Gerren grew up amongst a variety of talented artists and was accustomed to visiting the carving workshops of Tony Hunt Jr. As he apprenticed alongside his father, Tom Patterson, he also paid careful attention to the individual styles and techniques of these master carvers. He was raised in both the Coast Salish and Nuu-chah-nulth traditions of art. His father taught him form, growing up and in the past two years he has been teaching himself how to make jewelry in September of 2020.