From an early age, Hillary began to make collage artwork. In college she worked in a fine craft gallery, Oak Gallery in Dillsboro, NC. There she was exposed to artists of all kinds which opened her mind to working with beads, metal, and of course collage. Mostly self-taught, she has taken metalsmithing classes at the Sawtooth Center in Winston-Salem, where she has jewelry in their gallery shop. She has also had the honor of taking an online class with Stephanie Lee. She spends most of her days with her five cats, little goose of a son, and listening to her husband play music.