About Ailee Cohen.

     Hi! I'm Ailee, a resourceful artist. I was born and raised in sunny San Diego, California, so I had a pretty exciting childhood. Since I was a little girl, I've loved spending time at the beach, soaking up all that the Pacific Ocean has to offer. I love integrating nature into my art and creating sustainable clothing.

     Something that really influenced the development of my creative thinking was the environment that I grew up in. The middle child of three girls, my parents had a lot on their plates, so I spent a lot of time outside entertaining myself. They also graced me by limiting the amount of TV I was allowed to watch, which boosted my creative intelligence. My dad gave me a wonderful gift as a young girl: a big net. That net allowed me to catch frogs and turtles, snakes and lizards, and bugs galore. I captured them, observed their unique patterns and colors, and then released them back into the wild. ​

     Another thing that allowed my creativity to flow was a gift from my mom: her old Barbie dolls. Some with their original outfits still intact; some with their hair chopped off, I spent many hours dressing them in scraps of fabric, tissues, and disposable head coverings pilfered from Shul. 

     When I look at everyday objects, especially trash, I always take in their potential to be used for new crafts. I see milk seals as play wedding rings, toilet paper rolls as binoculars, and empty matchboxes as the drawer for my dolls' desk. 

     Today I am a student at the University of Washington in Seattle as an Anthropology major. In addition to my interests in design, I enjoy learning about literature, history, education, and psychology. As a Freshman, I am exploring various paths for my professional career. ​