April 2017: I create to respond, to humanize, to reflect. I create to attempt to understand what happens within the communities around and beyond me. I create to understand who I am and who I can be within these communities. Spending time tediously placing beads as Yes Paste covers my hands allows me to focus and think about the purpose of myself through art. Specifically, using beads and glitter glue in my art is a metaphor for looking through major socioeconomic and personal dilemmas through childlike, cut-and-paste mediums. I explore negative space in several of my works to play with the ideas of focal points and spotlights; having a central region of stuff inspires the viewer to focus on that - less becomes more and more becomes meaningful.

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The purpose of my work is to humanize. My art is a vehicle for educating myself on topics I feel I either have more to learn about or those I am already passionate about. I want to share them with those who view my work. I use my work to explore the intersecting identities that define me of being a multicultural woman. Beyond that, I rarely create work solely for visual appeal. However, I absolutely love it when I do! Using my brain to arrange and physically display the infinity that resides within my mind is one of my favorite uses of my time when creating. Finally, something rather new I have really worked to delve into this year is the idea of vulnerability. Whether that be through the “proof that i exist” video or my senior speech, I am working on breaking down the cement walls I have set up around myself over the past few years. Ultimately, my work is a study of myself within this world.