I have always said that childhood holds more truths than we credit it for. My earliest memories involve myself playing in the woods and collecting things—I would take my gathered treasures and build forts with the large pieces of wood, bark and discarded pieces of furniture we had found at the dump (yes, I said the dump), while saving the little, “super special” bits to bring home in my pockets or place in my treasure box. Then, while in my basement “studio,” with the help of glue, yarn and paint, I would create collages from moss or build creatures, such as mermaids (with bark tails) and unicorns (with twig legs). When I moved from the Alaskan woods to the cornfields of Minnesota, I started making miniature worlds out of cardboard. I loved feeling like I could transform cardboard into something that truly felt magical.
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