In my "other" life, I've been mostly a professor. Academic writing can be creative, too, but within fairly strict limits, and though I love words and books, I've gravitated toward visual expression since childhood. I have dabbled in many media, from watercolors to ceramics, and enjoy making things for children, like the colorful cats and other animals you see here, which I cut from wood, painted and laquered. Most recently I have begun making jewelry.