Aubrey is just as adaptable as the jewelry she wears!

How did you get here?

Alix and I met during undergrad orientation at Pratt Institute and have been close friends since. We have been through a lot of life adventures since then: marriage, thesis, moving, death, holidays, hikes, extreme sledding, bacon drenched meals, country-time, city-time, southern-times, business collaboration, and more than I can probably list off. She even moved me to Tennessee from NYC, she drove straight for 13 hours. Our friendship is a life treasure.

What are your hobbies & sports?

My hobbies are my passions and profession. I am an artist and archaeologist. For the past five years I have been in graduate school, so my hobbies are homework and financial subsistence patterns. When I manage to get ahead of the workload, I like to cook and hike in the mountains. In terms of sports, bicycling, running, swimming, and yoga are the ways that I stay athletic.

What would your ideal day look like?

Wake up early and read over coffee while it is still dark, go for a bike ride and a swim. Eat delicious, nourishing food with loved ones. Write without restraint and paint without existential crisis. Eat more food and have some wine. Watch a sunset from a beautiful natural place and then cuddle up and sleep deeply.

 If you could change one thing about the world for the better, what would it be? 

I would foster a sense of empathetic stewardship for our planet and the billions of people on it. My impulse is to say wealth redistribution but the larger issue is how we treat one another and the way in which we interact with our planetary home and the mitigation of its resources. 

Tell us about a hard lesson and what you took away from it?? 

There are so many! I grew up fast and in a very challenging manner. I lost both of my parents by the time I was 15, then my nuclear family completely dissolved. We were what Sherry Ortner deems the maladaptive class, those below the working class, who find means of support outside of the traditional economic superstructure. Growing up like this left me very vulnerable to destructive people and patterns. I spun out and fell down repeatedly. However, I’ve been in therapy and support groups for the past five years and it has been incredibly helpful to find peace and acceptance. I’ve learned a bunch of clichés to contextualize profound pain but, more importantly, I have learned to be loving and patient with myself. At the end of the day, all we can control is our own reactions and actions.

How do you relate to your ABD? 

I love to wear my ABD! I love that it reminds me of the shiny, bright star that is Alix and our friendship. I love that it is sustainable. I love that is elegant and fancy, but I can be digging in pits for excavations while still looking stylish. I love that I can shower after being in the field, throw on a dress and go out, all the while ABD adapts to the environment.