I’ve been a performer, artist, storyteller, and designer all my life, with a few detours into things like television broadcasting, the United States Marines, and raising four remarkable daughters.
I earned my degree in InterArts Technology-Dance at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and early in my career I was honored to work with fine artists such as Li Chiao-Ping, Jin-Wen Yu, Douglas Rosenberg, and Peggy Choy.
With the advent of the web, though, I began to branch out into the world of design and online streaming, spending many years primarily as a video editor and web designer. I continued to work with the University of Wisconsin in different departments such as the History of Science, History of Medicine, and more. I taught music, dance, and drama at several Montessori Schools in Madison. My video chops were polished in the trenches of community television stations in the Madison area, working on shows like “The Progressive”, podcasting, live broadcasts for Fitchburg Community Television, as well as spending a couple of years with the Madison Metropolitan School District as an in-house video engineer.
In 2007 I became aware of a format of event known as “Open Space Technology.” It is a peer-driven participant-organized mode of sharing ideas and passion that is like no other. Large events such as “BarCamp” use this model, and I wanted to try it out. I spent the next eleven years traveling throughout North America and Europe facilitating open space events for small community groups with a variety of interests and themes.
This led into work producing “regular” events, often with an Open-Space Component, as well as training others in how to handle things such as constructive consent practices, inclusivity and accessibility, and even simply how to create performance spaces and venues on limited budgets within short time frames. I’ve been fortunate to work with event producer and hotel agent Megan Schnitzler in this role, and we enjoy the challenge of creating unique and wonderful experiences for attendees of a variety of conferences.
While I still use those skills, I am more focused currently on visual thinking – using images, words, and live, in-person visceral drawing to engage with an audience to communicate, share, and develop messages and ideas. I have a wide spectrum of current clients and collaborators including author Patrick Rothfuss, Dr. Milena Radzikowska of Mount Royal University, and coach and author Kali Williams.
Based in Madison, Wisconsin, I continue to enjoy a life of creative stability with my partner Natasha Bounds and an extended family both chosen and genetic.