I have long felt the abject lack of personal investment, active participation and genuine interest of art faculty for my and my peers learning and for the shared opportunity for personal and spiritual growth. Rather, I have observed and been exposed to wholly disconnected and exclusive approaches to teaching. My undergraduate experience served to challenge my resolve and interest in the arts. I was often confronted with the arrogance of disingenuous instructors, interested only in pursuing tenure and their own work. Rarely did I feel any sincere interest in my success as a student and as a growing individual. I struggled tremendously to grasp a clear understanding of contemporary conceptual art and at times I fiercely opposed its worth. I was fascinated with traditional sculptural forms and was eager to learn the techniques and skills necessary to master sculpture. Despite these odds, my undergraduate term exposed me to a diversity of influences, mentors, and experience and challenged me to vigorously pursue the attention of credible artists and teachers. My determination contributed to my technical competence and solidified the conceptual potential of my work. The diverse range in guidance and instructional concepts and methods has been imperative to facilitating a provocative and intriguing educational atmosphere.

I have benefited from influences, inspirations and diverse sources of guidance in my recent artistic development and creative maturation. My first course in Art Education was an elective curiosity as I was preparing to graduate with my undergraduate degree. It became a catalyst for an impromptu professional choice and brought my varied and lengthy college experience into clear perspective, opening a door to teaching as a potential career choice. I was narrowly interested in advanced studio art study until practicality took hold of my senses. I enrolled in a foundational course in Art Education that promoted the idea of art as harmoniously connecting the disparate phases of education and experience. This connection offered a sensible way of deconstructing and navigating the meaning of relationships between the cultural, social, historical, and environmental layers of our experiential landscape - concepts that had been neglected as a viable approach to artmaking in my studio courses. I absorbed this knowledge and further investigated these concepts in a final elective studio course taken concurrently. Under the guidance of an adjunct instructor in painting I honed my drafting skills and developed not only a keen sense for the figure but the conceptual content of my work as I simultaneously applied my experiences in Art Education. I was learning and developing the instinct to draw from my history, my interests, and my self for inspiration while considering and searching for the support and foundation of art historical resources for content and concept in developing my ideas. This final period of my undergraduate term was healing, hopeful and nurturing. I solidified the conceptual potential of my work, while pursuing and challenging material and technical integrity.

Consequently, I have developed an ardent respect and appreciation for my mentors. Though some of my earliest collegiate experiences with art were discouraging, they ultimately established the foundation and desire to seek something more through my artistic practice. During the challenge of my undergraduate years, I could sense the beauty, satisfaction and confidence to be found in my creative process, yet I had not been taught how to grasp them. It was this instinctual desire that led me to discover spaces where my innate creativity and educational pursuits aligned and thrived, causing me to pursue Art Education.