Way back when I was in college, one of my best friends told me that I was "kind, but not nice," and I've worn this as a badge of honor ever since. I've also used the phrase to explain myself to people who seemed perplexed when they encounter a half-goth, half-hippie who knows Emily Post's "Etiquette" inside and out but can scream herself hoarse at a protest rally.

I like to think that the things I create have the power to delight you and enrich your wardrobe while reminding us that life has better lessons to teach us than "be nice."

I look for the beautiful in the commonplace, and for the "new" in the discarded. Since launching my Etsy shop in early 2020, I've been exploring ways of making recycled materials feel new, contemporary, and polished.

This has led me to working with beer, wine and water cans, from which I extract colorful patterns, graphics, and designs, as well as with Cadillite, a weather-hardened layering of spray paint I collect from Cadillac Ranch, an art installation in northern Texas that is continuously layered with spray paint by visiting tourists. I cut out, distress, encapsulate, and otherwise transform these materials in ways that celebrate and highlight their natural beauty, creating handicrafts that either look mass-produced or like carefully preserved artifacts of a lost culture.

I also enjoy making accessories from new materials that lend just a hint of darkness to an otherwise agreeable exterior, and have found in face masks a perfect medium for "goth accessorizing."

My ultimate goal is for every Not Nice Creations piece to lend a pop of color and a conversation starter to your wardrobe. I hope you enjoy browsing the items in my shop as much as I've enjoyed making them!