My road in life has been direct.
Grew up in the Midwest, his father was a preacher; was homeschooled and was always a shy child who liked arts and crafts.
Didn't have a guidance counselor when choosing an art school, so he originally chose a small Christian school in California.
Once he figured out that he truly had a talent for the arts, he knew he had to transfer to an arts school in New York.
His family didn't support his decision to move to New York, go to a liberal school, but he says New York City was the first place that felt like home.
He'd been studying drawing and painting, but he never felt like he had anything to say with those mediums.
One day, a professor saw him embroidering and they started a conversation about the overlap of crafting and gender norms.
He felt like his upbringing had tried to get him to fit in one gendered box, so he wants his crocheting to say, "It's okay for boys to do this!"
Says although his own familial support system fell away, that taught him how to be his own biggest supporter and fan.