I live in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California and have been native to the area since elementary school. My business is operated both in-home as well as at IG Design studio in Atlanta, Georgia. From 1979 to 1988 I lived with my mother, father, and sister in Lake Oswego, Oregon. My father was diagnosed with Schizophrenia in his thirties, so my earliest memories of him are, unfortunately, surrounded by abuse and alcoholism. My personal ‘escape’ from his physical and emotional abuse was found through locking myself inside of my closet. In there, I would create small trinkets and drawings and bring to life an environment where I could live in a happier state of mind and remove myself from the reality on the other side of the door. In my ‘escape’ I would build prototypes and daydream of a better life that I knew I could also create someday.
Occasionally, there were times when my sister and I would head over to the neighbor’s house to retrieve tossed food from their garbage cans. I would pretend I was a pirate searching for treasure to mask the pain of the reality we lived in; we had no money, no income, and we were squatters in a home under foreclosure. I knew we were poor and didn’t understand the circumstances at the time but knew something was different because I wasn’t allowed to have friends over. Although my upbringing was very unpleasant, this experience taught me at a very young age how to be resourceful, independent, and to develop coping techniques.
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