How did you get interested in creating art?
I was drawn to music, specifically the drums, from an early age.  My interest in creating rhythms paved a path into the visual arts, always with a simplified approach to colors, symbols, and an affinity for making work that shows the touch of the maker’s hand; a style rooted in craft sensibilities, like the beautiful and functional pieces made by my ancestors. 

Where/how did you learn your craft? Who helped you along the way?
I recall my making my first ‘object’ in my early teens.  A drum, hollowed out from a log found in the woods, sanded and rubbed with raw walnuts to give it a rich, dark tone, its double-sided rawhide heads haphazardly tied together.  I knew not how to make a drum and no person taught me. But, I always felt I had help; the Spirits work in that way. And ya know what?? That little drum sounded really good and building it led me down the path of eventually making hundreds of drums and becoming quite knowledgeable of our social and ceremonial songs. This was the beginning of my becoming a maker. I’d likely be considered an ‘outsider’ artist.  Though I’ve studied at various different places, I don’t hold a degree and I’m an art-school dropout.

Who are your biggest influences? Was there a tradition or practice that was passed down to you?
There’s a long list of artists and elders who have helped shape me. My Grandpa is one of my greatest mentors and inspirations. He’s a maker too, and we’re always sharing ideas about how to do something better and faster, allowing the work to inform us and evolve. The most important tradition or practice that I hold close is the idea that we keep good feelings in our heart and mind while we’re working.  Even if the inspiration or making the work itself is challenging, the creative spirit is one that we should always appreciate as a gift from the Creator.  

What personal experiences have shaped your creative practice? 
My connection to the natural world and searching for balance in the duality of life:  simultaneously existing both physically and spiritually.  

What work are you most proud of that you've created so far?
My next piece!!  Accolades and further opportunities are nice as it helps keep the lights on and my ability to continue creating. But, each piece and every show leads to the next idea, the newest creation, and the deeper examination of what I’m trying really to communicate.   

How has your career developed?
My career has developed haphazardly and somewhat slowly!!  I make work in a wide variety of mediums. I get into rhythms and patterns, going where my interests lead, staving off boredom and trying to find a cohesive language regardless of the material being used.

What do you enjoy the most about being an artist?
The freedom, the exploration, the adventure, and the process of taking ideas or inspirations and turning them into a tangible object.  I also enjoy collaboration and would like to make that a more integral part of my future work. 

What do you find the most challenging about being an artist?
The business side of being an artist!  Budgets, deadlines, accounting for time spent on tertiary aspects of work like interviews, shipping, making sales, etc., etc.

What do you want viewers to take away from your work?
That the work speaks for me as an individual, a human being who creates and prays and eats and enjoys life. 

How does tradition and identity inform your work?
It informs my creative process from the perspective of place. That the land, this place my ancestors have called home for many hundreds and thousands of years, is who I am. The land has loved, informed, and uniquely shaped us into the people we are: Bodwe’wadmi, Keepers of the Fire, the original people of the St. Joseph River Valley.

Does your work comment on current social or political issues?
My work does not comment on current issues.  It speaks metaphorically about our identity as human beings and our place amongst all of creation. That identity is formed through the land, our culture, language, songs, ceremonies, and our acknowledgement of the Spirit. 

Do you make art full-time, or as you can?
I make art, I teach, and I work with the land.  Along with raising my kids, this is what I do in life. 

What are some of the greatest challenges you face in making your work?
I believe there are challenges every day. Some of the greatest I face are motivation, finding clarity in the execution, balancing between pushing the work to grow or letting it inform me as a person, and maintaining focus.

What outcomes would you like to see from this show?
For the viewers to see a collection of work that provides a broad spectrum of styles, influences, and relevance as contemporary Tribal people. That they may gain a deeper understanding of our continued existence; one that is not merely surviving, but colorful and thriving.