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Artistic Mission

Passion is getting to make a career out of something you love.  My goal as a mentor and educator is to pass my passion and skills on to the next generation of costume artists.  Having worked in professional theatre for over twenty years I’ve learned that change is inevitable.  We need to prepare the next generation of costume artists to continually strive for advancement as the industry is in continual flux with new philosophies and techniques being utilized in the 21st century.  I want students to be an asset to the theatre arts community and the lives we get to interact with.  There are specific things that as a costume professional I diligently try to teach. Body positivity is a top priority. Every human body is beautifully unique and needs to be treated as such. I want to teach students to treat actors with respect and dignity.  I want every student and actor to feel comfortable in their own skin. When we ask them to push their comfort levels I want them to feel safe in speaking up and letting us know their boundaries. Costume design isn’t just about designer and director, actors deserve to be heard too.  Actors have to embody the characters and they need the space to do so with open communication.  Communication is absolutely key to a healthy collaborative environment.  Another thing I’m passionate about is failure because it is from the ashes of failure that true learning can occur.  Mistakes allow space for creative problem solving which is half the battle in professional theatre.  When a student asks what I think of a project execution my response is, “Would you be proud to see that on stage right now?” Giving students the space to assess their own abilities is what drives creative excellence.  Kindness and understanding are vital to growing the future generations of costume artists within the industry as a whole.  Being able to draw and paint a costume is not as important as the execution of the designs. It is a process and we must learn to give ourselves grace as we make changes while the process plays out.  Jensen Akles (actor, Supernatural) once said, “It is your talent that will get you the job. It is your character that will help you keep it.” It is a philosophy I absolutely believe in.  It is what I expect of those joining the world of professional costume design as the industry shifts towards a more inclusive environment for all involved in the theatre arts.