I am a contemporary artist with traditional roots.  I enjoy all artwork, but have circled back to my roots in traditional Cherokee Arts.  I have discovered a love for making baskets as I continue to learn about the history and the arts and crafts of my people.  My grandmother was a basket maker and she used to teach her family.  I remember when her and the other old ladies of the church would be making baskets and she would teach us kids how to make baskets.  I didn’t really enjoy it much then because I wanted to be out playing with the other kids, but I now have found a greater appreciation for basket making.  I have always been fascinated with the end result of any project I am doing.  It is like the reward at the end of a journey and I finally made it.  The process of scraping and trimming is one that can get cumbersome at times, but usually just when I am about to complete a basket.  I think this has to do with my impatience that I struggle to keep in check as I work and build my baskets.  I enjoy making the smaller baskets and I am not sure yet if it is because of the control I have with smaller baskets or if I am just not yet patient enough to prepare that much material for a larger basket.  Regardless, I enjoy basket making and the material prep.  I used to say I enjoyed the material prep more than the making of a basket, but not so much anymore.  I look forward to the end result, like a surprise after all the work I put into it.