:: Travel

One of my greatest passions is travel. To see how others experience life, to touch places where the world has stood still for centuries, to feel transported and think in new perspectives —all of it teaches me to stretch my imagination and communicate in creative new ways.

:: Gardening

What a cool, nurturing luxury to dig your hands deep into dirt and drink in that dark peppery scent of soil that's just waiting to do something wonderful. It's a fire for creativity! And yet I'm most grateful that a garden reminds me to be patient, humble, and open to any possibility.

:: Architecture

From clean subtlety to opulent grandeur, architecture communicates to me the mood, attitudes, pace, and egos of the time. It makes me appreciate how difficult it is to create something that's truly "timeless". I'm also reminded of the importance of creating a design not for design's-sake but for real people to use and enjoy.

:: Food

For those of us who appreciate it like an art, food is a reflection of how we think, and in the kitchen, how we love. Food brings out the inventor, art critic, nurturer, and child in us, whether we're making it, eating it, or just talking about it. Above all, I love food for the way it transforms an experience with others, like the intimacy of sharing dessert.

:: Film Noir

I've always admired how film noir communicates so much critical information through atmospheric lighting and costume. The feeling tone and credibility of characters are so easily understood. In the design world, we strive to translate those elements through "branding", seeking to convey the personality of companies and products.

:: Costumes

I grew up with a love of fabric, so the more lavish the costume, the better. I love the folds and billows, the buttons and brocade, all the beautiful details that tell a story about the wearer's life and time and spirit. Creating costumes, my imagination runs wild, and I'm intrigued at how they draw strangers into a delightfully uninhibited communion.