My love for the arts grew out of my obsession with underground Hip-Hop culture.  I was drawn in by the intricate syllabic complexity, captivated by the soulful expressions, and committed to practicing the associated form of dance. The idea of "turning nothing into something" has always inspired me.  In order to rhyme all you need a voice, and in order to break all you need is a floor.  The amazing achievements born from these humblest of resources lie at the heart of what it means to create for me.

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My love for nature started at a young age and I have always been mesmerized by the intricate and organized structures that appear in the sky during severe weather events.  One of my favorite hobbies is tracking the development of severe weather patterns.  There are few things more exhilarating to me than driving through the great open plains of the Midwest in search of tornados and their mesocyclonic progenitors.  I am also an avid chaser of beautiful astronomical events such as meteor showers and total solar eclipses.

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When I began my studies of fundamental physics, the line separating the arts and nature dissolved.  I am firmly opposed to the idea that the vastness of the universe undercuts the significance of human activity.  The greatest mystery in fundamental physics, which is the peculiar hierarchy between gravitational and electrical forces, is also the necessary condition for the existence of complex chemistry and growth of complex structures in our universe.  For me this is the single greatest source of inspiration for continuing the fight against our mortal enemy: entropic decay.