College Attended: Kansas State University
Degree: Bachelors of science in Landscape Architecture
Year Graduated from College: 2006
Internships: Powell Gardens, Horticulture and Landscape Architecture Intern, May 2005 – August 2005 (4 months) Kansas City, Missouri Area, Kansas State University – Campus Planning Department, Landscape Architecture – Student Intern September 2005 – May 2006 (9 months)
Hometown Area: Great Bend, Kansas (Central Kansas)
Awards / Accomplishments: Leed AP (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, Accredited Professional)
Family / Interests / Hobbies: Mostly I enjoying spending time family and friends. Working in my yard and planting a large vegetable garden each year keeps me busy most of the year. Other interests/ hobbies include camping, hunting, fishing, and brewing my own beer.
My favorite thing about Landcaping / Designing / Outdoors: There is something very peaceful and relaxing about being in the outdoors. It is a place that we can escape from the chaos of our lives and immerse ourselves in nature. We are often overstimulated with electronics and forget about the simple joys of the sun on your face, wind in your hair and the sound of rustling leaves and wildlife.
My Inspiration: In this digital age you are continually inundated with amazing design ideas and inspirations right at your fingertips. I regularly scroll through Instagram, Houzz and Pinterest to find new and interesting design ideas. Often it is observing how people use different spaces that encourage me to adapt those aspects into my own designs.
Who taught me my most valuable lesson and what it was? I was taught from a very young age to never quit something just because it gets hard. Also, that you shouldn’t be tentative to trying something for fear of failure; failure makes you stronger and teaches you to be successful.
My ideal outdoor space: My ideal outdoor space is one that draws you into it. One that makes you want to know what is around the corner or through the passageway. I enjoy taking a space that was previously unused or not used to it full potential and making it an extension of the living space. Landscapes should be more than just a place but an experience.
What inspires me: I would have to say that my greatest inspiration comes from my clients. When someone decides to install a new landscape they have typically spent weeks, months, many times even years thinking about their perfect landscape. The excitement my clients express as their dream materializes from a drawing on paper to the finished product is what I find rewarding.
My favorite landscape style: I enjoy taking traditionally native material and arrange them in a more modern way to create a truly unique landscape. Having our own nursery gives us access to a wider variety of plant material than most landscapers, who are limited to what is available at big box stores. With any project the balance of color, structure, texture and seasonal interest is imperative to the design. I want my clients to enjoy their landscape all year long and not just for the few weeks of color in the spring and fall.