KEEN & DARING
the daring do.
about keen & daring
This site is both archive and resource for the writing, design, and curatorial projects that have emerged through living a life of art. Much of the work gathered here is inherently collective, shaped by conversation, shared ideas, long-standing friendships, and the generosity of a worldwide community of creative individuals. It is inspired by the belief that creativity is a form of bravery (daring). That aesthetics are at the core of the human experience (keen).
By maintaining a public archive of these collaborations, I hope to recognize and celebrate the power of creative mutual aid: the often-unseen network of encouragement, knowledge, labor, trust, and exchange that enables meaningful cultural work to take shape. The site exists somewhere between portfolio, archive, notebook, and publication. It is not quite a magazine, although it occasionally behaves like one; not quite an institutional archive, though preservation is central to its purpose. Instead, it is an evolving record of shared creative life and a place to acknowledge the people, ideas, and collaborations that continue to inform my professional and personal life.
about me
I am a second-generation arts and culture writer with more than 20 years of experience working as a gallery director, curator, and creative marketing consultant. For 15+ years, I have served as Director of saltfineart, a fine art gallery based in Southern California. My lifelong experience has given me an in-depth understanding of art marketing, artist advocacy, audience engagement, and the importance of building meaningful relationships. I have been particularly drawn to the ways in which art can create connections, shape cultural conversations, and foster collaboration that span disciplines and communities.
Recently, I earned an MS in Clinical Psychology, allowing me to further pursue my longstanding interest in mental health and human behavior. My work as a counselor increasingly informs my writing on art and music, particularly my interest in creativity as a means of identity, resilience, communication, and social connection. I approach cultural writing through both a curatorial and human-centered lens, exploring not only how the work is made and experienced, but also the personal and social forces that give it meaning.
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On the subject of Art & Bravery
I grew up not fully understanding the heroism of those closest to me. The truth would come in delicate pieces, floating down into my consciousness like pieces of ash, fires set to protect the present by erasing the past. In 2016, my grandfather died suddenly from pneumonia in a hospital in Prague, leaving behind a tangled network of unanswered questions as vast as his formidable mind. As a young person, he was forced to flee his home city of Prague, immigrating first to allied-controlled Germany in the wake of WWII, then to America, then back to Europe, where he would spend the rest of his life building bridges between Czech people living abroad and those living within the Czech Republic.
His life’s work was only fully known to me after he passed away, when I discovered an overwhelming collection of photographs and personal letters which I painstakingly sorted and translated from Czech to English. The process of reacquainting myself with my favorite person after he was gone forever changed my life and my creative process. His influence is everywhere in my writing and community work. He is the inspiration for the idea that "the daring do."