What feels like a lifetime of studying — and earning a mechanical engineering BS and MS and a professional engineering license- I find myself at a crossroads: should I pursue an MFA?
I’ve explored programs widely — from highly ranked schools to smaller, less-known ateliers — and the experience has been sobering. Many graduate programs expect students to devote themselves fully to study and studio work while offering little or no income support. The result is a system that effectively privileges those with independent wealth. For artists who must support themselves, full-time study can be a luxury that’s out of reach.
That reality has forced me to reconsider the conventional path. I won’t pretend it’s easy. I don’t come from money. I can’t afford to pause life and income for three years without a plan. So I have chosen a different route: to continue working directly in the studio, to pursue the projects that matter, and to seek opportunities outside the academy.
My approach is deliberate and resourceful. I’m building a body of work that explores solitude, movement, memory, and the uneasy beauty of forgotten places — themes that have informed my practice since the beginning. I’m reaching out to curators, small museums, and collectives that value thoughtful, experimental work. Groups like Tapan Collective, who curate with eye and sensitivity, represent the kind of collaborative scene I want to be part of.
For collectors and institutions: I offer a practice rooted in technical rigor and lived inquiry. My engineering background informs a disciplined, process-driven studio practice; my work is minimal, contemplative, and quietly enigmatic. Rather than trading time and creative autonomy for credentials, I’m investing in the work itself — rigorous, repeatable, and ready for exhibition.
If you are a collector or curator interested in quiet, precise work that sits at the intersection of nature, memory, and disconnection, I would welcome a conversation. I’m open to collaborations, exhibitions, and commissions that allow the work to breathe in public contexts without compromising the integrity of the practice.
I’m not against the MFA — for some artists it’s transformative, and for others it offers necessary networks and mentorship. I only ask that the art world reckon with the economic realities of its training models. Meanwhile, I’ll keep making, reaching out, and insisting that serious practice can flourish outside any single institution.