Artist Statement: My piano design is inspired by the sensory joy of strolling through Audubon Park. Swirling swamps, slow rivers, Spanish moss, blooming magnolias. The rolling branches of live oaks overhead. Jasmine and satsuma sweetening the air. The warmth of a summer sunset at the Fly. What better way to amplify the unique natural beauty of New Orleans than with a vibrant twist? My artistic style is abstract, candy-colored, and joyful, so I envisioned this piano having the same character as a Mardi Gras float. I chose to visually portray the way my mind interprets the sensations of the park, where I walk every day to find clarity, breathe deeply, and practice gratitude for my home. I wanted to share my love for this space with the NOLA community through a kaleidoscopic lens. On a more personal note, my father is a professional pianist and accordionist, and years ago he painted one of his old upright pianos in a similar psychedelic style. The piano currently sits in the backyard of my parents’ home and is a beautiful part of their outdoor space. Thus, my design is also an homage to that piano, and to the gifts of creativity and music that I inherited from my dad.
I’ve been blessed with a life immersed in music, color, language, and nature. Born to a family of musicians and living in a bright yellow house in Southern California, I began creating as soon as I could hold a crayon. My artistic style took root as I explored every medium from photography to acrylics, face paint to digital art, and classical clarinet to graphic design. As a teenager, I was enticed by the extraordinary vibrance of New Orleans and chose to make the city my second home. Eight years later, my love of creating has since blossomed into an entire career in the arts. I draw the most inspiration from my travels. As a student in International Relations and Marketing at Tulane University, I spent a year living abroad in Bogota, Colombia and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, gaining fluency in both Spanish and Portuguese. To this day, I remain inspired by the richness of their cultures, drawing parallels in their colorful landscapes to those that surround me here in New Orleans. I also love to explore art through mixology. I forged an early career path in New Orleans in the boozy tourism industry–first as a cocktail and jazz tour guide, then as a tour manager, and then as an Experience Ambassador at the Sazerac House, a cocktail museum and distillery. I currently tend bar on Fridays at the historic Pirates Alley Café in the French Quarter to indulge my passion for pretty cocktails. In 2021, I returned to my artistic roots and founded SO • Creative, my own creative agency. I decided to pursue freelance work full-time as an homage to a lifetime abundant with color. I now spend my days painting textured accent walls, curating social media accounts, providing creative direction on film sets, photographing everything from portraits to products, and more. I am privileged to incorporate originality, joy, and imagination into every facet of my life!
