In early 2014 I asked readers to take a survey, and the most requested topic was my personal story: how I got started, what I studied, and how I ended up launching Studio DIY. I kept meaning to write it and with more requests in 2015 I finally decided it was time to share the whole story.
This post exists largely because of my mom. For a surprise bridal shower gift she made nine scrapbooks documenting my life from birth up to now. It’s an incredible gift and a perfect way to piece together the moments I wanted to share here. Thank you, Mom — and prepare for some of the most embarrassing photos I’ve ever shown!
Paper Crafts
My creative path began long before a formal career, though the story that leads to Studio DIY really picks up in middle school. I was always crafting — while my four brothers played sports, I sat on the sidelines making things. I tried track for a while, enjoyed dance, and at one point wanted to be a zookeeper and even design cat houses. In elementary school a friend and I ran a little roadside business called “Paper Crafts,” selling our handmade creations like a lemonade stand. That early love of making things never left me.
In 2002 I was diagnosed with a stomach tumor called GIST and missed much of eighth grade while recovering. During that time I became fascinated with fashion design, sketching clothing and researching schools and careers. I found the pre-college program at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and dove in that very summer, even while still taking post-surgery medication at lunchtime. That program gave me a taste of what I thought my career would be: fashion design.
