My mixed media work centers around the development and societal perception of psychotic disorders. Through the implementation of various 2D mediums such as pastels, pencils, paints, along with the use of textures from embroidery, sewing, and soft sculpture, my work evokes feelings of a broad and chaotic scope. While my practice explores topics that may be intense to discuss, I visually approach emotional vulnerability with bright colors and over-dramatism to allow room for relief and authenticity. My work is an openhearted and genuine representation of the state of being of those who suffer from psychotic disorders exist in. My process for making this type of work is heavily texture-driven, experimental, and playful. I often sacrifice the structural integrity or lasting agency of my work by choosing precarious materials in order to fully flesh out what I’m feeling. Making work that is visually exciting and experimental-- work that fully consumes the viewer in that single moment, holds greater value to me than making work that will outlive me.

 

As an artist who struggles with OCD, I’ve often felt very othered, like there was something bad about me that had to be adjusted in order for me to succeed. Paranoia and fear of bad things happening follow me consistently, to a point where I feel uprooted from reality. My mental health exhausts me to the point where I don’t know who I am, or who I want to be, or how I want to be seen. Part of me wants to not be seen at all, so my artwork becomes something for me to hide behind. I can say anything I need to without having to open my mouth or look anyone in the eye. While I want my work to resonate with others, at the very base of it my artwork is a way for me to see myself and understand who I really am. My art is a way for me to ground myself and flesh out my own anxieties and paranoia, make them physical so they’re now belonging to me and I am no longer to them. Hopefully, as I make art through a personal journey of self-discovery, others may see my experience and use it to form a more sympathetic and gentle mindset to those who struggle with mental health