I started drawing before I could write and taking pictures as soon as I could lift a camera. My beloved mother Xina was an impressive work of art, a masterpiece. She stood six feet tall – a beautiful bald black woman with an infectious smile. As an adopted child who suffered abuse she struggled with mental illness as an adult, and yet she was the most genuine, vibrant, bold, strong, free-spirited woman I’ve ever met. Her life story has given me the gift of empathy and compassion. My father is the coolest man I know. He was a photographer with his own business and enlisted me to help in photo-shoots; he is the reason I picked up a camera. My sisters and I were his favorite subjects which gave us a particular self-confidence and poise. That set the tone for my successful modeling career. Just kidding. I chose to stay behind the camera and as the baby of the ladies in my family, I had much to observe. As the only bi-racial individual in the family, I saw unique scenes that were placed before my eyes, solely because of my perspective. My father showed me that everything is art and that  beauty is always potentially there, if simple touches were added.