Initially, I took a deep dive into surface design to respond to a daily frustration at my job as a high school art teacher. Spending 8 or 9 hours a day working in a building made of white squares and limited access to natural light, I felt like my physical and creative energy was being zapped the moment I walked in the door. I knew I had to do something to change my mood and improve my well-being at work. When I did the math, it turns out that I spend over 1,500 hours in my classroom in a school year! Making my workspace more than a place to exist became a non-negotiable.

 

Ironically, I was guiding my students to experience the way color and light convey emotion, tell stories, and influence them to buy products in a room that made me feel distracted and was the complete opposite of what I wanted them to know and be able to do as an artist. I was also finding that the more time I spent after hours in the natural world listening, looking, and breathing, the more connected, whole, and restful I felt.

 

Then it clicked: as an artist, I can make the work I want to see in my living and working spaces, capture the energy I feel by spending time in nature, and model real-world problem finding and solving for my students. 

 

After experiencing a perspective change, I’m now more passionate than ever about using design as a central component of our well-being in the places where we live and work.

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Teaching art and design is still an important part of my work, as I have experienced firsthand what deteriorating effects poor building design can have on teachers and students. The more people who are exposed to design thinking and become aware of the science of how we are physically and emotionally influenced by our environments, the more we can change the world for the better.

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It’s time to create a space that takes care of you!