I ended up in in the sign industry and becoming a neon bender after relocating from Brooklyn to New Orleans in 2010. I was going through some big changes, both in life and work and in my art practice. I took a greyhound bus to Jacksonville with all my stuff that I could bring and rode my bicycle from Jacksonville to New Orleans. I remember during my first week in town , biking by a sign shop with Neon in the window and I was like “ I want to learn that…’’ to myself. I had no idea how neon was made, I didn’t know at the time that it was all handmade and glass! And from then on my interest just grew , I couldn’t find anywhere to take classes , so eventually I was able to do an affordable weekend workshop in Milwaukee, and found a neon shop in New Orleans. I walked in and begged them to let me learn. They said no but then called me months later and said I could come in and practice and play around. They warned me that it would be near impossible to get a job doing it as LED had taken away all of the apprenticeship opportunities. But it was great ! And frustrating because it takes so long to get good at it. Eventually I relocated again, this time to Philly , and was trying to find a place to continue to learn. I was so hooked . It took me a while but finally got up the nerve to walk into a neon shop called Urban Neon right outside of Philly. The owner Dom Urbani wasn’t in but we chatted on the phone and hit it off, he was a neon bender himself, and very passionate about it. I asked if I could work for in exchange for lessons and he laughed and said nobody would work in his shop for free, and he offered me full time job working in the shop doing metal work for signs and wiring and then I could practice neon after hours. So sort of an apprenticeship, and because I only had an hour or two every day after work it took me a really long time to get good at it, but I did it ! And am in my 9th year of working at Urban Neon.

I really love Nam Phuong in south Philly . Ive been going there since I moved here. It feels like home there, the decor is so pretty and the dining room is spacious, they have tons of velvet paintings and crystal and chandeliers, without feeling too fancy. The food is incredible, definitely the best spring rolls I’ve ever had. I also love that they have vintage classic cocktails, which are amazing. Great vegetarian options, something for everyone!

My work life has been changing over the last six months as I have begun building out my own neon shop and studio in a building in West Philly. Its been exciting!! There is so much historic buildings and signage disappearing in Philly right now. In addition to my own art practice, I’m hoping to get more involved in neon preservation within this city in the future.

The first album I ever bought was Janet Jackson’s ‘Control’. Which has the song What Have You Done For Me Lately . Such a banger! Sassy and catchy. This album is such a classic. The album has a black and white photo of her against a red background with a gold lines accentuating her hair and clothes. Aesthetically and musically, this is album still really appeals to me.

I have one that I really like ; maybe a small thing but building a better business is really about learning and leveling up over time. My friend Genevieve Geer, an incredibly talented glass artist and business owner gave me the advice; every time you do an art show or big commercial project, write down what you would do differently next time. I love this; like how you can execute the job or art work again but fine tune it to make it even better. It allows you to creatively problem solve without pressure , but also feels like a form of self care; because it’s a way you can be kind to yourself in the future to make things run more smoothly.