First, tell us a bit about yourself!

Where are you from? What year are you at Emory? What are you studying? What kind of art do you make?

I’ve moved around a lot, but right now I live in the Nashville area. I’m studying anthropology with a minor in global health, culture, and society. Although I’m a member of the class of 2022, I am currently on track to graduate this spring. 

My artistic interests are fairly broad. As a flutist of ten years, music has always been a huge part of my life. I’ve taken two visual arts classes through the art department where I expanded my love of painting and sculpting. Recently, I taught myself how to sew and embroider and have been mostly engrossed in embroidery projects. 

 

I noticed on your website that you work in a wide variety of media, from music to embroidery and creative writing. What project are you most excited about at the moment?

I have a longstanding background in music and also enjoy painting and sketching, but at the moment I’m most interested in textiles. I learned to sew over quarantine and used this new skill to build on my existing interest in embroidery. I love the practical aspect of embroidery as a creative medium. Using clothing as my canvas, the work I create is shared with the world whenever someone wears one of my pieces. 

The ongoing project I’m most excited about is a piece motivated by current politics. Our country is fractured across a deeply polarized political fault line, and I feel my stress surrounding the election grow each day. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, I’m stitching Kamala Harris’s quote “Our unity is our strength and diversity is our power” in a circle around a rainbow outlined clenched fist. Historically, embroidery was seen as a domestic art, and in many cases created by women who wouldn’t have imagined a POC female vice president. I like the irony behind the contemporary use of embroidery as an activist medium that I can use to support a political agenda. 

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Can you tell us about the organizations you’re involved in at Emory? How has creativity influenced your experience as a student?

During my freshman year I played in the Emory Wind Ensemble, but later translated my passion for music to DJ-ing for WMRE. In response to COVID-19 concerns, the studio is closed, but I’ve been a radio DJ for the show Treat Yo’self with my co-host Celia Jacobs for 3 semesters. Being part of WMRE has definitely been one of my favorite college experiences. Last semester, I wrote a fangirl piece for WMRE’s Zine about one of my favorite musicians and fellow flutist Melissa Jefferson, aka Lizzo. I had a blast fangirling about one of the most inspirational figures in mainstream music and feel lucky to have been able to share my work through the Zine platform. 

Although it’s not a student organization, last school year, I had the amazing opportunity to work at the Carlos Museum. I was exposed to museum professionals and artists and relished the opportunity to work museum openings and interact with board members. Spending part of my day in a museum was fun, even if it was for work. 

A lot of my closest friends are artists that have inspired me throughout my time at Emory. Being creative and spending time with artsy people is a respite from the stress of Emory’s intense academic environment. People talk about runner's high, but I think everyone’s sleeping on the artist’s high. 

 

Are there specific people or environments that inspire you as an artist?

Ideas for the pieces I make tend to come sporadically and spontaneously. Usually, I have to text myself or scribble down an idea on a piece of paper so that I can build on it at a later point in time. However, I think the main source of my inspiration comes from other people. A lot of the pieces I work on I give away. When I create for others, I hold myself to a higher level of accountability as an artist. Giving someone my art is like giving them an extension of myself, so I guess my main source of inspiration is my relationships with people and wanting to show loved ones and friends that I care about them. 

Additionally, given that 2020 has been a mess, I’ve gotten a lot of inspiration from politics and the pandemic. I recently submitted an embroidered Emory mask to a global health art competition. The piece, Masktivism, delves into the politics and ethical considerations underlying mask-wearing. I’m also in the process of creating a BLM and Kamala Harris inspired piece to wear as we near the November election. 

 

How did the pandemic impact your life and creative process? (I love how you embroidered your Emory Mask!)

In retrospect, I realize the isolation of quarantine cleared my mind and provided me with the mental energy I didn’t have before to focus on art. The cathartic aspect of the creative process helped me manage my anxiety about Coronavirus and life uncertainties, and I channeled this through embroidery. I swear there’s something soothing about stabbing a piece of cloth hundreds of times.

I’ve also found so much inspiration from other creatives, especially from my amazing roommate who always encourages me to find time for my art. A silver lining of the pandemic for me was being able to restructure my schedule and prioritize the artistic process in a COVID interrupted world. 

 

What do you hope to convey through your art?

Each piece I make is unique in form and meaning. When I create a piece for someone else, I usually incorporate an inside joke, shared memory, or something significant to defining our relationship. These pieces are personal and meaningful, basically my way of showing others how much they mean to me.

My political works intend to inform a larger audience about something I’m passionate about. Craftivism is an amazing movement that I’ve found inspiration from. In recent years, embroidery has become really popular and I love how receptive people are to it as an art form that can push a political agenda.

 

I noticed that you are a senior; what role will creativity play in your life after Emory?

I’m pretty intimidated by life after Emory, but I know that despite where I go and what I do with my life, art is intrinsically part of who I am. I’ll always have creative outlets at my disposal. I plan to pursue graduate school for Public Health and hope that I can integrate my passion for public health and the arts into a career. 

Two summers ago, I interned at the Atlanta Arts Organization WonderRoot through Emory’s Center for Ethics EASL internship program. While at WonderRoot, I designed a sexual education intervention that incorporated the arts with public health programming. Ideally, I’d love to center a career around public health implementation science and community interventions that incorporate arts programming. 

 

Finally, do you have any advice for first-years looking to get involved in the arts at Emory?

Being surrounded by highly motivated students at a rigorous school can be overwhelming, and it’s easy to tell yourself you don’t have time to pursue your hobbies, like art. In my experience, getting involved with the arts helps you find like-minded individuals and feeds your soul, which is important when students are at risk of burn out. It’s ok to prioritize yourself and your hobbies, so ride out the creative wave and make good art! My best tips for getting involved with the arts at Emory are:

• Find artsy organizations like The Pulse and get involved!

• The Carlos Museum does Student Studio once a month where students drop in and create projects based on the museum’s current exhibition. 

• Ask your RA to plan an arts program.

• Some performances at the Schwartz are free or discounted for Emory students. If you want to hear free live music, check out Emory’s fantastic acapella groups or go to student recitals. (Through Zoom)

• Take art classes through our Art Department. They’re super fun and a great way to connect with student and faculty artists.