Before my study abroad trip to Japan, we were assigned to create omiyage; small gifts that represented parts of our home we wanted to share. For mine, I designed, laser-cut, and assembled 50 keychains featuring three variations of an original skeleton character I created for the project, which I titled Dead Local (though I never shared the name with those who received them).

I wanted the gifts to feel personal yet universal, something people could use every day that also reflected a piece of themselves, not just of me.