I shouldn’t have cut MY HAIR delves into the complex impulses that surface when confronting the unknown depths of the human psyche. Cutting one’s hair often symbolizes release and renewal, but for me, it also marked the shedding of rose-tinted glasses. What emerged was an unflinching awareness of my reality: a trauma-filled past and a future defined by slow, painful healing. This release from one reality brought a new set of challenges—depression, anxiety, and mental hurdles that required careful navigation.

During this period, I took a wilderness first aid course, an experience that felt serendipitously aligned with my mental state. The instructor’s brutally honest and darkly humorous phrases—“shove sugar in their face,” “feed them and beat them,” or “the puddle that once was you”—reflected the tone of my internal processing. Learning how to care for others in extreme situations became a metaphor for my own efforts to confront and cope with trauma.

The pieces in this exhibition explore my ability to navigate these turbulent emotions: feeling chaos inside, ordering information to cope, and reconciling my new understanding of self. Through the interplay of watercolor and pencil crayon, I investigate the tension between chaos and control. The fluidity of watercolors captures the vast, unpredictable abyss of emotion, while structured cubes provide a counterbalance—a way to contain and navigate the overwhelming currents of the psyche.
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This work invites viewers to reflect on their own moments of release and renewal, and to find balance amidst the delicate interplay of surrender and restraint. It is both a testament to the difficulty of healing and a celebration of resilience in the face of adversity.
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Exhibition View, 2024
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"fat quarter quest", 2024
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Exhibition View, 2024
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"feed them and beat them", 2024
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"protect the little engine that could", 2024
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"walking bag of water", 2024
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"the puddle that was once you", 2024
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"bathed in fluid and encased in a hard shell", 2024
These works, in particular, explore the psychological pull of the "call of the void"—the sudden urge to leap from high places—and its parallels with the magnetism of depression. Like these impulses, the urge fades, leaving behind self-reflection and the challenge of coexisting with inner darkness. Drawing from personal experiences and inspired by hiking the East Coast Trail, the watery hues reflect the emotional journey of navigating intense feelings and surfacing from the depths of our own hidden currents.