Singing and designing are two hobbies that have remained a staple for me since I was a child; however, it wasn’t until a dramatic event in 2010 that forced me to create a brand that would forge the two, thus defining & changing my life forever. Saturday afternoons were divided into two categories for me as a child – going to choir rehearsal at church with my family and spending time with my grandmother. While my daddy did her yard work, my grandmother MaDear (as everyone affectionately called her) taught me how to create beautiful fiber art projects using simple stitches that she learned at her local community center. Over the years, I noticed that she continued to teach me the same stitches and projects over & over again: eventually, we discovered that she suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease and she was peacefully laid to rest in 1992. In 2004, I was selected by my church music director to perform a solo with a community choir accompanied by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. During one of our breaks in rehearsal, the principle conductor Lucas Richman had a quick conversation where he was impressed with my instrument and asked me where I studied voice. I told him that I didn’t have any formal vocal training or education, so he advised me to consider classical voice as an option. At 27, I completed an Associate’s degree in Pittsburgh, PA in less than two years with high honors and transferred to the Boyer School of Music & Dance at Temple University to study classical voice & opera. Being in a bigger “shark tank”, I was amazed at how my (younger) classmates carried themselves in the music school: discussing proper dieting & exercise, wearing wraps & scarves, sipping on hot tea to preserve their voice, etc. I wasn’t used to this behavior (I’m self-taught singer from North Carolina) and was bootstrapping my education, so to "look the part" I designed apparel, jewelry, & accessories in my spare time to "fit in with the crowd". The designs were surprisingly popular amongst my peers, faculty, staff, & visiting artists. I had to take a break for financial reasons, so I focused my attention on my new company and opened Fierce Stitch in September 2010.