Welcome

As I work to define my niche & acquire the necessary skills for a career in urban planning, I set these intentions:

1) Learn from diverse sources. 2) Show my work. 3) Balance past, present & future. 4) Accept feedback. 5) Value my unique perspective.

Here I lay out my plan for the next year, 2017 - 2018, as I prepare my application to York University's Interdisciplinary Master's program in Toronto.

Autumn 2017

• apprenticeship in construction
• blog 2x weekly in response to articles, current events, and my own projects
• read 2 books per month and review
• listen to urban planning podcasts
• register for LLC
• sketch & begin portfolio
• learn necessary skills: AutoCAD, Sketchup, Adobe Creative Suite, ArcGis
• visit Toronto & York
• work with York U program director & advisors to shape application

Winter 2017 

• internship in urban planning
• blog 2x weekly in response to articles, current events, and my own projects
• read 2 books per month and review
• listen to urban planning podcasts
• request letters of recommendation & transcripts
• first installation in December 2017

Spring 2018

• internship in fine arts civil engineering or architecture
• second installation in February 2017
• submit York application in March 2018 
• apply for student visa & get medical exam
• begin reaching out to Toronto friends about housing & resources
• begin applying for graduate funding assistance
• begin reaching out to Ontario companies to lay groundwork for hiring

Summer 2018

• internship in civil engineering or architecture
• third installation in July 2018

Autumn 2018 (and 2 years following)

• relocate to Toronto
• study toward MIS degree at York
• continue producing work under my LLC

Spring 2020 

• graduate with MIS in Planning + Fine Arts 
• secure job offer in Canada

Summer 2020

• begin new job in urban planning
• continue producing work under my LLC

My ultimate vision is a dual career as urban planner & installation artist. My primary interest is in how to make visible the systems of communities, decision-making, governance, linguistic choices, in a way that enables communities to observe and shape those systems. I wish to rebuild a missing link between people & the systems that govern them, whether they are conscious (like city council) or unconscious (racist language), by incorporating regular art installations or interactive multimedia experiences as part of the fabric of communities will help create greater transparency, agency, and equity.

Me, standing in the yard of my childhood home.

I draw inspiration from artists Mary Miss, Chris Devins, Theaster Gates, Candy Chang, Damien Rich, Marina Abramovic, among others.