Object you keep around your studio for inspiration: “For a few years I was lucky enough to have a job which sent me traveling all over the world, and I keep things in my studio that I picked up on those travels. One of the first and most memorable trips I took was to Oaxaca, Mexico, where I bought a wooden raccoon from an artisan family who took us into their studio and showed us the entire process — from rough-hewing the wood to crushing up bugs to make the dye. The connection I made to this family was what made me buy the piece. I try to remember that connection every time I make my own work.”