I am currently a student at Iowa State University, majoring in Studio Arts (emphasis in furniture and photography) with an Engineering Studies Minor. I began my studies as an engineer and quickly  decided I needed to have a more personal connection to the things I was making. From that moment on I became more connected with my work and have realized that I have always possessed a desire to design and make things with my hands. I get my inspiration from nature, other furniture, and architecture. I am influenced by the movements of nature; from the seasons, to the way animals move across their habitat. The furniture movement I have most closely aligned myself with is the mid century modern movement. My designs contain subtleties of the mid century style, such as clean lines and an emphasis on exploring materials. My work is  constantly trying to blend the boundary between systematic structure and a more sculpted fluidity. With each piece that I do, I am pushing myself to continue my understanding of the material and its limits. With this exploration of materials I have begun to design intelligently. I do this by thinking of the waste that will be created from a project and how I might minimize said waste or how I might utilize it in the future.