The first time I tried pottery, it was just so fun. Of course, I was no good, and I didn’t know what I wanted to make. I didn’t dare to want to make something - what if I  couldn’t? But it was fun. The way I could push on the wobbly clay to get it to spin smoothly immediately gave me purpose. A perfectly centered lump of clay is a mesmerizing sight. I made that.  In its first steps, throwing clay is forgiving. There’s no permanent mistake that a bit of smoothing out cannot fix. You just need to apply a bit of strength with little regard for finesse, and perfection is easy to achieve.

I was on the horn last week with a client talking about what KARJAKA is, to which she blurted out off the cuff, "A useable thing that looks beautiful." To which I replied, "Modern Design by KARJAKA." If you know me, or are in my orbit, you know that I'm obsessed with design... graphic design, product design, brand design, packaging design, information design, interior, furniture, UX etc. the list goes on. This magazine was borne out of curiously designing mock graphic Vogue covers to teach my students at Parsons, and here we are 6 years later. Taken aback from her statement, I paused and thought about what defines Design? My own thoughts are the organization, functionality, usefulness, (and other adjectives) of something aesthetically pleasing.

Art isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity. I’ve seen music transform lives in ways you can’t imagine. We’ve performed for children experiencing classical music for the first time, for people who are incarcerated and seeking a momentary escape, and for those in homeless shelters discovering hope. We’re offering human connection. And we can’t underestimate the value of watching professional musicians perform live. I often find that people attending an orchestra concert for the first time are blown away by the virtuosity they both see and hear.

Conditions were suspiciously perfect as a full moon hung over a rainbow sea of city lights in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. We danced on a rooftop to tango music, becoming sudden converts to whatever religion Aphrodite commanded and thus had a god(ess)-given responsibility to romance, given the circumstances. I am very much not a dancer, but that evening I appeared to be and so I think our first date was spoken through movement and embrace. Ideal, actually, given our native languages were not the same. Victor, my dance partner that evening, and I were part of a tango festival as dance teacher/performer and musician respectively. My colleagues on violin encouraged us (though we needed little convincing) and Victor ended up joining us on the rest of our tour through Mexico.

Growing up a small town Kansas kid, I of course loved the Wizard of Oz. From a young age I always felt pulled to Dorothy’s character, wanting something different than the farm, but not sure what exactly. When I was 14 I was lucky enough to visit NYC on a summer school trip, and from then on, have had my eyes set on the Big Apple! After getting a bachelor’s degree in science of nursing, and earning my RN, I moved to Kansas City and I was so happy to be in a bigger pond. I worked as a Labor and Delivery nurse, always ushering new life into the world and feeling like a badass while doing it.

From the chair of a fresh 31 year old … And here I am, my heart breaking, forced to glitter, forced to be gay! I DESPISE writing. Don’t you just love this hook? For someone who is so unabashedly opinionated, I really can’t stand putting pen to paper. Or rather my freshly manicured glossy red claws to keyboard. Perhaps it’s simply a personal preference or perhaps it’s years of song and spoken word that have made me a sycophant for physical and verbal expression. But any way you cut it, not my medium of choice. As I countdown the last few days of my 30th year, I have some (really evolved and important) thoughts I want to share. If you made it past the photos of me making love to the camera while splayed out in a million layers of tulle, then thank you! I’ll do my best not to bore you to death with this article.