Values & offerings

Some values I hold around the work I offer:

My time, energy, labor, skills, and ineffable personal touch are uniquely valuable and worthy of recognition and compensation.

Money is one common form of recognition and compensation. It is not the only form, but in our society, it is the one most fundamentally required for survival and quality of life. Until that changes, it is appropriate for me to request and receive money in exchange for my work.

In US American society, art and the work of artists are not understood to be of vital importance (unlike, say, corporate profit or national defense). As a result, art and the work of artists are commonly dismissed, ignored, invisibilized, or expected to be available cheaply or free of charge. This is also true for many other forms of work and other types of workers (e.g., care workers, teachers, agricultural and foodservice workers). Simultaneously, the true financial, human, and environmental costs of many things (not just art) are frequently hidden from view and difficult to uncover. All this to say, we are used to seeing certain prices on things. That doesn’t mean those prices are right.

Art and creativity belong to everyone and should be accessible to everyone. They are essential to quality of life, not just for individuals but for our collective public life.

I want my art to get into the hands of people who love it.

I want my teachings to find the people with whom I can have the most mutually beneficial creative relationships.

I want people to make more art, regardless of whether they see themselves as “artists”. The creative spirit lives in us all. It is healthy to exercise it.

I might believe my potential to be limitless, but on the practical level, I know that my capacities are not. I have finite time and energy and labor to give in this lifetime, and those capacities will shift over time, in unpredictable ways.

I take all of the above into consideration when scheduling workshops and jobs, setting rates and prices, taking commissions, and devising additional offerings of my time, energy, labor, and resources (such as free or donation-based events, sliding scale pricing, discounts, fundraiser/benefit offerings).

I don’t know what everyone needs. I am always trying to learn and listen. If there’s something you want me to know about, I am always open to a conversation, to the best of my current capacity.

November 2025