I was a very messy and clumsy child. I loved playing in puddles or sleeping in trees and never sat still. As I grew older, I learned that society didn’t necessarily like people like me so I began hiding these parts of myself. After receiving a diagnosis for hyperactive ADHD at the age of 22, I saw my childhood insecurities in a whole new light. My quirks were no longer flaws but simply just characteristics. As a result, I started to embrace, rather than suppress, the clumsy nature of my inner child.
By combining cotton paper forms with images taken from my past, the work transforms the sorrow of my childhood into a cathartic experience of accepting myself in the present. Each casted object is riddled with scratches, spots, and stains. By allowing my creative process to create these imperfections I started to accept my own. The house structure represents my journey to healing. It provides me with the safety I need to heal from my childhood and experience all that life has to offer. Healing is long and sometimes painful; however, by creating this work, I am able to live freely in the present and relish in new life experiences.