Words written in stone carry more weight and permanence than any other medium. Most emails and texts will be discarded soon after we send them in this transient, digital world. We rarely make the time to construct a sentence, one in which every word is carefully chosen for the meaning and tone it conveys. Commissioning someone to hand carve letters into stone is different: a letter carver’s job is to extract meaning from the fewest words. In some cases, a complex message can be expressed elegantly, using a single word with well-designed letters. Philosophy, religion, pleasure, and pain have been around for millennia, and ideas that many consider modern can be found in ancient texts on these subjects. I am inspired when I discover a word or phrase from the past that still speaks to today's world. While the word or phrase itself may be obscure, my hope is that the viewer will research and uncover their own connection. For those who already know the reference, the carving becomes a bookmark that reminds them of the meaning. In this way, I like to think of my work as a doorway to the past and messages that will carry on into the future.