Quick Version:
I entered college wanting to be a doctor. Along the way, I met and fell in love with clay. Uncertain of where the relationship was going, I taught 3rd and 4th grade for 7 years before finally committing to being a full time studio potter. For 5 glorious years, we developed a deep and mutual respect for each other. However, after being together for 12 years, my relationship with clay was getting stale. In 2009, I went to grad school with the hopes of rekindling the passion. It worked. Currently, clay and I are passionately wild about each other again.
For the curious:
I was born in Taipei, Taiwan. My family and I immigrated to the US when I was about 8. I had always wanted to be a pediatrician so when college time rolled around, I chose to attend the College of William and Mary in scenic Williamsburg, VA. It was during my sophomore year in college that I first met clay. After that, we were inseparable. The love affair was so serious that I changed my major to Studio Art and also received a certification to teach elementary school (you know, as a practical back up).
After graduating, I spend the next 7 years living in 3 different states (Texas, Indiana and Oregon) and teaching 3rd and 4th grade. It was in Eugene, Oregon that I had the opportunity to become a full time studio potter. After our 4th move to Illinois, the opportunity to go to graduate school presented itself. Feeling stuck and bored with my work, I decided to give it a try. At the tender age of 34, I became a student again. Graduate school was scary, exhausting, exhilarating and a definite game changer. I was no longer stuck and was far from being bored. Upon graduating from Illinois State University with a Masters of Fine Arts in ceramics in 2012, I re-established my studio practice.
Currently, I live and work in Bloomington, IL. In between a busy life of teaching 5-8th graders at Bloom Community School, a progressive school I helped to start, I can be found in my studio, where I use my pots to tell stories, observations and life lessons I've learned from my son and my students.
