About

Hello, my name is Daphne: artist, pet lover, spooky enthusiast, and unfortunately a Greek nymph that was turned into a laurel tree to escape the pursuits of Apollo.

There have been two prominent passions of mine since I was around four years old- arts & crafts, and all things animals. Growing up I was always experimenting with art- painting, sculpting, photography, and eventually (my favorite) interactive installations. Whenever I create art I like to go by some variation of Daizzie which is the combination of my first and middle names.

abstract self portrait abstract self portrait

So You're An Artist?

I use various artistic forms professionally. These skills range from photography and videography, to graphic design, to coding. My main area of focus during my time at Illinois State University was interactive installations. Two of my favorite installations were the CuddlePants and the Funhouse.

The CuddlePants can be found within my coding page. They are sweatshorts that are customized with a pillow and mechanical arm that bring cuddling and solitude together. At the time of their creation, a good friend of mine and I had just discovered professional cuddlers in California and thought it would be fun and interesting to explore this concept with the CuddlePants. It allows physical touch and comfort while maintaining both parties' independance and freedom to read a book or play with their phone. When a person rests their head in the lap of the user, a mechanical arm starts stroking the head of the person laying down.

The projection used inside the Funhouse can be found within my photography & videography page. This was originally a three person group project I led at Illinois State but quickly became a solo project I designed and executed. This was my first large scale project using MAX MSP and has a special place in my heart. The Funhouse was a 2ft by 6ft enclosed wooden box that requires two players to enjoy. At the opening of the box was a V shape divider that had a hole large enough for a face to fit inside. At the opposite end, inside of the box, layed a computer monitor. The monitor played on loop a gif of two hands juggling and a woman shaking her head around in the background. On the outside of the box, on each side, layed several buttons. Each player could only control their three buttons to change the videos frame rate, color channels, and color scheme of the video. The goal is simple: identify the correct values for the frame rate, color channels and scheme. If you and your partner got a value correct, the corresponding light would light up. Here's the catch: the values change every 15-30 seconds, creating a never ending game. There were three lights inside and outside the box to let players and spectators visualize their progress of the game.

With each new project, I find it rewarding and challenging to go one step further and tackle another topic I have yet to try. Creating art allows me to play and visualize the world in new and exciting ways.

a young girl with purple hair admires a young woman with flaming red hair shielding herself behind a flower.

So What's Your Artistic History?

Currently I am pursuing my second Bachelor degree through Bellevue University focusing on Software Development. Before that, I studied for my first Bachelor at Illinois State University in Arts Technology. This particular major is unique to Illinois State and has recently had a name change to Creative Technologies. The program is unique as it involves the study of all digital art mediums within sound, theatre, and studio work. My particular focus was in studio work and interactive installations but I enjoyed dabbling in the sound and theatrical realms as well.

While my goal is to pursue a creative field within a company, I am also a freelance artist. I have been a freelance photographer since the start of my senior year of high school back in 2013. My professional photgraphy focuses primarily in portraits or engagement sessions. Before moving down to Florida to pursue software development and fulfill a lifelong dream of working for Disney, I was a Front-end Web Designer for Illinois State University. While I was still studying there, I was an intern for the same web department and was a member of the University Program Board where I was a graphic designer for all events taking place on campus. As a member of the committee, I designed graphics for print (including brochures, buttons, and posters) as well as digital graphics (for TV ads or social media).

So Aside From Art, Who Are You?

While art is a huge part of who I am, I am also a huge animal lover, am drawn to spiritualism, and the great outdoors.

There are two wonderful fur children in my household. The oldest being a very moody cat named Mozart and the youngest being a spriteful cat named Dragonfly. Usually while working on some art I like to keep music blaring or tune into a documentary of some sort. Another fun thing I like to do is cook! I hardly ever follow a recipe but that's part of the fun. I like to experiment with seasonings and different food combinations. Most of my freetime is usually spent reading and researching. I love to learn new things and frequently immerse myself in the study of different topics. Four years ago I started learning American Sign Language and continue my studies today.