Artist Statement

To be seen and understood is something that is so vital to our connection to identity, both of the self and by others. Nobody wants to feel alone in their individual experiences of life, love, death, and everything in-between that changes who we are and how we carry ourselves for the rest of our lives. It is only human to want to understand the bigger questions, such as what happens after we die? How come heartbreak hurts so much? Why must we suffer pain? If a good person makes a bad mistake, can they still be considered good? Does true love exist? Would I be lucky enough to experience it?  

These are all questions that I explore in my work. I am the first one to say: I do not have the answers. However, these questions I find to be one of the most fascinating parts of being human, which is why I incorporate them into the stories I choose to tell through my art. I use my characters (performed, written, and painted) as vessels into answering these unanswerable questions, as well as reflecting my own experiences throughout my life, pieces of both the highest and lowest moments. I love challenging myself by visualizing my final product of what I want to make and putting in the time and effort to bring it to life, into something that others can see parts of themselves in as well as being entertained by what I create.

There is simply something about making and participating in art that is reminiscent of those moments when you exit a theater after seeing a wonderful film or production and you feel like everything is possible again. I want to give this feeling to others when they see my work. If my favorite playwrights, directors, actors, producers, artists can make me feel this way after seeing their work, why not I?

MEDUSA (2021), photographed by Joana Meurkins