I was never a good student, but not because I didn't enjoy academia. I just saw the value in people much more than information. As a mostly self-taught artist I had a hard time narrowing my focus to a specific media or subject, until I landed on people while taking figure drawing in college. The forms and faces inspired me, and I felt by studying the people I was learning about them in a deeper way than I could by just talking to them. My more recent project, The Faces, focuses on the homeless and impoverished characters in our neighborhood of Near Southside. This faces had become a constant fixture in my daily routine but I knew nothing about their story. I am working on getting to know these faces through portraits, with the intent to share my proceeds with them.