I think that I will look back on this year with both mediocrity and exaltation in terms of the work I have produced. I mean that in the best possible way. Whenever I truly excel at my craft – which is to say, I surprise myself pleasantly – I am also ebbing with moments of creativity that do not serve me in the long run. They are the moments that remind me what I am leaving behind, and my moments of goodness show me what I could become.

After finding myself in that low tide of work that simply doesn’t move me, I wanted to change what I was creating. That is when I created this series. I did something very different for myself – neutral background, red and blue tones, and a collage-esque feeling. It was a great challenge though, and has resulted in another push forward of my style, vision, and self. What better way to change who you are than to create who you want to be?

One of my favorite things in this series is the simplicity of it. When your mind is cluttered with a hundred different thoughts, it is incredible how creating simply can cure the rattling. I really needed to use art to clear my head, and this has done just that. It has provided a place to go to get away from the nagging of to-do lists and has given me a blank canvas on which I can paint my thoughts.

When I created the origami piece, I wanted to show how vulnerable we all feel (naked) and how our imagination can lift us up out of despair. For the bedsheets, I wanted to show how beautiful and unique our most authentic self is. For the moon mask, I wanted to show the possibilities of dreaming. For the cloud, I wanted to show both the heaviness and lightness of dreams. For the image with the balls, I wanted to show someone whose emotions are so heavy they bleed out with nothing strong enough to soak them up (and definite menstrual under/overtones). And for the final image, a depiction of someone feeling held back by their former self.

The series is called “Girlhood”, which I titled to remind myself how pure the imagination is, and how an exit from childhood does not and should not mean an end to change.

This series was created very simply, with either a blank wall or bed sheet as the backdrop. I spent a total of $10 on the props, utilizing objects I already had – for example, cotton balls. Art does not have to be intimidating, fit into a box, or satisfy someone else’s standards. It can be, and should be, a true reflection of your imagination and truth. I hope you will create without boundaries, and I hope you’ll share with me what you come up with.