Demonstrated Sensitivity

My work explores themes of memory, relationships, loss, grief and longing. I grew up living in constant transience, attempting to avoid formal foster care placement. Coming into adulthood made me question my upbringing and its effect on my adult persona. Since entering therapy to process my past, I have been diagnosed with multiple mental illnesses and gained insight into how these illnesses affect me daily.          

My work utilizes glass to evoke the fragile nature of stability and the ghost-like quality of memory. I am interested in the dichotomy of having the desire for the stability that I lacked growing up, while simultaneously seeking out the continuation of the uncertainty that became so familiar. Trauma can affect the brain by leaving a haze over your past, leaving holes in what you remember. This project has empowered me to take back an element of control by processing my memories, and therefore, gaining a better understanding of myself. Through the repetitive process of making glass chain, my body is able to relax into a meditative state, allowing my mind to process grief and trauma. By finding peace in my past, I am able to achieve ataraxia and move forward.