Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Parker Lauren Shackelford was brought up to be a southern lady. After graduating from Houston High School in 2015, she went on to the University of Memphis just down the street from her childhood home. Her mother and both grandmothers are interior designers, while her father spent days and nights working in the world of textiles and retail. Together, they taught her the value of hard work, and the importance of attention to detail. After her second semester in college, she realized she spent more time doodling and painting then her other homework in International Relations. Parker decided to make the jump to study Studio Art, with a concentration in photography. This manifestation of perfection, embedded in her childhood, holds heavy throughout Parker’s process. A combination of nit picky choices shown through collages of manipulated photographs, composite scans of precious, intangible items, all give new opportunities to evaluate aesthetic, and commercial art. Idolizing artists like Danica Phelps, Hannah Hoch, and Mickalene Thomas, has helped Parker understand how to navigate art and it’s meaning both in process and in exhibition.