Read on to learn about my full story, how it started, how it’s going, and where I’m headed.

How it all started

My chalk journey began as a bright eyed, curious kid. I attended the Utah Foster Care festival in Salt Lake City, Utah for years. I was enamored by the beautiful colors, dedicated talent, and hard work that each of these artists showcased. I took photos, with my highly favored silver digital camera, of their art with glossed over eyes, all while the creative cogs of imagination spun in my mind.

Soon after attending the festival, I began experimenting with the Crayola sidewalk chalk. I had always loved drawing, painting, anything creative, before this point, but chalk was an entirely new medium. It was difficult to attain the brilliant red and dark black colors that I had seen. I worked endlessly and came up with a picture I was beyond proud of. I continued chalking at home and finally signed up for my very first chalk festival in Downtown SLC. My best friend and I prepared for months in advance and even went as far as to grate white chalk sticks with our mom's cheese grater on the kitchen floor (sorry mom) to what we thought, would make an easy background. This was much messier than we expected. We arrived with much excitement and recieved our giant t-shirts that functioned as dresses and official boxes of chalk. This festival blossomed into a wonderful love and immense happiness that I have yet to discover anywhere else.

I could hardly wait for the next years festival which I was in a team with my dad, chalking a girl in her imagination. That same summer I chalked my first solo festival at Chalk It Up North Ogden in August. My design was two giraffes with quite a lot of personality. I drew so many giraffe eyes in the preceding months and that turned out to be the major attraction point. I won third place overall and honorable mentions in people’s choice. This is the festival where my picture first appeared on google which, for a 15 year old that was very exciting.

I was awarded my first, first place with a portrait of Marilyn Monroe in the South Jordan festival. I was ecstatic as another win followed with “the blue dude” at the West Jordan library festival. My name and title skills have always been sub par as you can tell. Nothing beats the butterflies when your name or number is called as a winner and you have to walk up to the stage and receive your award. It is amazing to be recognized for something I love more than anything.

When I was seventeen, I was given the opportunity for my first commision. I drew Han Solo for the Sandy Megaplex movie theater premier. I was making $75 for a chalk piece! I thought there was no way it could get better than that and was so amazed I could get paid to do something I normally paid a fee to do.

I had been given a chance at a commision as a seventeen year old, the age before most anybody takes you seriously. I have continually dealt with situations concerning my age. Age does not measure your level of passion, talent, dedication or hard work. I stress the importance of being young while still being recognized because I cannot provide enough appreciation for the people who take me seriously, recognize my hard work and who overall, provide me a chance to show myself to the rest of the world. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity I have to do something I love so often and am so thankful that I have found a new avenue of myself within the endless hours of chalking. Even at 21, despite chalking in festivals for going nearly a decade, I still often am discounted. I intentionally left out my age and avoided it when people asked, but now I realize there is really nothing wrong with my being young. As I said, it doesn't measure much of anything. I have nothing to prove and my passion as well as art speaks for itself.

No matter the level, I have realized through chalk, that we all start somewhere. We all grow at our own rates and with dedication and hard work, anybody can get anywhere. I look forward to getting better and better each year and pouring myself into my drawings. I genuinely hope that everyone finds what makes them as happy as this makes me.

Often I am asked about my inspiration. In fact, it has become a friendly tease my friends have used. I create art for arts sake. I rarely create art with your conventional meaning, rather I think I pour all of my feelings into the chalk and it becomes easy to go on creating a piece. I don’t know how to label my feelings or ascribe a meaning as to why I create, it simply flows. Everyone on this world faces so much trial, loss, love, pain, so much depth throughout their existence. We are resilient, we are layered and beautiful. I’m honored to convey another’s story without words. I think that’s beautiful and inspiration enough. Through these experiences, I’ve met the most wonderful people and had incredible experiences. You meet people in the most unlikely circumstances, getting out talking to everyone and creating a connection is a beautiful thing.

I strive to continually encourage kids, who like me, wandered around looking at chalk with a spark of creativity in their eyes.

It isn’t about the disorganization, the frustration or walls. It’s about the genuine awe and excitement of passersby. The failed and seemingly disastrous festivals. It’s about the bloody fingertips, the pouring rain, the long car rides, the early morning coffee, all just to do what I love. It is about the nerves, the tears, and the sleep I do not get before festivals and the miles I travel. It’s about traveling back and forth state to state for weekends in a row and traveling more than I am home. Doing my homework in the airport at 4am because I left right after school and I’m on a layover, about to chalk in six hours. It’s about the utmost happiness chalk brings me, the incredible souls I have met along the way and the endless support I am given. It’s truly all about what is left to come. Chalk gives me that addictive rush while also being the only activity where my mind is truly at ease. I feel belonging and love. It has always been part of my purpose to spread chalk so that hopefully, more people find the same wonder that I do. Each festival I am climbing forward always asking “okay, so what is next?”

Overall, it is about looking back on my growth at the beginning of this journey and looking forward to the growth of the future. I have learned so many things throughout these years and I can’t wait to experience the following years adventures. Focus on the good and the good gets better.

At the end of every day, my unnoccupied mind obsesses over the craving of instability and exprience. I want to travel anywhere I can and chalk. I value experience over anything else and now that I have the predisposed idea that I truly can experience anything I set my mind to, I am incredibly motivated to make things happen. I truly have never experienced anything in this life that makes me feel so alive. I pick up a piece of chalk, my mind shuts off and I feel like I can finally breathe. I truly hope that everyone in their lifetime, finds something that makes them feel the way I feel about this. I could have never fathomed the dream I am living now, somehow it keeps getting better. We are the creators of our own lives so why not create a good one? I know that I am going my idea, of somewhere.

Thank you for reading about what makes me happiest in this life.