enrolled at Old Dominion University, initially aiming for a degree in graphic design. However, when I took my first drawing classes, my love for creating reignited. With encouragement, I shifted my focus to drawing and design, and over the next two years, I created a body of work that captured my own unique vision.

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After graduating, I returned to Northern Virginia and resumed work as a federal employee in graphic design. During this time, I continued to create art on the side, sharing ideas with my father. Art is how we connected, we would be each other's critic and we helped each other with framing art pieces and art shows. We even collaborated on father-son pieces and envisioned hosting a joint art show. Between 2018 and 2019, I was accepted into three art shows, giving me a renewed sense of creative purpose.

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Then, 2020 brought significant change. The pandemic created stress, and in August, I faced a personal health scare. Waking up in the hospital on my birthday, I vowed to live a more meaningful life and began my spiritual journey. This path was transformative, and in October, feeling a strong need to contribute positively to others, I started painting rocks with angel wings and encouraging messages. My “angel rock series” has since grown to over 800 rocks placed around the country, each meant to offer hope and comfort to whoever finds it.

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In May 2021, my father unexpectedly passed away. This devastating loss came just hours before I learned I was expecting a son. I was heartbroken, struggling with grief and uncertainty. I vowed to never paint again, knowing it was the glue to my father and I's relationship. Yet, I continued my journey, finding strength in small acts of creations and kindness. In October, a month before my son’s birth, I came up with the idea for “Butterfly Effect Books.” Using thrifted books, I painted butterflies and wrote messages about love, hope, and the impact of small acts of kindness, then left the books for strangers to find.​ Over the next year, I continued painting books and rocks, placing them in the world.

 

In June 2024, while attending a sermon on using one’s talents for good, I questioned if I could be doing more with my spiritual gifts even though I have been creating kindness for years prior. An hour later I would have that answer. At a consignment shop, I found an old frame standing against a wall which a cheap price, which ignited a thought of creating. Why not repurpose frames into new artwork, however there needs to be a message tied to this artwork. By the next day, I was creating art again.  By layering book pages on watercolor paper and highlighting words related to love, family, faith, grief, and purpose, I created pieces that convey meaningful messages. These framed works are now gifts I leave in the community, a small part of my journey toward creating love in the world.

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This journey has shown me that my art is not just a personal passion but a way to spread love and meaning. Each day, I’m grateful for the chance to use my creativity in service of something greater than myself. I feel like this is only the beginning of the world I’m building through art and love.