An inner voice growing louder over the years to share my art, alongside a kindling relationship with fire, became the catalysts for applying to my first Art Grant and stepping into my first fire performance.

MAKING OF FIREBIRD

The core vision of this piece was transformation—existing in distinct chapters before, during, and after the burn. 

Infinite gratitude to my closest co-creators—Blue, Mally, Mirka, and Branda—for iterating on the core vision, prototyping, setting up, and bringing Firebird to life.

Every day, I would visit Firebird to invite people to add their own bird or note, feeling a spark of joy each time I returned to find new offerings tucked into the piece. Thank you, Camp Reset 2026—the most thoughtful and caring community I know—for co-creating Firebird throughout our time together. It was magical and cathartic.

DANCING WITH FIREBIRD

I still get butterflies when it comes to sharing my art. That vulnerability used to feel so loud and uncomfortable that I kept my creations to myself. Yet a deeper, more meaningful impulse took over: to share art for my own growth, for whatever it might evoke in others, and for the future version of me waiting to be moved and inspired by this leap.

Thank you to everyone who listened to the story behind Firebird and held space for my nerves around performing—I felt truly held.

As the performance neared, a calm presence settled in, bringing clarity to the arc of the dance. Even the ankle I sprained just days earlier during Firebird setup felt magically healed. After a few last-minute touches, I was ready: showtime, baby.

The audience offered prompts of curiosity, community, and becoming to guide the movement. Disco joined me with his fire staff in a fluid, co-created dance. As our wicks burned out, I invited Camp to add their final notes of surrender to the embers, drawing everyone into a tighter, warmer embrace around Firebird.

Because this was a no-camera space, there are no digital memories of the burn. Perhaps that is why the night feels permanently seared into my memory—and into ours.

Today, Firebird found her home in the garden right where she took shape, while the embers of the next piece are already smoldering. Stay tuned.