When I started traveling internationally in my twenties, I quickly began to notice a few things. I won’t say any of them were particularly shocking. Some were actually pretty obvious. But I suspect a few would have blown the minds of the teachers I had growing up. The ones who told me, with absolute certainty, … Read more
By 2009, I had already done a number of large-scale projects around the world. But between the exotic adventures, I still did regular work closer to home, including elementary school assemblies, or the occasional library or museum show. One of those “filler gigs” was scheduled at the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York. … Read more
I didn’t sleep much the week I arrived in Tokyo in December 1998. Not from jet lag, though that certainly didn’t help. No, I was buzzing with nerves and anticipation, preparing to lead the most ambitious balloon project of my life. It was my first trip to Japan, and it was for a New Year’s … Read more
Back in 1999, I knew I found my tribe when T Jam, the first balloon twisting convention, took place. For years, there had been talk of creating this event. It hadn’t happened previously because no one wanted to spend the money to produce a convention that wasn’t guaranteed to be successful. There was interest — … Read more
New Yorker here. I speak American English. I have traveled extensively for work, much of it internationally, which has exposed me to a wide range of languages and cultures. While I’ve always struggled to learn languages other than English, I make an effort to pick up a little wherever I go, even if it’s only … Read more
