About Me

Hello! My name is Valorie Spade, and I was a student at Freestyle Academy from 2020 to 2022.

I have had an interest in art since before I can even remember, but I only started to take it seriously in 8th grade, where I took my first art elective at school. There, I discovered how great it was to be making art in an environment with other artists, and how much my skills could develop in the span of a year, with the support of my peers and my teacher. I also learned to explore a wide variety of mediums there, and I now have some experience with a lot of different crafts (such as embroidery, crochet/knitting, sewing, bookbinding, woodcarving, sticker-making, and much more).

My inspirations come from many places, but a lot of it comes from Japanese culture. I’m inspired by both ancient Japanese culture (the clothing, art, and myths) and modern Japanese culture (the music, fashion, and animations). I lived in Japan when I was younger, which is when I developed a deep love for everything there.

In my time at Freestyle Academy I learned so many valuable skills through the wide variety of projects we were assigned. Those skills have already started to prove useful in many of my other creative endeavors, and I’m sure that they will continue to help me as I grow and develop as an artist. I’m so thankful for my time at Freestyle, and for my passionate, creative, and ambitious peers that inspired me throughout my time there.