Kalamazoo Valley Alumna Heather Briggs

Kalamazoo Valley alumna Heather Briggs is a photographer who graduated magna cum laude from Andrews University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography. Her passion is sharing her story of overcoming severe dyslexia. Her series titled A Stupid Brilliance was displayed in the ArtPrize competition in 2017. She also received third place in the 2018 West Michigan Area Show. Her goal is to inspire others to overcome their weaknesses through their strengths.

"I loved taking art classes at Kalamazoo Valley," Briggs said. "It got me into the dark room. I loved the atmosphere at the Center for New Media. It's urban and edgy and I love that the instructors are very open. If you ever need help, they're there for you."

Briggs said she was destined to be an artist. "I was pretty much doodling, coloring and making random things from the age of four," she said. She was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of 10 and found participation in art programs to be extremely helpful.

Because she has experimented with many different mediums, Briggs has become comfortable with learning through the creative process. "Some pieces I keep just because I hate them," she said. "It's ok to fail. It's ok to take risks and learn from it. Failure is part of the process. You make, fail, make, fail, make. You have to be able to grow, adapt and transition."

Last year, Brigg's "Flight of Fern" series won the Director's Choice award in Kalamazoo Valley's Alumni+ Art Show. "That sent me on a path of exploring media," she said. "I've gotten several commission jobs from it and I'm developing a following." Flight of Fern is an origami piece. "I love taking a piece of paper and turning it into a two-dimensional shape," she said. "The process fascinated me and I started falling in love with shapes."

Briggs is always looking for items that she can incorporate into her artwork. "I collect botanicals, small flowers, small leaves - anything that would make a good print. I encourage other people to see the detail in nature." View her work and learn more about Heather Briggs at https://heatherbriggsphotography.com/about.