The Background
HR says that she has been intrinsically drawn to art for the entirety of her life, and because of this pull she has had the opportunity to experience and become well-versed in many different media. With an art teacher on one side of the family and a seamstress and painter on the other, she was influenced from all sides of genetics to have the artistic ability and passion to take what her mind conjures up into an object she can construct.
Attending Jamestown High School in Jamestown, New York, she focused on black and white film photography and oil painting on canvas and had the incredible support of a passionate art department. Upon continuing her education at Nazareth College in Rochester, New York, she took an acrylic painting class that was reserved for upperclassmen. Because of her ability she was encouraged into, scared out of, and back into an art major. She finally decided on studying art therapy, combining her love of creating with an inherent drive to serve people. Following college, HR completed two years of national service through AmeriCorps NCCC and AmeriCorps VISTA where she worked with refugees, veterans, disaster victims, disadvantaged youth, and countless other communities.
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In addition to her physical art making, HR has celebrated diverse musical talents as well. She began singing as soon as she could talk, went on to sing in her high school's auditioned choirs and musicals, played around in a band with friends, and sang in an acappella group called Cut Off in Rochester, New York. She has continued to nourish that form of creative expression by teaching herself to play guitar and piano.
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Most recently, HR has worked with the global nonprofit disaster relief organization All Hands and Hearts - Smart Response as a Marketing Content Creator on projects in Texas, Hawaii, and North Carolina. This position gave the opportunity to expand her experience in digital photography and videography as she made social media friendly posts, videos, and blog articles. Her content is used to inform the public about the impact of natural disasters, give effected community members a platform to share their story, and encourage people to volunteer. Select photo selections can be found at the Snap. tab and her content can be seen on All Hands and Hearts' social media pages and website.
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HR is now seeking to build her portfolio of ceramic arts, get involved in an artistic community, and explore all options of creating, keeping herself open and flexible to new opportunities to ensure her mantra of "Never a dull day" continues to ring true.
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Current location: Spokane, Washington, USA