A spindly, iridescent creature emerges from its exoskeleton, reborn. I’m captivated. Letting it cling gingerly to my fingertips, fragile wings unfurl from young green to glinting emerald. When he's ready, a freshly molted cicada buzzes into the air, leaving me in childlike wonder. Exquisite as a work of art and spectacular as a scientific phenomenon, one bug simultaneously captivates my inner artist and scientist. A lifetime of digging up isopods and chasing grasshoppers has morphed into intrinsic fascination. Experiencing nature firsthand evokes my curiosity, especially on a minute level. As a child, I remember drawing the flowers and the rocks I collected, looking closely at the tiny details. They may have been wobbly caricatures, but they built a meaningful foundation: spending time in nature and getting eye-to-eye with my subject. Evolving my work, I realized what I was doing bordered on research. Not only was I drawing, but also observing, analyzing, and questioning. When I draw insects, the true anomalies of the Earth, their fantastic variety intrigues me to learn more. I sketch dragonflies, wondering how many thousands of images it processes through compound eyes. I ink a moth’s symmetric patterns, marveling at its uncanny mimicry. When I discovered cicadas transforming in my own yard, I watched the spectacle unfold like a finely choreographed performance. Personal exploration of the natural world has led to a diversity of self initiated endeavors. I have successfully collected and pinned five insects of my own. Preserving insects is a delicate process - one not free of error but buzzing with opportunities for closer study. Investigating finer features, how joints move and wings fold away, provides a chance to capture their exquisite details and further research them in a physical and personal way. My creative studies are heavily drawn from my connection with nature. Learning scientific concepts though illustrating them myself is one of my favorite ways to study organisms. I combine these technical skills with soulful expression to create pieces with impact. My artworks encourage learning, apply emotion and evoke personal connection in others. The epitome of this mentality culminated in a year-long project centered around woodland ecology. I created a completely illustrated pack of playing cards that featured over 50 plants, insects, and fungi found in North American forests. My process of research, reference, and creation for this project required determination and innovation drawn from multiple skill sets. Printing and selling the project as a humble run of 100 decks was my final venturesome undertaking. An amalgamation of illustration, graphic design, and ecology, my Woodland Card Deck has proved a successful way to make nature accessible and engaging. Expanding on this and similar projects could unlock transformative voices. Art brings topics to attention. My hope is to elevate illustration that shares nature in a way that prompts interaction. So, like a cicada cracking out of its old husk, the cycle of exploration and growth continues. I turn nature’s mechanics into sculpture. I run its patterns through a printing press. I continue learning about ecology, letting it influence my work, and helping it reach others. Where my interests once ran parallel, I find them irrevocably intertwined. Both art and science beg to be shared. They encourage us to investigate and to reimagine our environment. Artwork that hatches curiosity in others is worth sharing.