I believe that we are all born with infinite creative power. I remember being five years old and entertaining myself with made-up songs and dances and stories for hours on end, and how free and joyful it felt. But as I moved through the traditional school system, I felt my creativity and joy slowly disappear. Being forced to memorize arbitrary facts and figures; being taught that there was a “right” and “wrong” answer; being scored against my peers - all of this shrank my imagination and made me unwilling to take risks or create for creativity’s sake. 

After high school, I’d spend the next many, many years healing my inner child by re-learning how to think for myself and re-discovering the creative passions of my youth. Along the way, I realized how I could work with children in a way that bridged the gap between work and play, while expanding both of our creative skillsets: by approaching our relationships as a collaboration, rather than a strict “teacher-student” model, in which we let our passions guide our exploration and mutual learning. 

Instead of me deciding “what they need to learn”, I empower youth to decide what they want to learn and explore. I support them through technical challenge and creative risk-taking, and together we learn how to create more and more effectively and joyfully, in partnership. And, in this intense time of hyper-consumerism, we are learning how to be active co-creators of the world around us.