The Spring 2022 semester of my college career changed my trajectory. I was an art student but still unsure of which field to go into. When I took a 3D design class at this time and began to learn new programs, my eyes widened at the possibilities. I had no idea about 3D software but I learned quickly and experimented with a variety of programs.

I first learned Adobe Illustrator. It was totally new to me but everyone else in the class had learned it already, so I taught myself. Once I had enough practice creating Illustrator files, I was able to convert them into .svg files and send them to the lasercutter. This machine fascinates me, the fact that I can tell it what to do and it has the precision to cut it exactly as I intended. I cut paper at first and then moved onto cardboard. With cardboard I had more structure to build, so I made several tabbed mushroom shapes. I peeled a sheet of cardboard, layered the lasercut mushrooms, and cut holes to insert the tabs. The result left me with a rotten tree stump covered in shelf mushrooms made completely from cardboard.