I have always been creative. I grew up on a farm in the Salinas Valley, in a small town named Greenfield, CA. It is in this small town that I learned to sew. I also learned to build things with whatever I could find. I frequently snuck out to use the radial saw when my mom ran to the grocery store. I can't say that my structures were sound, but I just kept learning along the way.
My creativity stayed in the medium of fiber and fabric for many years. I made costumes for stage performances with my specialty being the unusual pieces, dancing bears, a drumming bunny, a Moldavian devil, a dragon fly. I made velvet hats and sweet wool coats for babies. I crocheted tiny booties and big scarves.
I did all of these projects while working as a math teacher. My math classes were creative too, even though the lessons were skills from arithmetic through Algebra II. I always loved the patterns and thinking outside of the box.
In my final years of teaching I was an art teacher. It was the happiest I had been in my profession, but it was not easy. I was taking classes and reading books to help me learn the skills that were new to me....glass, ceramics, color theory, traditional arts. It was so much fun to learn! It was also the greatest honor to work with students as they explored new mediums and their own creativity.
During my last year of teaching, I found myself being pulled back to teach math classes as a result of state budget woes. I realized that I was ready to move on. At the end of the year, I retired. As I foresaw this change in my life, I decided to take welding classes at the local university. I had wanted to take welding classes since I was 16 years old and in the last few years, the desire had grown to a crazy intensity. So I put on my Carharts and became a welding student. It was awesome and it was a challenge! I took classes for the entire school year. I am now taking setting up a shop for welding and cutting metal. I hope to make yard art, mailbox posts and garden gates someday.
Through this journey, I can safely say that I am and have always been a sculptor and an "upcycler". My farming roots taught me to use what I had, to never waste anything and to use some ingenuity to make what I need. I know this is why my heart leaps with joy when I get to go to the scrapyard or second hand store. I love the idea of making something beautiful out of trash. I suppose it is at the core of who I am, always seeing the possibilities of something amazing in the most unlikely places.